Road equipment protected by cactus fence.
The prickly pear cactus is nothing to laugh at. It has both long and small spines, and the small ones hurt just as much as the long ones. In some areas around Phoenix, the cactus serves as a natural fence–better than razor wire–to protect road-building equipment.
And then I read that people eat this stuff. “Right,” I muttered, “and they wash it down with nice broken-glass cocktails. Prickly Pear, when prepared, creates something wonderful called “Nopales” (which means cactus in Spanish and is pronounced no-PAH-lez), or more often, Nopalitos, a great snack food.
Prickly pear cactus showing fruit and spines.
The broad flat leaves of the prickly pear cactus and the stems are edible. So is the fruit, which is often turned into jelly and a gum-drop like candy.
The leaves are cut and the spines pulled out. Then the eyes of spines are removed. After that, the cactus is cut into small, regular pieces. Most people cook them. Ugh. Not me. There is a strong okra-reactions when cooked. When left raw, they taste almost exactly like raw green beans sprinkled with lemon juice. Much better. No slime. You can also grill them, which avoids the problem and adds a nice smoky taste.
A prickly pear pad, cleaned, declawed, and sliced.
The best news is that nopales are sold in Mexican markets, cut up, cleaned and ready to use.
Recently I experimented with some preparation ideas. I found the best way to prepare them raw was to marinate them. Use any of the marinates below, soak them for about an hour, drain the marinade (don’t rinse) and serve with toothpicks for stabbing and eating.
Marinades for Nopales
- The easiest (though not the best) is bottled Italian dressing. Cover, soak for an hour or 4, drain, serve.
- Mix dark sesame oil and rice wine vinegar (twice as much vinegar) to make a tart marinate. Cover, etc.
- Drain a jar of pickles, use the juice as a marinade. Cover, etc.
- Pour a jar of sweet pickle relish (hot dog relish) over the nopales. Cover, etc.
- Mix a cup of raspberry vinegar with a tablespoon of olive oil. Add a dollop of raspberry jam, and a shot of hot pepper sauce or a few grinds of tellicherry pepper.
- Pour a bottle of salsa (Spicy is good) over the nopales and marinate. Do not drain. Eat with chips.
Don’t miss this great treat. Enjoy!
–Quinn McDonald is a writer who likes to cook. She’s married to a personal chef, and together they make great calories together. Quinn is also a writer and artist.
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