Grilled Cactus Paddles (Nopales Asados)

Grilled cactus paddle with toppings on a white plate sitting on a wooden board.

Grilled Cactus Paddles (Nopales Asados)

These tender grilled nopales or cactus paddles offer a delicious and nutritious option for a meatless meal that is healthy and requires a few ingredients. Perfect for tacos or as a meal of their own.

Print Pin

Course: brunch, dinner, lunch

Cuisine: latin american, Mexican

Keyword: cactus paddles, grilled, nopales, vegetarian

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 30

Servings: people

Calories: 193kcal

Author: Ana Jimenez

Ingredients

2 cactus paddles, clean and thorns removed
3 tablespoon vegetable oil (1 tablespoon for coating the cactus paddles and 2 tablespoon for cooking the onions) chose an oil with a high smoking point, such as canola, avocado, grapeseed or sunflower oil
Salt to taste
½ medium sized onion cut into ¼ IN slices
½ teaspoon oregano

For serving:

Feta cheese
Tortillas Optional, if eating the cactus paddles in tacos. Use corn or flour tortillas.
Salsa use your favourite one

SAVE THIS RECIPE!

Enter your email below and we'll send this recipe to your inbox. Plus, get new recipes from me as soon as posted.

Instructions

Warm up a griddle or cast iron grill pan over medium heat.
While the griddle or grill pan is heating up, coat each side of the cactus paddles with oil. Use in total 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil for both paddles, approximately. Sprinkle salt to your preference.
Place the oiled cactus paddles on the warm griddle or cast iron grill pan. Cook for 5 minutes on each side or until the paddles soften up and turn to a darker green colour. If using a grill pan, aim for grill marks on the cactus paddles.
Once cooked, place the cactus paddles in a plate and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. If eating in a taco, cut your grilled cactus paddles into 1 inch stripes lengthwise and crosswise in the middle if the cactus paddle stripes are longer than your tortillas . Cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.
For cooking the onions, to a skillet at medium heat, add in 2 tablespoon of vegetable oil.
Once the oil shimmers, incorporate the sliced onions to the skillet. Cook for approximately 7 minutes, allowing them to brown slightly without stirring too often. We are not caramelizing the onions, just browning them slightly. Set them aside once cooked.
To serve, shake off some of the slimy liquid that might have accumulated while keeping the nopales wrapped up with aluminum foil. Place the grilled cactus paddles on a plate, sprinkle with some dried oregano and top with some cooked onions, feta cheese and your favourite salsa.
If eating in a taco, warm up your tortillas. Place some of the grilled nopales cut into stripes in the middle of the tortilla and top with some cooked onions, feta cheese and your favourite salsa.

Notes

Add in a pinch of chilli powder or smoked paprika when adding the dried oregano for an extra layer of flavour.

Nutrition