Southwestern Cactus Salad

You might want to drain and rinse the cactus before adding it to the mix, otherwise it has a very slimy affect.

I grew up with "Nopalitos" and as another reviewer stated it important to DRAIN off & RINSE the slime. In my family we use canned sliced jalapenos and sprinkled the juice over the nopalitos too. The amount you use is up to you cuz it could vary from mild to hot. We add approx 1 tsp. crushed oregano, I make this as a summer salad along with carne asada. Remember to refrigerate before serving. Absolutely delicious.

My family has been making this salad for years. My father doesnt like cilantro, and others not a fan of raw onions, so both are placed on the side if someone wishes to add them in. However, we do add avocado. Just dice it up and toss it in with the other ingredients. It adds so much more to this salad.

I was in the produce department today and found fresh clean and cut cactus. So I brought some home and found this recipe -- thank goodness! I didn't think my boyfriend would like cactus (nopales) and he could not get enough! We ate every last morsel. I rinsed the raw cactus beforehand and left out the jalapeno (just didn't feel like heat tonight). Eating it raw in this salad is really good and I've had it this way before. Didn't have time to let the flavors meld since it was last minute but it didn't matter because it was so flavorful, fresh tasting and low calorie. We're trying to incorporate lowfat dishes in our diet so this was a heart-healthy surprise and I will make this many more times to come!

Excellent salad! I use fresh cactus because it's healthier. Clean, dice and boil until tender. Drain & rinse, rinse, rinse! (When you run your fingers through the colander you should not feel any aloe!) Spread out on paper towel and pat dry! (easy and MUCH better than the jarred stuff!) I add chopped black olives and dress it with 1/4 c. each of EVOO & red wine vinegar. Chill well. Top with diced avocado and cojita cheese. Serve over lettuce leaves or a bed of field greens! Some people like to eat it with topotos, almost like a pico de gallo!

I love this stuff! I have made it for several parties and it always goes over very well. You should rinse off the cactus though, or atleast drain very well. Good stuff! Give it a try!

Ok, you absolutely HAVE to drain and rinse the cactus - straight out of the jar, they are SO salty, and unbelievably slimey. I had to rinse them 5 or 6 times before they weren't horrid. Also, this is really only good an hour or two after it is made. I LOVED it just as soon as it was chilled, but I tried it the next day, and it was awful.

Larry did not like the slime caused by the aloe. Is cactus something I should eat since I can't have aloe?

This has a cool fresh taste. Having used nopales in other dishes I knew to rinse before using, and used 1 clove of fresh garlic making this a great side.

I found this salad to be quite addictive. I didn't think the garlic salt was necessary but then I was eating it with tortilla chips, so that could be why. Next time I will chop the cactus smaller and eliminate the jalepenos (there were peppers in my can of cactus which made it plenty hot).

The first time I tried this recipe I was hooked. I don't use jalapenos and I make sure to rinse the cactus *well* to avoid sliminess. Great recipe!!!

Good! I cooked a roast in the crock pot. Then when the meat was finished I shredded the meat. Put the salad on the meat...so good!

I'd had a jar of nopales on my shelf for quite awhile, not really knowing what to do with it. I saw this recipe and knew what to do! This recipe is just like a salsa - pretty easy, adjustable to your liking. My only thought was to cut the nopales in to small pieces to make it easier to eat.

Excellent. I use canned jalapenos and use the vinegar from the can instead of the lemon or lime juice. I also add some Hass avocado and mix it in to make it creamy. We eat this all the time and it has always been a big hit when we serve it to guests.

This is GREAT! Thank you for sharing this recipe. I did not add the jalapeno peppers because my jar of nopales had the jalapeno. My husband and I love this.

i had this at a work potluck but no one knew how to make it - this is that receipe.. so delicious, healthy, and fresh! thanks for putting up the post so i can continue to make it myself..yum - we added cotija cheese on top too

Thanks, Lupe! What a great recipe. I followed it exactly and served with the Southwestern Chicken with Lime Butter.

Just what I was looking for! I had bought the cactus salad at our local hispanic grocery store and wanted to find a recipe to duplicate it. Perfect!! The only things I changed was substituted lime juice for the lemon juice. Yummy!! Thanks to all that said to rinse, rinse, rinse the cactus!

The instructions were right on and very easy. This salad was delicious on day one, and I served the leftovers over brown rice noodles with shrimp the second night and it was just great with that too. Will definitely be making this again.

Maybe I did something wrong but it tasted like turpentine. Will not be making this again.

I thought it was a good, but not remarkable SALSA. It didn't really strike me as a salad, at all. I also had a problem with slime. I used fresh nopale that I grilled on the BBQ, not from a can.

Just saw this recipe for the first time today. I do not know why so many people posted that you have to drain and rinse the nopalitos when the person who submitted the recipe clearly stated that they are to be rinsed, drained, and dried. Why are people posting negative things about a recipe when the clearly have not read the entire recipe? At any rate, the salad is good, I toned down the jalapenos as I don't like that much pepper in my salad. Otherwise it was great.

Made this for my hubby. He loved it and ate it just about everyday till it was all gone :-) I'm not a fan of cactus but based on his reviews.

I did drain & rinse my cactus & didn't experience the sliminess that others had a problem with. My cactus also had peppers already added so I didn't add any more...I just sliced up one of the serranos jarred in w/ the cactus. This was just OK for us...it was definitely something different ... I might like it better once I become more acquainted w/ it. I cut wayy back on the cilantro because it's flavor can be so overwhelming ... I used fresh minced garlic & sprinkled w/ a bit of kosher salt.

An excellent recipe although I did substitute lime for the lemon. Everywhere I’ve traveled in Mexico lime was the citrus in use.

I made my version of this recipe using fresh cactus. I cooked the cactus with a quarter of an onion and some salt in their own juices. To do this add the cleaned and cubes or sliced cactus, salt and onion to a pot over medium to low heat. After about 10 minutes there is quite a bit of slimey liquid in the pot for the cactus to cook in. After the cactus has cooked to desired tenderness. Rinse with cold water as needed to remove the left over slimeyness. Use in place of canned cactus this recipe calls for. Keeping cooking and as Views On The Road's YouTube channel puts it, make it comfortable for your home.

I was skeptical because of all the jalapeños. For a serving of 8 I narrowed it down to 4 jalapeño instead of 5. Also I used an extra tomato. And I added red onion along with white onion to keep the spice but not the heat. First time ever using cactus and I'm satisfied with this recipe. Surprisingly my family enjoyed it as well. Next time I'm gonna add spinach and romaine to give it more of a salad feel. I just kept thinking I should be scooping this up on tortilla chips as a dip. Thanks for the add