Celebrating Cinco de Mayo with Craft Beer and Cactus

Time to celebrate Cindo de Mayo with a craft beer and cactus pairing! Cactus salsa is the perfect way to enjoy a traditional Mexican cuisine (nopales) in a very American way: chips, salsa and beer. 

What are Nopales?

Nopales are the leaves of cacti and are often used in Mexican cooking. To prepare the cactus leaves, wash then remove any cactus thorns with a knife and trip the outside edges.

Nopales Salsa Recipe

Chop up the cactus and place into a heated skillet with two tablespoons of hot oil. Add a bit of salt and stir for a minute before putting a lid on the skillet and cooking for 20 minutes on medium heat, or until all the gooey stuff that looks like aloe vera gel is dried out.

Cool the cactus bits before adding to a mixing bowl with diced up tomato, onion, Serrano peppers, cilantro, fresh lime juice, salt and avocado. Serve with tortilla  chips.

Nopales add a protein, almost beanlike flavor to the salsa, which will be full of bright citrus flavors and a bit of smokey spice from the Serrano peppers. Best beer pairings will be either a light pale ale, with a bit of hops to complement the spice level or a lager to refresh the palate.

Frankenmuth Helles A light summer lager with citrus notes and a crisp finish.

Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale

npoA perfectly balanced West Coast-style pale ale.