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Top-down photo of a casserole dish filled with diced nopales.

How to Cook Nopales (Cactus Paddles)

40aprons.com/how-to-cook-nopales-cactus/
A perfect, meaty veggie that's phenomenal in Mexican-inspired meals or tossed with a little chimichurri!
Prep 15 minutes
Cook 20 minutes
Total 35 minutes
Recipe Makes (Approximate): 4 servings

Equipment

  • Tongs optional, see Notes
  • gloves or kitchen towel, optional; see Notes
  • Cutting board
  • Sharp knife or potato peeler
  • running water
  • Large pot with lid if boiling nopales
  • medium skillet with lid if sweating nopales
  • colander or strainer

Ingredients

For Boiled Nopales

  • 4 medium nopales paddles (5-8 inches long, approximately 1 pound)
  • 1-2 teaspoons salt (more or less to taste)
  • 3 cloves garlic (smashed)

For Sweated Nopales

  • 4 medium nopales paddles (5-8 inches long, approximately 1 pound)
  • 1 teaspoon salt (more or less to taste)
  • 1 tablespoon neutral oil (avocado oil, olive oil, etc.)

Instructions

To Prepare the Nopales

  • Use knife (or potato peeler) to carefully remove knobs and thorns from paddles. Work inward, moving from end of nopales toward thick base using gentle sawing motion. Leave as much skin on paddles as possible.
    Three nopales paddles on a cutting board, knobs and spines removed.
  • Once knobs and thorns are removed, carefully trim paddles. Remove approximately ¼-inch from end of nopales and approximately ½-inch from thick base of nopales.
  • Wash trimmed nopales under running water, then slice paddles into strips or squares. Set aside.
    Nopales paddles sliced into strips and cubes.

For Boiled Nopales

  • Fill large pot with water and salt well. Add smashed garlic cloves to water and place pot over high heat. Bring water to boil.
  • Once liquid begins to boil rapidly, add prepared nopales to pot. Cover pot with lid and boil nopales 8 to 10 minutes or until paddles are tender and mucilage has seeped out.
  • Carefully pour liquid and nopales through colander or strainer. Rinse boiled nopales well under running water to remove any remaining mucilage, then enjoy as desired. See Notes for serving suggestions.

For Sweated Nopales

  • Heat medium skillet over medium-high heat. When skillet is hot, add 1 tablespoon neutral oil and swirl pan to coat. Heat oil until hot and shimmering, then add prepared nopales to skillet and generously sprinkle salt over.
  • Reduce heat to medium and cover skillet with lid. Let nopales cook, covered, 20 minutes, or until mucilage has evaporated.
  • Remove skillet from heat and use sweated nopales as desired.

Recipe Notes

  • The thorns on nopales can be sharp. Use tongs and/or wear gloves (or use a kitchen towel) to handle the paddles as you trim off the thorns and knobs.
  • The mucilage (a.k.a. baba) from the nopales is safe to eat, but it's gelatinous, and the sliminess can be unappealing.
  • Leftovers: Leftover nopales can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 2 weeks.
 

Serving Suggestions for Boiled Nopales

To Enjoy on Their Own
  1. Follow directions above for boiling nopales. Strain and rinse nopales well, then return boiled nopales to pot.
  2. Add chimichurri sauce and toss nopales to coat completely, then sprinkle shredded pepper jack cheese over.
  3. Cover pot with lid and remove pot from heat. Keep covered until cheese has melted, then serve nopales as-is.
To Use in Salads, Tacos, etc.
  1. Follow directions above for boiling nopales. Strain and rinse nopales well, then use boiled nopales as desired in salads, tacos, burritos, etc.

Nutrition Information (Approximate)

Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 21calProtein: 2gFat: 0.1gSaturated Fat: 0.02gSodium: 606mgPotassium: 301mgTotal Carbs: 5gFiber: 3gSugar: 1gNet Carbs: 2gVitamin A: 518IUVitamin C: 11mgCalcium: 190mgIron: 1mg
Recipe By: Cheryl Malik
https://40aprons.com/how-to-cook-nopales-cactus/