Skip to main content

Recipe: Tacos de Nopales

Support Provided By
Nopal | Photo by Maria Zizka
socal-connected-story-connect

This is part of a series of multimedia stories curated through a collaboration between Earthworks Farm and KCETLink. Watch a segmentfrom KCET's "SoCal Connected" and visit the project hub for more information.This series of recipes highlights the crops grown at Earthworks Farm.

Nopales are the juicy, crunchy, edible paddles of the prickly pear cactus. Believed to be native to Mexico, pricky pear cacti have been cultivated and eaten for centuries throughout Latin America. During the 16th century, Spanish colonists carried the plants on boats back to Europe, where the cacti thrived in the arid Mediterranean climate and soon were found growing from North Africa to the coastline of Southern Italy and even as far east as Turkey.

As a prickly pear cacti grows, it forms tiny horizontal buds that expand to become full-sized paddles. A paddle is typically harvested when it is the size of an outstretched hand. Pricky pear cacti also produce fruits, which ripen in late summer and are enjoyed fresh in salsas or cooked down to a thick paste and made into candies.

Perhaps the most daunting part of cooking nopales is the first step: spine removal. Don't worry, it's really not all that difficult. You'll need to firmly grasp one end of the nopal (using a glove or an oven mitt, of course!) and then scrape the blade of a knife along the length of the nopal to remove the spines. Or, you could always buy cleaned nopales from your nearest Latin grocery store. Look for them from Easter through October.

Tacos de Nopales | Photo by Maria Zizka

Tacos de Nopales

Makes enough filling for 8 tacos

½ pound nopales
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 small spring onions or 1 white onion
3 small garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
1 large, fresh green pepper (such as Anaheim chile), stem and seeds removed, sliced
½ teaspoon kosher salt
16 (5-inch) corn tortillas
Sliced radish, for topping
Crumbled queso fresco, for topping
Lime wedges, for squeezing

To clean the nopales, grasp the narrow end with a potholder or kitchen towel. Scrape the blade of a knife down the cactus paddle to remove all the spines. Use the tip of the knife to cut out any remaining spines. Using a vegetable peeler, trim off the entire perimeter edge of the paddle, including the base where it was once attached to the cactus. Slice the cleaned nopales into ½-inch strips.

Heat a wide pot or pan over medium heat for 2 minutes. Trim the root end of each onion, peel away any papery layers, and slice the onion. Swirl the oil into the pot, then add the sliced onion, garlic, pepper, and cleaned nopales. Stir to coat the vegetables in the oil. Cover the pot with a lid, and cook for about 10 minutes. Remove the lid, stir in the salt, and continue to cook until most of the liquid evaporates, about 5 minutes.

To serve, char the tortillas on a gas burner or in a hot skillet. For each taco, stack 2 tortillas, scoop some warm nopales filling into the center, and top with radish, queso fresco, and lime wedges.

Support Provided By
Read More
A black and white photo of an adult dressed as the easter bunny with a giant costumed head, holding a little girl on their left who gives it a kiss on the cheek and, with his right arm, holding a little boy who brings his hands to his eyes as though wiping away tears.

Behold the Bunnies and Bonnets of L.A.'s Past Easter Celebrations

The onset of the spring season heralds the arrival of fragrant flowers in bloom — and all the critters that enjoy them, including the Easter bunny and families who anticipate his arrival with egg hunts, parades and questionable fashion choices.
A black and white image of an elephant holding a broom with its trunk. A man is seen near the elephant, walking towards the animal.

Lions and Tigers and Cameras! How the Movies Gave Los Angeles a Zoo

The early days of the movies in Los Angeles inadvertently allowed visitors to experience the largest collection of animals in the western United States. When animals weren't appearing in a movie, they were rented out to other film companies, performed for studio visitors, or in the case of filmmaker William Selig's collection — an opportunity to create one of Los Angeles' first zoos.
A vertical, black and white portrait of a blonde woman wearing a sparkly four-leaf clover costume as she holds her arms out and extends a leg as though in a curtsy.

Irish for a Day: L.A.'s History of 'Going Green' on St. Patrick's Day

Whether it was a parade, dance, tea party, home celebration or just enjoying a good ol' wee dram of whisky, here's a photo essay of how Los Angeles donned its green apparel to celebrate St. Patrick's Day and embrace the luck o' the Irish over the years.