This Mexican Nopales Salad (Cactus Salad) is made with nopales, tomatoes, onion, cilantro, serrano peppers, limes and olive oil.
What do you mean it's okay to eat cactus? In Mexico, nopales are a staple of the diet, and for good reason. This nutrient-rich plant offers numerous health benefits, including lowering cholesterol, aiding in diabetes management, improving digestion, and promoting weight loss. Nopales are also anti-inflammatory, high in fiber, and packed with antioxidants. You really need to start incorporating this superfood into your diet now!
Be very careful when cleaning nopales to avoid getting pricked by the thorns. Start by using a knife to trim a thin slice off the edge of the paddle. Avoid touching the thorns with your bare hands. Use tongs to hold the cactus steady, and with a peeler, carefully remove the thorns. It's fine if you peel away some of the skin along with the thorns. Safety first!
If you love this recipe, feel free to check out my Cream Cheese Stuffed Poblano Peppers and Stuffed Anaheim Peppers.
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Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
- Cactus pads or a strained 15 oz jar of prepped nopales
- Tomato
- Onion
- Cilantro
- Serrano peppers
- Limes
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Rinse the cactus under cold water and be careful with the thorns. Use a vegetable peeler and peel away the bumps and thorns. With your other hand, you should use an oven mitt so you don’t prick yourself and you can hold it. Lean them against a chopping board. Once cleaned, lay the paddle flat on a cutting board and trim ¼ inch off the edges and about ½ inch of the thick base. Cut the cactus into slices or squares, about a little less than an inch thick. Repeat wit the rest. Bring a medium pot to boil. Boil for 8-10 minutes until tender. The cactus will exude a sticky substance. Place a strainer on top of a bowl and strain the nopales. Keep the nopales in the strainer and place a towel over the strainer and bowl for 10 minutes. This step helps get rid of the sticky substance. Rinse the nopales.
If you bought strained 15 oz jar of prepped nopales, skip the first step.
Place the nopales in a large bowl.
Add the tomatoes, onion, and cilantro.
Squeeze the lime into it. Drizzle with olive oil.
Add salt and pepper to your liking and mix. Enjoy your Mexican Nopales Salad (Cactus Salad).
Hint: Use an oven mitt to hold the nopales when you are cleaning them.
Substitutions
Cactus: You can buy fresh cactus pads or a 15 oz jar of prepped nopales. Either one works well.
Tomatoes: You can use any sort of tomatoes you want. I love using Roma tomatoes, but beefsteak or even cherry tomatoes will work. Just dice them up really well.
Onion: I love using red onion for this, but you can use yellow or white onion.
Cilantro: I know some people do not love cilantro, but I love the kick it gives the salad. If you want to omit, that is fine.
Serrano peppers: You can use Serrano peppers or jalapeno peppers for this. If you do not want it to be spicy, you can omit.
Lime: Fresh lime juice gives this salad so much flavor, but also helps preserve int he refrigerator for the week.
Olive oil: I used olive oil for this, but you can use avocado oil too.
Variations
Cooking is a chance to be creative! Have fun with it and feel free to make your own variation.
- Spicy - add chili pepper flakes in the salad for a nice kick.
- Deluxe - add fresh chopped avocado!
Check out this Sonoran Hot Dog.
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Stone bakeware takes longer to heat up than metal pans, and also retain heat for longer, which could make the recipe more watery, or burnt on the outsides.
I love using my Caraway pots, pans and baking sheets for best quality. Get yourself a discount by clicking here!
Storage
This will be good in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
These ingredients don't stand up well to freezing.
Top tip
You can buy fresh cactus pads or a 15 oz jar of prepped nopales. Either one works well.
Mexican Nopales Salad (Cactus Salad)
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This Mexican Nopales Salad (Cactus Salad) is so fresh, healthy and is made with cooked chopped nopales, tomatoes, onion cilantro serrano peppers and drizzled with oil and lime juice.
Ingredients
- 6 cactus pads or a strained 15 oz jar of prepped nopales
- 1 large tomato, chopped
- ¼ onion, chopped
- ¼ cup of chopped cilantro
- 2 chopped Serrano peppers
- 1 lime
- 1 teaspoon of olive oil
- Salt and pepper as desired
Instructions
- Rinse the cactus under cold water and be careful with the thorns. Use a vegetable peeler and peel away the bumps and thorns. With your other hand, you should use an oven mitt so you don’t prick yourself and you can hold it. Lean them against a chopping board. Once cleaned, lay the paddle flat on a cutting board and trim ¼ inch off the edges and about ½ inch of the thick base. Cut the cactus into slices or squares, about a little less than an inch thick. Repeat wit the rest. Bring a medium pot to boil. Boil for 8-10 minutes until tender. The cactus will exude a sticky substance. Place a strainer on top of a bowl and strain the nopales. Keep the nopales in the strainer and place a towel over the strainer and bowl for 10 minutes. This step helps get rid of the sticky substance. Rinse the nopales.
- If you bought strained 15 oz jar of prepped nopales, skip the first step.
- Place the nopales in a large bowl. Add the tomatoes, onion, and cilantro. Squeeze the lime into it. Drizzle with olive oil. Add salt and pepper to your liking and mix.
Notes
- You can use any sort of tomatoes you want. I love using Roma tomatoes, but beefsteak or even cherry tomatoes will work. Just dice them up really well.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: Mexican
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
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