When my mom was a child, she and her sister use to play “house” under the shade of a cactus tree (being very, very careful!). Mama Irene, my grandmother, had a more practical approach to cactus. She would cut off the leaves and prepare “nopales” to eat.
When I was a child, my mom would only occasionally make it. Having no cactus of our own, fresh leaves were harder to come by.
I still see these cactus trees on a regular basis, even in my neck of the woods a.k.a suburbia. You can often see cactus on the side of the road, or in the forgotten corner of lots and large backyards. Luckily, I’ve found cut leaves in our local Asian grocery store, with most of the big spines removed. And since I was making grilled carne asada street tacos for Sunday dinner, I thought it would be the perfect accompaniment.
My kids didn’t believe that we could eat these.
The spines are formidable, but with a little care you can gently remove them by scraping a knife blade across the surface of the leaf.
After that, cooking is a breeze. Simply drizzle a bit of extra virgin olive oil over them, sprinkle some salt,
and grill.
The oil will drip down into the coals, which is why these photos show the flame flaring up.
After about five minutes, flip them.
I liked these a little charred, so if you want to flip them sooner that is perfectly okay.
Remove from the grill, cut them into thin strips, and squeeze a little lime juice over, and you’re done.
Nopales are very similar in texture and taste to roasted bell peppers. Like aloe vera, they can be a little sappy, but they don’t have a very strong flavor. They have a fresh taste, and when charred and served with lime juice are delicious. I served them with grilled carne asada street tacos, but they are just as delicious served over beans de la olla, fried eggs, or burritos.
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Ingredients
- 5-6 nopales cactus leaves
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Lime wedges about 3 limes, sliced
Instructions
- Remove any spines first by scraping a sharp knife across the surface of the leaf. Rinse under cold water to remove any excess debris and set aside.
- Repeat for all leaves.
- When ready to cook, drizzle olive oil over the leaves and sprinkle a little salt.
- Grill for about three to five minutes, or until the outside is slightly charred (or to preference). Flip and cook the other side for about the same amount of time.
- Remove, slice into strips, and serve with a little lime juice squeezed over the top.
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