Authentic Mexican Cactus Leaves Salad (Ensalada De Nopales)

4.69 from 77 votes

Authentic Mexican Cactus Leaves Salad (Ensalada De Nopales)

This is an authentic Mexican cactus leaves salad (ensalada de nopales), a very refreshing recipe that goes well with grilled meats, in tacos, with scrambled eggs, burritos, or stews. Healthy and easy to make, this recipe will bring joy to the table.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Salads

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: servings

Calories: 62kcal

Author: Gabriela

Ingredients

3-4 medium cactus leaves cleaned of spines
2-3 fresh medium tomatoes diced
2-3 green onions chopped
1 bunch of cilantro chopped
juice from 1 lime
salt and pepper to taste
¼ teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
¼ cup crumbled Queso Anejo or queso cotija or Feta

Optional for serving:

lettuce
chiles jalapeños in escabeche
chopped onions

Instructions

Clean the cactus leaves of spines and wash them very well.
Slice the nopales thin and put them in a pot with water to cover them. Add ½ teaspoon salt.
Cook the leaves on medium high heat until tender, for about 15-20 minutes.
Meanwhile, chop the green onions, tomatoes and cilantro. Set them aside.
When nopales are cooked, remove them from the stove, drain the water and place the vegetables in cold icy water. When cool, use them for the salad.
In a salad bowl, place the cactus leaves, onion, tomatoes, cilantro and dried Mexican oregano.
Squeeze the juice of the lime over the salad. Add oil. Taste for salt and pepper and mix everything together.
Sprinkle crumbled cheese over and serve. Optional, place the salad on a bed of lettuce and serve with extra jalapenos in escabeche, for a more traditional flair.
It goes very well with grilled meat, cooked beans, in eggs, tacos etc.
Enjoy!

Notes

Choose one of these methods to cook the nopales:

Boiling: Similar to green beans, you can boil nopales in a pot of salted water. After approximately 10 minutes, they should become tender. Rinse them well after removing from water. Pat dry using paper towels, and they're ready for your recipe. Be careful not to overcook and rinse excessively as it can result in a loss of color and nutritional value.
Grilling: Grilling is another excellent method to prepare nopales, especially for inclusion in tacos with grilled meats. After de-thorning, make five slits from the edge, stopping about 2 inches from the base. The result should resemble a hand with fingers. Grill the nopales on a lightly oiled rack directly over the fire until they lighten in color and develop some brown spots. Grilling for about four minutes on each side should suffice.
Saute: Heat oil in a heavy pan and cook the nopales on low heat, covered. Stir occasionally until they're almost tender and noticeably juicy. Uncover the pan and continue cooking until all the sticky slime evaporates.

Nutrition