This recipe, by Christopher Morrill of Taco Shop in El Paso, Texas, won third place in the 2023 el Restaurante Sassiest Salsa Contest, sponsored by Sammic.
Makes 6-8 servings
2 pound cactus raw, diced and cooked
6 Roma tomatoes diced
1 purple onion chopped
4 jalapeño peppers deveined and chopped
2 serrano peppers diced
2 c. cilantro roughly chopped
2 lime
2 T peanut or canola oil
1/3 c. dried chile de arbol (about 15 pods) 1/2 cup crushed roasted peanuts
1/2 c. green pumpkin seeds
1/4 c. white sesame seeds
1/4 c. black sesame seeds
2 t. sea salt
Instructions
Clean and dice the cactus. Add the raw nopales and cover with water. Cook with a tablespoon of sea salt for 10-15 minutes covered.
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the chiles and toast until aromatic, about 2 to 3 minutes. Leave the oil in the pan, and put the peppers in a food processor and pulse until crushed.
In the same pan, toast the peanuts, pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds over medium heat until aromatic, about 2 to 3 minutes. Return the crushed chiles to the pan and toast the mixture for 1 minute longer. Turn off the heat,
When ready remove the water and rinse several times with iced or cold until the slime disappears.
Chop all ingredients (jalepeno, serrano, onion, tomato) and mix together with the cooked cactus & cooked seeds. Season with sea salt, and lime juice.