Ensalada de nopales with pineapple and chili Recipe
This salad combines slightly tangy nopales with juicy pineapple and spicy chili, creating a very summery mix of flavors. In Mexico, sweet-and-spicy fruit-and-vegetable salads are popular as a hot-weather snack, sold in cups at street stalls. It’s a great, refreshing side for grilled dishes or a light snack on its own.
Ensalada de nopales with pineapple and chili is Mexican summer in a bowl – slightly tangy cactus paddles, sweet pineapple and fresh cucumber make a surprisingly harmonious mix. It’s one of those street food tricks that in Mexico are served in plastic cups with a toothpick instead of a fork, as a crunchy, juicy snack for hot days. The combination of fruit, vegetables and hot chili gives an effect you’ll hardly find in typical European salads.
Chef's tips
With fresh nopales, the most important thing is to remove all the spines thoroughly and cook them briefly – if you overcook them, they become too soft and slimy. After draining, always rinse them with cold water until the slime almost disappears; it makes a huge difference to the salad’s texture. Squeeze out excess juice from the pineapple well (especially canned), otherwise the lime dressing will get diluted and the flavors will be less pronounced.
How to serve
It’s best served chilled in small bowls or glasses as a refreshing starter with grilled chicken, fish or vegetable skewers. To drink, serve water with lots of ice and lime slices, a light margarita or homemade lemonade with a touch of chili. It’s perfect for a summer barbecue in the garden or a picnic in the park when everyone is tired of heavy mayonnaise-based salads.
Ingredients
- nopales - 250 g
- pineapple - 250 g
- cucumber - 1 piece
- chili pepper - 1 piece
- lime juice - 3 tablespoons
- salt - 0.5 teaspoons
- sugar - 0.5 teaspoons
- cilantro - 2 tablespoons
Preparation
- If you’re using fresh nopales, remove the spines, rinse, cut into thin strips and cook in salted water for 8–10 minutes, until they soften. Drain and rinse with cold water to get rid of the slime. If using nopales from a jar, just drain and rinse them.
- Peel the pineapple, remove the hard core and cut the flesh into small cubes. If you’re using canned pineapple, drain it well and also cut into smaller pieces.
- Wash the cucumber; if the skin is thick, peel it partially in strips, then slice into half-moons. If it has a lot of seeds, you can scoop them out with a teaspoon.
- Finely chop the chili pepper, removing the seeds if you want a milder salad. Rinse, dry and chop the cilantro.
- In a large bowl, mix the lime juice, salt and sugar until the sugar dissolves.
- Add the nopales, pineapple, cucumber and chili to the bowl. Gently toss so all the ingredients are coated with the dressing.
- Finally, add the chopped cilantro, mix briefly and chill the salad in the fridge for 10–15 minutes so the flavors meld.
Storage
Store any leftovers covered in the fridge and eat within 1 day; the cucumber and nopales will release more liquid over time, so toss briefly before serving again.
