Mexican cuisine · Vegetable Dishes

Nopales Asados

Cactus paddles grilled hot until char-marked, served with lime, onion and salsa.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 600 g nopales (cactus paddles, or from a jar)
• 2 white onions
• 3 limes
• 300 g tomatillos
• 2 serrano chilies
• 1/2 bunch cilantro
• 3 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 tsp coarse sea salt
• Salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Scrape the thorns and buds off the cactus paddles with the back of a knife, trim off the tough edge and rinse the paddles thoroughly under running water.
2. Brush the paddles on both sides with 2 tbsp oil and rub with the coarse sea salt; cut one onion into thick slices and oil those as well.
3. For the salsa, roast the tomatillos and serrano chilies in a dry pan for 8 min, turning, until dark all over, then coarsely blend with the second, roughly diced onion and the cilantro and season with salt and the juice of one lime.
4. Heat a grill or grill pan until very hot and cook the nopales for 4–5 min per side, until the released juice has evaporated and dark stripes appear – this is what removes the slimy texture.
5. Grill the onion slices alongside for 3 min per side, until soft and caramelized at the edges.
6. Cut the nopales into finger-width strips, arrange on a platter with the onions, grind over pepper and serve with salsa and lime wedges.