📝 About This Recipe
Nopales Navegantes is a soul-warming traditional Mexican dish where tender strips of cactus 'sail' through a vibrant, deep-red guajillo and pasilla chile broth. This rustic specialty celebrates the humble nopal, transforming its unique texture into a silky delicacy balanced by the earthy richness of dried chiles and aromatic epazote. It is a quintessential comfort food that captures the vibrant spirit of Central Mexican home cooking, offering a nutritious and deeply flavorful experience.
🥗 Ingredients
The Nopales
- 6-8 pieces Fresh Nopal Paddles (cleaned, thorns removed, and sliced into 1/2-inch strips)
- 1/4 piece White Onion (left whole for the boiling water)
- 2 cloves Garlic (smashed)
- 1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda (to preserve the bright green color)
The Red Broth (Adobo)
- 5 pieces Guajillo Chiles (stemmed, seeded, and deveined)
- 2 pieces Pasilla Chiles (stemmed, seeded, and deveined)
- 3 large Roma Tomatoes (ripe)
- 1/2 piece White Onion (roughly chopped)
- 3 cloves Garlic (peeled)
- 4 cups Vegetable Broth (or water with bouillon)
- 2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil (or lard for a traditional taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon Dried Oregano (preferably Mexican oregano)
Finishing Touches
- 1 sprig Fresh Epazote (or substitute with cilantro if unavailable)
- 1/2 cup Queso Fresco (crumbled for garnish)
- to taste Sea Salt
👨🍳 Instructions
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1
In a medium pot, bring water to a boil with the 1/4 onion, 2 smashed garlic cloves, and baking soda. Add the sliced nopales and cook for 10-12 minutes until tender but still firm.
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2
Drain the nopales and rinse them thoroughly under cold running water. This step is crucial to remove the 'baba' (viscous sap). Set aside.
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3
On a dry griddle or comal over medium heat, lightly toast the guajillo and pasilla chiles for 30-60 seconds per side until fragrant. Do not let them burn or they will turn bitter.
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4
Place the toasted chiles in a bowl of hot water and let them soak for 15 minutes until soft and pliable.
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5
While chiles soak, roast the tomatoes, 1/2 onion, and 3 garlic cloves on the comal until charred and softened.
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6
Transfer the soaked chiles, roasted tomatoes, onion, and garlic to a blender. Add 1 cup of the vegetable broth and blend until completely smooth.
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7
Pass the blended sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl to ensure a velvety, professional texture. Discard any solids.
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8
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot. Carefully pour in the strained salsa; it will sizzle and splatter, which develops the flavor.
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9
Fry the salsa for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until it darkens slightly and thickens.
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10
Stir in the remaining 3 cups of vegetable broth and the dried oregano. Bring to a gentle boil.
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11
Add the cooked nopales to the pot. These are your 'navigantes' (navigators) sailing in the red sea of broth.
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12
Add the epazote sprig and season with salt to taste. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
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13
Remove the epazote sprig before serving. Ladle the hot broth and nopales into deep bowls.
💡 Chef's Tips
To further reduce the 'baba' of the nopales, you can sauté them in a dry pan until their liquid evaporates before boiling them. If you cannot find fresh epazote, a mix of cilantro and a pinch of cumin can provide a similar earthy depth. Always strain your chile sauce; the skins of dried chiles are tough and can ruin the silky mouthfeel of the broth. For a spicier kick, add 2-3 toasted Chiles de Árbol to the blender with the other chiles. Make sure your tomatoes are very ripe; they provide the necessary acidity to balance the richness of the chiles.
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
Serve with warm, hand-pressed corn tortillas for dipping into the broth. Garnish generously with crumbled Queso Fresco and a few slices of creamy avocado. Pair with a cold Hibiscus (Jamaica) water to cut through the smokey heat of the chiles. This dish works beautifully as a side to grilled flank steak (Carne Asada). Add a squeeze of fresh lime juice at the table to brighten the earthy flavors.