Nopales, or prickly-pear cactus paddles, are a common ingredient in Mexican kitchens. You can often buy them precleaned, but if you need to do it yourself, we've included instructions below.
This is a recipe from Doña Mary, a longtime Rancho Gordo employee and our go-to resource for Mexican ingredients and cooking. While it's not traditional to include beans in a nopales salad, we asked her to give it a try, and she obliged. We were all very happy with the result!
- 5 medium cactus paddles, spines removed (cleaning instructions here)
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more if needed
- 1 large white onion, quartered
- 1 bunch of cilantro
- 3 roma tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups cooked, drained black beans such as Ayocote Negro or Chiapas Black
- 1 serrano chile
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- Crumbled queso fresco for garnish
Serves 4
- Cut the cactus paddles into small squares. Place the cactus in a large pot and cover with 2 inches of water. Add ¼ of an onion, about 8 cilantro springs, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook over high heat until the water begins to boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the cactus squares are soft but still have some bite, about 10 minutes. Drain the cactus and rinse under cool running water; set aside.
- Dice the tomatoes and the remaining onion. Finely chop the remaining cilantro. Finely chop the serrano and remove seeds.
- In a serving bowl, combine the cactus, tomatoes, onion, cilantro, serrano, and beans. Stir gently until well mixed. Add the oregano and and queso fresco; taste and add additional salt if needed.