Cactus paddle salad (Ensalada de nopales)

1. Clean the nopales of spines with the edge of a knife, trim the edges and cut into 1 cm strips or cubes. If you have no nopales, use green beans – boil them for 5 minutes.

2. Put the nopales into lightly salted boiling water and cook for 10-12 minutes until their colour turns olive green.

3. Rinse thoroughly in a sieve under cold water until all the slimy liquid has washed away, then drain well.

4. Meanwhile, dice the tomatoes, finely chop the red onion and serrano and chop the coriander.

5. In a bowl, mix the nopales with the vegetables, drizzle with lime juice and olive oil and sprinkle with crumbled Mexican oregano and salt.

6. To serve, sprinkle with crumbled queso fresco (or a mix of feta and ricotta) and serve cold.

Tip: If the nopales are still slimy, add half an onion and a little baking soda to the cooking water – it binds the slime.