← Nouns Cooking · Mexican

Ingredients

• 500 g fresh nopales, spines removed (or 2 jars nopalitos), cut into 1 cm pieces
• 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• 3 plum tomatoes, diced
• ½ white onion, finely chopped
• 1 serrano or jalapeño chilli, finely chopped
• 1 handful Coriander (cilantro), chopped
• 1 Lime, juiced
• 1 tbsp Olive oil
• ½ tsp Dried oregano
• 60 g Queso fresco, crumbled (optional)

Method

1. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil, add the nopales and simmer for 10–12 min, until they turn from bright to olive green and are tender.
2. Drain into a colander and rinse well under cold water to wash away the slippery juices. Leave to drain and cool completely.
3. Toss the cooled cactus with the tomatoes, onion, chilli, coriander, lime juice, oil, oregano and salt.
4. Taste and add more lime or salt, then serve straight away or chill for up to a day. Crumble cheese over the top if you like.

Tips

• Jarred nopalitos need no cooking; just rinse them well and start at step 3.
• Leave the cheese off to keep it vegan. Wear gloves when cleaning fresh paddles: the tiny spines are sneaky.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Rick Bayless Mexican Food Journal Maricruz Avalos