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How To Cook Nopales (Cactus Paddles)

If you've never cooked nopales before, you're in for a treat. This dish is popular in Mexico and can be used in a variety of recipes. In this post, I'll show you the most common way to cook them and give you a few ideas for dishes that you can make with them. They are all super easy to make!
Course Basic Recipes
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword HOW TO COOK CACTUS PADDLES, nopales nutrition, nopales salad recipes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 14kcal

Ingredients

  • 6 nopales cactus pads
  • 1 tomatillo husk to reduce the viscosity effect
  • ¼ white onion
  • 1 garlic clove
  • ½ tsp. of salt

NOPALES SALAD

    SERVES 4

    • 6 nopales cactus pads chopped and cooked
    • 1 ½ cup chopped tomato
    • 2 serrano peppers finely chopped
    • ½ cup of chopped onion
    • 2 tbsp. lemon juice
    • ½ cup fresh cilantro chopped
    • Salt and pepper to taste
    • 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
    • cup of olive oil
    • 1 avocado
    • ½ cup crumble fresh cheese
    • Corn tortillas or tostadas to serve

    NOPALES WITH EGGS FOR BREAKFAST

    • cups of nopales chopped and cooked
    • 2 eggs
    • 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
    • 2 tbsp. of chopped green onions
    • Salt to taste

    Instructions

    VERY IMPORTANT TIP: Use kitchen tongs to hold the nopales or, better yet, wear gloves to protect your hands from the thorns. Once you are familiar working with cactus paddles then you can try to clean them without gloves.

      Clean the Nopales

      • Place the cactus paddle on your cutting board and trim off the edge using a sharp knife. Scrape the spines, thorns or eyes, running your knife from back to front until completely clean. Turn the cactus paddles and do the same on the other side.
      • Repeat the same steps with the rest of the cactus paddles. Finally, rinse the cactus paddles and take them back to your clean cutting board.

      Cook the Cactus Paddles

      • Place a medium size pot with 4 quarts of water to boil.
      • Cut the cactus paddles into small strips.
      • Once the water is boiling add the cactus, onion, garlic, ½ tsp. of salt and the tomatillo husk. Boil uncovered for about 8-10 minutes or until tender. The cactus will exude a sticky substance and most times will foam, so, pay special attention to this step to avoid the foam to spill over.
      • Once cooked, drain and rinse the cactus. Let them drain completely or pat them dry with paper towels. Now, your nopales are ready to be prepared into salads, scrambled eggs, as an addition to your Mexican stews, etc.

      NOPALES SALAD

      • Place the nopales in a large bowl; add the chopped tomato, onion, serrano peppers and cilantro. Mix the ingredients. In a separate bowl mix lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, salt, and pepper. Add this to the nopales mixture and stir. Top the salad with crumbled fresh cheese and avocado slices. (Radishes go well with this salad also). Eat with corn tortillas or tostadas.

      NOPALES WITH EGGS FOR BREAKFAST

      • Add the oil to a frying pan over medium heat. Add the chopped green onions and stir-fry for a minute. Add the nopales and cook for 1 – 2 minutes. Add the eggs and cook until tender, stirring as needed. Add salt to taste.

      Notes

      Nopales also taste really good grilled and topped with melted cheese. Just make 3-4 small cuts to each nopal after you cleaned the spines; brush them with oil and grill them for about 3 minutes on each side.

      Nutrition

      Serving: 1cup cooked nopales | Calories: 14kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g