Grilled Nopal
Cactus paddles crosshatched and grilled hot so they char before they can weep, then sliced into tender, tangy strips. A squeeze of lime and crumbled queso fresco is all they need — pure Central Mexico street food.
- Time
- 20 min
- Heat
- Yield
- 8 tacos
- Region
- Central Mexico
Ingredients
Nopales
To build
Per-100g nutrition (7 ingredients verified)
| Ingredient | kcal | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neutral oil | 867 | 0 g | 93.3 g | 0 g |
| Salt | 0 | 0 g | 0 g | 1330 g |
| Limes | 30 | 0 g | 0 g | 10.4 g |
| Corn tortillas | 188 | 3.1 g | 1.6 g | 40.6 g |
| Queso fresco, crumbled | 298 | 18.9 g | 23.4 g | 3 g |
| Cilantro, chopped | 23 | 2.1 g | 0.5 g | 3.7 g |
| Mild salsa verde | 32 | 0 g | 0 g | 6.5 g |
Values are per 100 g of the listed ingredient. Nutrition data: USDA FoodData Central (snapshot 2026-09-11). Ingredients without a verified match are omitted.
Method
Trim the edges of each paddle and scrape off any remaining spines, then rinse and pat completely dry.
Score both sides of each paddle in a shallow crosshatch and rub with oil and salt.
Grill the paddles on a screaming-hot comal or grill until charred and blistered on the first side.
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Flip and grill until the paddles turn olive-green and tender all the way through.
Rest the nopales a couple of minutes so the viscous baba settles, then slice into thick strips and hit them with lime.
Warm the tortillas, fill with nopal strips, and top with queso fresco, onion, cilantro, and salsa verde.
Build the plate
Round it out
Recommended Cookware & Gear
Cast Iron Round Comal (10.5")
Essential for blistering tortillas and charring chiles evenly.
Heavy Duty Cast Iron Tortilla Press (8")
Engineered leverage for uniform, paper-thin corn masa discs.
Volcanic Stone Molcajete (8.5")
Basalt texture shears cell walls for superior salsa emulsions.
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