Nopales are cactus paddles. They may be hard to come by if you don’t live in a border state or have access to a Mexican market. If you’re lucky, you’ll find prickly pear cactus paddles, which are packed with soluble fiber, vitamins, and minerals and reduce the glycemic effect of a meal. The stuffing is the star of this recipe, so if nopales are nowhere in sight, you can use corn tortillas for equally delicious (although not as pretty) results. At my house, we grill plain nopales until they are tender and a little charred and serve them with some lime wedges.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4

　　2 tablespoons olive oil

　　1 cup chopped red bell pepper

　　1 cup chopped onion

　　1 cup chopped seeded tomato

　　1 pound raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, and chopped

　　Salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　4 cleaned prickly pear cactus paddles (1 1/4 pounds)

　　Lime wedges, for serving

　　Bottled hot sauce (such as Huichol), for serving

　　

Step 1

Heat the olive oil in a medium-size heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the bell pepper, onion, and tomato and sauté for 8 minutes, or until the pepper is nearly tender. Add the shrimp and sauté for 2 minutes, or until just cooked through. Season the stuffing to taste with salt and pepper, and set it aside.

　　

Step 2

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Using a small sharp knife, carefully cut a slit along one long side of each nopal without cutting all the way through, to make something resembling a pita pocket. Grill the nopales for 4 minutes per side, or until they are tender and grill marks appear.

　　

Step 3

Stuff the nopales with the shrimp mixture, dividing it equally, and serve with lime wedges and hot sauce.

　　Fresh Mexico