Cactus Tacos with Guajes
Fresh guajes seeds lend a garlicky kick to these quick and easy cactus and poblano-filled tacos that are so good that people won't believe how simple they are to make. Using pre-cut cactus can drop the total time down to 15 minutes or less. This recipe is gluten-free and vegetarian friendly, and can be adapted to dairy-free, nightshade-free, or vegan.
Servings: 12 tacos
Ingredients
- 2 Tbs oil
- 4 cloves garlic ,minced
- 1 medium onion ,diced
- 1 lb fresh cactus (nopales) ,diced
- 1 poblano pepper ,diced
- 1 Tbs cumin
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 Tbs fresh cilantro ,minced
- 1/2 tsp hot sauce (we use Cholula with Lime)
- 2 Tbs water
- juice of 1 lime
- 12 soft corn tortillas
Toppings
- fresh guajes seeds
- crumbled queso fresco
- sour cream
- hot sauce
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and saute until softened and fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add the cactus and poblano. Continue cooking until softened and the cactus changes color from bright green to olive-colored, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in cumin, salt, hot sauce, cilantro, and 2 Tbsp water. Reduce heat to low simmer for 5 minutes or until water has evaporated (the mixture should seem slightly sticky at this point due to the cactus sap). Remove from heat and stir in the lime juice.
- Warm the tortillas on a hot, dry skillet or comal. Fill tortillas with cactus filling and top with queso fresco, sour cream, hot sauce, and guajes.
Notes
- Fresh cactus (aka. nopales) are readily available at Hispanic markets as well as most mainstream supermarkets that stock Hispanic produce (look for them near the chile peppers). Some stores even offer bags of cleaned, pre-cut cactus that are ready use – just pour it straight into the pan. (Here in the Chicago area, Meijer and Tony's Fresh Market regularly carry cut cactus).
- To clean whole cactus pads, first lay the paddle flat on a cutting board and trim off the entire perimeter to remove the spines along the edges. Then, pick it up by the stem end and simply slice of all off the nodules where the spines protrude from the flat side (a sharp knife will help this go faster. Wear gloves!). Once you get the hang of it, the process goes quickly, and you should only need 2 or 3 paddles for this recipe.
- Guajes (also spelled huajes) aren't very well known outside of Mexican cuisine. The pods resemble extremely long, flat snow peas, and are typically sold in bundles. Look for them in Hispanic markets and specialty grocers (again, if you are in the Chicago area, Tony's often has them). Peeling the seeds out of the pods can seem like a chore at first, but it is quite easy to do once you get the hang of it. The fastest method we have found is to cut off both ends of the pod, and then slice off the outer ribs on the top and bottom. The walls of the pod should be easy to peel apart at that point, and the seeds will be easy to brush out. You will probably want about ¼ cup of seeds for this recipe.
- For a heartier meal, try adding some refried beans to the tacos.
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The cactus mixture is also stellar with eggs. Use your leftovers for scrambles or omelets for breakfast the next morning, or scramble a few eggs into the mix from the get-go to turn these into breakfast tacos. Or add crumbled tortilla chips to the mix to turn them into "migas".
- For a nightshade-free version: omit the poblano. If you have access to them, try substituting diced xoconostles (sour prickly pears) for the peppers.
- For dairy-free and vegan: simply skip the sour cream and cheese toppings, or use your favorite non-dairy substitutes.