How to Prepare a Nopal Cactus

The pads of the prickly pear cactus are called nopales.

The thick pads of the nopal cactus, also known as prickly pear, hide a succulent vegetable beneath their thorns. Ideally, get your nopales from a farmer's market as the spines will have already been cut off, rendering them safe to handle, but occasionally needles can be missed by the preparer, and you should still wear heavy gloves to protect your hands. Look for fresh nopales during their harvest season between late spring and throughout the summer.

Things You'll Need

• Gloves
• Vegetable peeler
• Paring knife

Instructions

1. Harvest nopal pads wearing heavy gloves. Look for pads shorter than 8 inches long and thin. Break the pads off the main cactus to remove.

2. Run a vegetable peeler along both sides of each nopal pad to remove both the large and small spines and the "eyes" from which they grow.

3. Rinse the nopales thoroughly under running water.

4. Grill the pads whole on both sides until heated through and tender, or slice. Add to scrambled eggs, tortilla fillings or soups.

References

• Gourmet Sleuth: Nopales (Nopalitos)

Resources

• Riven Rock: Nopales Recipes