Grilled cactus paddle tacos with soy-citrus glaze

***RECIPE, SUCH AS IT IS***

nopales (figure 1 paddle makes 1-2 tacos)
soy sauce
citrus (I used a lemon and a lime for maybe 2 lb nopales)
honey
mild, fresh chilies, ideally in pretty colors
garlic
onion, ideally a sweet variety
fresh cilantro or other herb for garnish
fresh ripe avocado (enough for each taco to get a slice)
spices
oil
tortillas

Nopales are the tender spring growth of paddles on a prickly pear cactus — they'll grow at the tips of the stems and you'll recognize them by their lighter color and big, floppy spikes. The big spikes won't hurt you, but the tiny hairs (glochids) will lodge in your skin and hurt. If your paddles haven't been pre-cleaned, handle them with tongs until you get them scraped and washed.

Use the edge of your knife to scrape all the thorns and tiny hairs off of both sides of each paddle — scrape thoroughly to dislodge any lingering glochids. Trim off the edge all the way around paddle. Wash and drain them thoroughly to get rid of the glochids.

Marinate the paddles in some citrus juice, fresh chopped garlic, soy sauce, spices and olive oil. Leave them there as long as you can, but 20 minutes would help.

While you wait you can mince up your chilies, onion and cilantro for garnish. The avocado I try to slice right before I assemble the taco.

Heat your grill (or a pan with a little oil in it) until very hot. Take the nopales out of the marinade and get them cooking on their first side. Flip them when you get some color on them, and continue to cook until the paddles are very floppy.

Boil the reserved marinade to reduce into a thick, salty sauce you can toss into the nopales later or drizzle over the tacos.

Toast your tortillas at the last minute now, if you desire.

Slice the nopales into strips and consider tossing the reduced sauce through them. Assemble the tacos with nopales, some minced fresh onion and chilies, a slice of avocado, cilantro and maybe that salty sauce on top.

[DirtyJerryEsports]

My mom cooks these often for my family. Instead of just scrapping it off and being unsure if you gotten most the spikey ends, you can just roast them off on the stove top on broil or high heat for a few seconds each side and then go through the process of scrapping with the knife.

[cptmacmillan]

To keep up with the cactus theme of the cuisine, all Adam needs is cactus juice as his drink. Good beverage too.
It'll quench ya. Nothing's quenchier. It's the quenchiest. -Cactus Juice

[humanperson]

A tip for keeping corn tortillas soft after you've heated them up; wrap them in a slightly damp towel or paper towel or put them in a bowl and cover it with a plate or something. You want to trap the steam and keep them warm so they stay pliable. In Mexican households it is not uncommon to have a dedicated "Tortilla warmer" to keep the tortillas warm while people are eating. Also if you're lazy you can heat tortillas up easily in the microwave with a splash of water in a plastic bag or something to trap the moisture

[MasterGeekMX]

As a mexican, I absolutely approve this recipe. Even with the soy sauce and the pepper, it is not that far off to the tacos I can get around the corner.

[DirkDjently]

"I feel like I should end with a pun about prickly or sharp things...but I've already made my point."

[gerardorocaherrera]

I grew up eating these in Mexico, my mom would just buy Nopalitos from a jar at the grocery store. We would eat them as a salad with other meats or as tacos just like you did, we would usually crumble some queso fresco on top. What you made is as traditional as it comes!

[snopen]

Adam! I literally tried Nopal tacos for the first time at Paco’s Tacos in Kauai just 3 days ago. They were delicious and I feel like somehow I summoned this video with my choice. Keep making the great videos. My 5 and 7 year old boys watch them every week with me. Really appreciate the hard work it takes to make these great.

[sebastianguerra]

It feels so good to follow the Adam Ragusea Cinematic Universe and understand all the references to previous videos, or to understand something only because Adam already made a video explaining it. This episode is full of this - sweet onions, mucilage from the episode about okra and gumbo, the sharp things on cacti.

[jakemannella]

If anyone is looking for a alternative to soy sauce in this recipe I highly recommend Maggi. My sister’s mother-in-law is from Mexico and always has it in her cupboard. You might need to water it down, I can’t say for sure. All I know is it tastes great!

[hankscot]

A great way to get rid of glochids is with a kitchen torch. They burn away quickly and the cactus remains unburnt. I learned this growing up on a ranch in Texas. My dad would use a pear burner (big propane torch) to burn the thorns off a prickly pear cactus so the cattle could eat the cactus. As soon as my dad would light the torch and the cattle would hear the roar of it, they would come running

[CaptainTubesock]

You can always cure the the nopales with salt. Dice or slice, add a generous amount of salt and mix until alot of the goop comes out. Let it sit for 30 minutes and then rinse very well with cold water. This will get rid of pretty much all of the mucilage.

[Akixkisu]

Your vegan and vegetarian recipes always come out so well!

[riceman]

I’m glad you’ve gone back to your usual way of filming. I like how you show the food and what you’re doing up close. It’s a style unique to you and I think you should keep it up 👍

[iamthatgaby]

I use nopales as a replacement for sweet peppers when the plants are not fruiting. It's crazy how once cooked I cannot tell them apart. One important step people recommend is cooking the nopales in water a bit before frying because they are very slimy and the water helps to take some of the slime away.

[peyuko]

I’m so glad you covered nopales! They’re definitely a staple and a childhood favourite growing up.

[iwearleatherjackets]

I'm happy to see you enjoy something I grew up eating pretty regularly. The most common way I'd eat them is either in some sort of spicy red stew along with sliced steak or just the nopales boiled and then sautéed with egg, onions, and parsley or cilantro. Top them with queso fresco and red salsa and you're in for a good time.

[MadMadCommando]

This would be a great addition to a new “why am I eating this?” Playlist

[MagicTurtle]

This looks incredible. Love your vegan recipes.

[Platerade]

These fun meat alternative recipes are perfect! A great way to get inspiration while cutting back on meat.

[wylanvallotton]

I sincerely hope we get a follow up video to this after you try a bunch of different methods to cook that cactus. 🤤