How to Prepare Nopales (Cactus Pads) | Sunset

Sunset Associate Food Editor Elaine Johnson gives you some tips and tricks for transforming cactus pads into a delicious ingredient for quesadillas, salads, or egg scrambles.

RECIPE IDEAS:

[SunsetMag]

Check out our recipe ideas in the video description!

[andywalliant]

Me:I'm sleeping early tonight !
Me at 4am:watching cactus videos
Dfq

[mickjagger]

A popular and easy way to eat nopales is in a salad; if raw, remove spines and lightly rinse before cutting. Cut into quarter or half inch squares or strips and boil in lightly salted water (you can add some raw garlic and cilantro to the water but is not a must). Do not need to boil for too long, just as soon as they change color from the bright green raw color to a pickled olive. Drain boiling water and lightly rinse with cool fresh running water and let nopales cool off in the strainer. In a bowl; add nopales, chopped onions, tomatoes, cilantro, jalapeno or serrano peppers (I prefer serrano) and finish off with lemon or lime juice, salt and fresh black pepper. Proportions are to taste but you want the nopales to be the main star. Serve as a side dish salad, add to tacos, or simply serve with tortilla chips as appetizers at your party or when watching a movie instead of popcorn. You can also fry all the ingredients from this recipe (minus the cilantro and lemon juice) with eggs, it makes a great camping breakfast.

[livingintheLight.]

Finally somebody prepares them with skill and common sense

[rosaelia]

This looks great; I boil my nopalitos for about 7 min minutes and then drain out most of the "gel". Wish everyone could have access to this awesome veggie. Great for diabetics too.

[joeycavazos]

Cactus with green salsa and scallop potatoes and sliced onions bring it to a good simmer and enjoy! Also my step-dad (he's from Michocan) also makes Nopales estillo molcajete (cactus prepped in a mortar and pestle) its like a salsa style dip u can use tostadas to eat with. It's the bomb

[smittywerbenjagermanjensen]

Sweet and straight to the point. Love it

[endercharlie]

Thank u! Trying to impress my gf here in Mexico on NYE. And thanks to u I've done it

[amouramarie]

I randomly received a single cactus pad (spines and all) in my groceries, so went online to discover how to eat it. (Not many cacti here in Canada!) I'm happy to give it a whirl!

[godinezfer]

I love Nopales. They are a must in a Mexican cookout.

[godinezfer]

I love nopales with garbanzos in red sauce.
I love nopales in a cold Mexican salad.
I love grilled nopales on a carne asada.

[mguerrero]

Delicious definitely with egg scramble or grilled on the fire as a side for Carne Asada plate.

[isaacarellano]

I live next to a prarrire with tons of these. Thank you! A free food soruce

[AAHomeGardening]

Lovely tuna plant
Used it in my hair in Jamaica

[AngiLynnJarman]

Wow that's cool I always wondered how you used them

[cedarpoplar]

You don't see cactus to often in the Salt Lake area. My old lady (mom) and I were tired from doing a hard day's labor. we were heading back home and she wanted to pull over to browse through a garage sale. While she wondered about, I took notice of the cactus in front of the house.

Make a long story short: Robert, the owner striked up a conversation - or maybe it was me. point Being; I asked him if he had ever had "nopales con carne" (very popular dish with natives and old time Mexicanos)

I live five miles from his pad
But I promised to take him a dish from the cactus on his front yard

[devonkelly]

thank you! i am trying to find where to buy the fresh pads and having a hard time! i keep coming across the pre-made jars. im going to check a mexican grocery store tomorrow and will refer to your video 😊

[Airmanmx]

Add to scrambled eggs, humble but delicious

[margaretmakokha]

This is great! I never new and I live near them, can I eat it half way cooked or juice fresh also?

[alinagarofalo]

Just peel all of the spikes off cut them in little squares and slices of course make sure to wash add cilantro diced tomatoes some pepper squeeze some lime into it and some salt and mix it up and eat it with some rice and chicken and you're good to go