Highland Nopal Salad

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Sharp paring knife for cleaning nopal paddles
• •Medium clay pot or stainless steel saucepan
• •Colander for draining the cooked nopales
• •Wide green-glazed Michoacan clay bowl or Jalisco barro serving dish

Instructions

1. 1

   Clean the nopales

   Lay each nopal paddle flat on a cutting board. Scrape away the thorns and eyes with a sharp knife, trim the dry edge, and cut the paddles into strips about 1/2 inch wide. Rinse quickly under cold water. Do not soak them. The cactus has its own flavor, and you are not trying to wash it into the drain.

   If the nopales are limp, gray-green, or dry at the cut edge, do not buy them. At the mercado, good nopales look firm, bright, and alive. Si no conoces el mercado, no conoces la cocina.
2. 2

   Cook the cactus

   Put the cut nopales in a medium pot with the half onion, salt, and epazote leaves or cilantro stems. Cover with water by one inch and bring to a steady simmer. Cook 10 to 12 minutes, until the nopales turn olive green and are tender but still have a little bite. Do not boil them to death. This is salad, not medicine.

3. 3

   Drain and cool

   Drain the nopales in a colander and remove the cooked onion and herbs. Rinse briefly with cool water, tossing with your fingers to remove excess baba, then let them drain well for 10 minutes. Briefly means briefly. My mother wrote it clearly: rinse, but don't drown them.

4. 4

   Season the vegetables

   In a wide bowl, combine the diced tomato, diced white onion, chopped cilantro, chile serrano if using, Mexican oregano, lime juice, and olive oil if using. Let this sit for 5 minutes so the onion softens and the oregano wakes up in the lime. The serrano gives a clean bite, but it is not the point of the dish. The nopal is the point.

5. 5

   Fold the salad

   Add the drained nopales to the bowl and fold gently until everything is coated. Taste for salt before adding the cheese. The nopales should taste green, tart, and lightly herbal, not watery. If they taste flat, add a pinch more salt and another squeeze of lime.

6. 6

   Finish with Cotija

   Fold in most of the crumbled Cotija, then scatter the rest over the top. Add avocado slices if you are serving it right away. Set the salad in a green-glazed Michoacan clay bowl or a simple Jalisco barro dish and bring it to the table with warm corn tortillas or tostadas. Recetas probadas y garantizadas.

Chef Tips

• •Fresh nopales beat jarred nopales. Jarred cactus is a weekday compromise, not an upgrade. If you must use it, rinse it well, drain it hard, and do not cook it again.
• •Use real Cotija if you can find it, especially cheese labeled from Cotija de la Paz or Michoacan. Feta is salty, yes, but it tastes like another country. Queso fresco is milder and softer, acceptable only when Cotija is impossible to find.
• •Mexican oregano matters. Mediterranean oregano is sharper and more resinous. The Mexican kind is citrusy and dry, better with cactus, lime, and tomato.
• •If tomatoes are pale and hard, use diced radish and a little more lime instead. Cook what the market is selling today. That's how Mexican grandmothers have always cooked.

Advance Preparation

• •The nopales can be cooked, rinsed, drained, and refrigerated one day ahead. Keep them uncovered for the first 20 minutes in the refrigerator so excess moisture evaporates, then cover.
• •The finished salad is best within 4 hours. Add Cotija and avocado just before serving so the cheese stays distinct and the avocado does not darken.
• •Leftovers keep one day refrigerated, but the tomato will release juice. Drain lightly and refresh with lime, oregano, and a small pinch of salt.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 215g)