Grilled Fresh Cactus
Nopales AsadaIt's usually the texture of nopales that people object to, but chefs Rick Bayless and Mark Miller made me aware of grilling whole cactus paddles as a way to eliminate the sticky juices. I've found that if an outdoor grill is not available, a stovetop grill pan works well for cooking whole cactus paddles. For grilling, purchase thin, firm paddles about 5 to 6 inches long. If the thorns are still attached, they must be carefully removed. (See Preparing Cactus Paddles.) Cactus paddles are found in the vegetable section of Mexican markets and many supermarkets.
Ingredients
Makes 4 servings
- 4 medium cactus paddles 4 to 6 inches long
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil or olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper or to taste
Instructions
- Makes 4 servings
- 4 medium cactus paddles, 4 to 6 inches long
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil or olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper, or to taste
- Prepare an outdoor grill, if using.
- If the cactus paddles still have thorns, with gloves on, remove all the thorns from the cactus by scraping them off with a sharp knife (but don’t remove the skin); then trim off about ¼ inch all around the edge of the paddle.
- Rinse and dry with paper towels.
- Brush both sides of the cactus with oil.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Preheat a stovetop grill pan if using.
- Grill the cactus paddles until they are tender and marked by the grill, about 3 to 5 minutes per side, depending on the size.
- Serve 1 grilled paddle to each person, or cut into strips and serve from a plate as a side dish.