Nopales Mixed Green Salad

Salads are something I crave when traveling.  However, people warn against eating fresh fruits or vegetable when in Mexico. Naturally, I thought any green salad would be taboo.  However, when I saw them on the menus at some of the best restaurants in Mexico City, my fears were assuaged. I tucked in with no problems whatsoever probably because the kitchens used filtered water to wash their fresh fruits and vegetables!

In fact, I ended up having a variation of a green salad almost every day while in Mexico.  What you have here is an amalgam of several of these first courses enjoyed while dining around CDMX, Puebla and Oaxaca.

What is nice about this salad recipe is that you can swap out any green vegetable which happens to be in season. While fava beans were everywhere in Mexico in February—and were incorporated in the original version of this salad—they were not yet in season in New York when I created this recipe. So, fresh English peas were the “stand in” for the fava beans.

I can’t wait to give this recipe a try again in several months when the fat fava bean pods make their first appearance in the farmers’ market!

In the meantime, I was eager to learn how to cook cactus paddles also called nopales which are featured in this recipe.  Nutritious, affordable, and delicious, this ingredient turns a dish into something exotically Mexican.  Additionally, tomatillos and a lime-cilantro dressing were used to keep the theme going.

Ingredients:

For the salad

2 nopale paddles, cooked and cut into 1-inch cubes (Directions follow)

6 cups mixed greens

1 cup baby spinach leaves

1 red-skinned apple (or ripe pear) cut into cubes

2-3 tomatillos cut into thin slices

1 cup string beans, steamed, cooled and cut diagonally into 2-inch pieces

½ cup steamed fresh peas (or fava beans!), cooled

¼ cup radishes (Rainbow ones are preferred!) cut into thin slivers

¼ cup micro red veined sorrel and/or edible flowers for decoration

For the cilantro lime vinaigrette

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice

4 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

¼ teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cooking instructions:

For the Nopales

1.   Wash two cactus paddles and using tongs or rubber gloves transfer to a cutting board to dry and prepare. Trim off the outer edge using a sharp knife. Remove the spines, thorns, or eyes, running your knife from back to front until completely clean. Do the same with the other side. Finally, rinse the cactus paddles, dry,  and return them to your clean cutting board. Cut into 1-inch cubes.

2.   Prepare 4 quarts of water and when boiling, add the cubes.  Cook for 4-6 minutes.  Drain, and rinse with cold water. Dry on a paper towel to avoid the slimy build up.  Now you are ready to make the salad.

For the dressing:

3.   Combine all of the dressing ingredients together in a jar or blender and shake or process until well combined. Set aside.

For the salad:

4.   Place all of the ingredients into a large salad bowl and toss with ¼ cup of the dressing.  Add more if necessary. Decorate with colorful micro-greens and or edible flowers and serve with warmed blue tortilla shells.

Feel free to play around with the ingredients of this salad by adding diced jicama, asparagus, or Huitlachoche (or corn fungus). This ingredient was used by the Aztecs as part of their diet. It can be found at Mexican specialty food stores—sometimes even fresh but more often frozen or canned. It is considered a delicacy used in all sorts of dishes from soups to enchiladas to sauces.

Serves: 6-8

Wine recommendation: As with any salad with a vinaigrette sauce, wines can be tricky. So, it is best to stick with water or beer.  However, it you do prefer a wine, then a dry Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc or no-oak Chardonnay is lovely. Alternatively, take the deep dive and see if you can find a crisp, dry white or rosé from Mexico. You’ll be surprised at how delicious they can be.