🛒 Ingredients
- 1.200g fresh nopal cut into 2 cm strips
- 200g marinated chipotle
- 150g crushed tomato
- 80g finely chopped red onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 30g toasted sesame seeds
- 1 roasted and deboned red bell pepper
- 5g ground cumin
- 2g dry oregano
- 0.5g cayenne pepper
- 30ml dry white wine
- 15ml apple cider vinegar
- 15g vegetable butter
- salt and black pepper to taste
👨🍳 Step-by-step instructions
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Step 1: Prepare the marination. In a bowl, combine the crushed tomato, chipotle, crushed garlic, vinegar, white wine, cumin, oregano, and cayenne pepper. Stir until the flavors meld; the vinegar acidity helps emulsify with the butter fat.
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Step 2: Marinate the nopal. Place the strips in the marination and let rest 15 min at room temperature; the acid partially breaks down the fiber, softening the texture without losing firmness. Reserve the marination.
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Step 3: Heat the grill to 230 °C. Sear the nopal strips for 3 min on each side without moving them, until a golden crust forms; the Maillard reaction creates that aromatic layer.
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Step 4: Add the red onion, roasted red pepper and sesame seeds. Cook over medium heat (180 °C) for 8 min, stirring occasionally. The vegetable butter melts and acts as a humectant, keeping the nopal moist.
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Step 5: Incorporate the reserved marination and cook over low heat (150 °C) for 20 min, covered, so the liquid reduces to a thick broth. The low temperature prevents drying out the nopal and allows sugars to caramelize slowly.
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Step 6: Serve hot, sprinkled with extra toasted sesame seeds and accompanied by freshly made corn tortillas.
💡 Chef's tip
When searing the nopal strips at 230 °C for 3 min, the Maillard reaction forms a crust that locks in the internal juices. If the grill is too cold, the nopal absorbs moisture and loses the desired crunch.
📝 Our take
Esta barbacoa de nopal con chile chipotle combina la textura jugosa del cactus con el picor ahumado del chipotle, creando una experiencia de sabor que vibra en cada bocado. La armonía entre la frescura del nopal y el calor del chile recuerda a un atardecer sobre el litoral de Nayarit. Comerla es un viaje directo a la esencia de la cocina mexicana, donde la tierra y el fuego se funden en un solo plato. ¡No te la pierdas, es un auténtico abrazo de sabores!
🍷 Wine & food pairing
Opta por un tinto joven de la DO Ribera del Duero. Su fruta madura y taninos suaves cortan la grasa del guiso, mientras que su acidez realza el sabor ahumado del chile.
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