I had never had a nopalitos salad made by this method and I liked it. This is a rare chance to post the recipes in both English and Spanish. I translated Lesterloon’s original Spanish-language version.

Photo by Jennifer Vreeland

Cactus Salad (Ensalada de nopales)

I had never had a nopalitos salad made by this method and I liked it. This is a rare chance to post the recipes in both English and Spanish. I translated Lesterloon's original Spanish-language version.
Watch as my son, Chef Aarón Sánchez, shows us how to clean nopales and remove the thorns.
Course Salad
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 6
Calories 175 kcal

Ingredients
  

Ingredients — English

  • 6 cleaned cactus paddles (nopales) julienned or thinly sliced
  • 5 tablespoons kosher salt
  • 1 small red onion thinly sliced
  • 3 medium ripe red tomatoes cut into ¼-inch dice
  • 8 ounces queso panela or queso blanco cut into very small dice
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • ½ bunch cilantro leaves only

Ingredients — Spanish

  • 6 nopales
  • 3 jitomates en cubos
  • 200 g de queso panela en cubos
  • 100 g de cebolla morada
  • 5 cdas. de sal de grano
  • 1 cda. de aceite de oliva

Instructions
 

Method — English

  • Place cactus paddles in a bowl with the salt. Rub thoroughly between your hands for 10 minutes. Rinse well, dry with paper towels or a clean cloth, and set aside.
  • Place red onions in a sieve and pour hot water over. Drain thoroughly, blot dry with paper towels or a clean cloth, and set aside.
  • In a bowl, combine the cactus paddles and red onions with the remaining ingredients. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Method — Spanish

  • Cortar los nopales en tiras delgadas y la cebolla fileteada. Colocar en un cuenco con la sal. Con ayuda de las manos frotamos la cebolla y los nopales durante 10 minutos. Lavar con agua y escurrir. Reservar.
  • Añadir el jitomate, queso y aceite de oliva. Incorporar y servir.

Nutrition

Calories: 175kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 10gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 6081mgPotassium: 212mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 811IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 265mgIron: 1mg
Keyword cactus paddles, Delitefully Mexican, nopales
NOTE: Nutrition values are approximate and for informational purposes only. Values do not include optional or alternate ingredients, nor do they include the nutritional values for any secondary recipes that may be listed in the ingredients.