Cactus and Corn Salsa

Please welcome Amber Stott, founder of the Food Literacy Center, as she shares this truly delightful salsa made with nopales cactus paddles. We made it together the other day, so good! ~Elise

I’m a regular at my local farmers market. Farmers near Sacramento, California grow an impressive variety of food and every visit yields something new and tempting. A few years ago, I found a new favorite.

Tucked away in a quiet corner behind mile high piles of pearly grapes and fat figs sat a man working quickly with a knife, sliding his blade across apple green paddles—cactus! (Also known as nopales, the young pads of the prickly pear cactus.)

The farmer sent me on my way with several crisp paddles and some cooking suggestions. I’ve been addicted to nopales ever since.

Cactus has a crisp texture and tangy vegetal taste. Some folks compare it to green beans, but I disagree. It’s got a wonderful bright, citrusy note all its own. It’s also a slimy food, but don’t worry. It never feels sticky when you bite it.

When pairing cactus with green tomatoes, which also have a tart acidic flavor, you get an impressive salsa. This easy recipe combines several Southwestern flavors: chili peppers, cilantro, white onion, roasted corn, and even a splash of tequila (optional).

The salsa is best when left to rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes to 1 hour after it’s made, and then eaten fresh. It will keep in the fridge for about a week.

Cactus and Corn Salsa Recipe

If your farmers market doesn’t sell cactus, you can find it in most Latin grocery stores in the produce aisle, either whole or already prepped and chopped.

You can also buy it in a jar in the Mexican food aisle of your grocery store, but fresh paddles taste far better. You’ll want fresh paddles for this recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 nopales cactus paddles, spikes removed*
• 2 green tomatoes, cored and cut in half
• 1/2 large, white onion, peeled and cut into 4 chunks
• 2 jalapeños, red or green, more or less to taste
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 cup frozen corn**
• 1 cup cilantro, stems removed
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 2 hot chili peppers, stems removed, more or less to taste
• Juice from 1/2 a lime, about 1 Tbsp
• 2 Tablespoons tequila, optional
• 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
• Salt to taste

*This recipe is designed for the whole paddles, but you may be able to make it with bagged cut cactus for nopalitos if that's all that is available in the market. Just arrange them close together on the roasting pan while you roast the vegetables so they don't dry out.

**You can also use freshly cooked corn or grilled corn, stripped from the cob. In this case, skip the corn roasting in step 2, and just add to the salsa in the last step.

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