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Nopalitos with Dried Prawns

Name: Nopalitos with Dried Prawns
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 2 tbsp Vegetable oil; 4 Guajillo chilli; 1 tsp Salt; 1 White onion; 100 g Dried prawns; 20 g Coriander; 500 g Nopalitos; 3 cloves Garlic; 2 Tomatoes

35 min (10 prep + 25 cook) Easy 4 servings Centro de México

Edmond Bojalil

Recetas Mexas

Published: 30 Mar 2026 · Updated: 30 Mar 2026

Tender nopalitos stewed with dried prawns in a rich guajillo chilli sauce — Mexico's most comforting Lenten dish.

About this recipe

Cactus paddles cooked with dried prawns in guajillo chilli sauce. A traditional Lenten vigil dish prepared during Holy Week.

History & Origin

Lent is perhaps the richest and most creative season in Mexican cuisine. During the forty days from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday, the Catholic tradition of abstaining from red meat on vigil days — primarily Wednesdays and Fridays — has given rise to an entire universe of dishes that now form part of the country's gastronomic heritage. The nopal cactus has been one of the stars of this tradition since pre-Hispanic times. Cultivated and eaten in Mexico for more than 9,000 years, it was a daily food of Mesoamerican peoples long before Catholicism arrived. When the Franciscans introduced meat abstinence in the sixteenth century, the nopal — already celebrated for its nutritional properties and abundance — became the perfect ally of Lenten cooking. Dried prawns are one of the most ancient ingredients in Mexican vigil cuisine. Prawns caught along the Pacific and Gulf of Mexico coasts were dried and salted for preservation and transport to the interior of the country, where they reached the markets of Oaxaca, Puebla, Mexico City and the Bajío states. Their concentrated flavour and unique texture lend a depth to guajillo sauce that no other ingredient can replicate. The combination of nopalitos with dried prawns in guajillo sauce is a dish found in countless Mexican homes during Holy Week, especially in the central states: State of Mexico, Puebla, Hidalgo and Mexico City. It is grandmother's cooking, market cooking, courtyard kitchen cooking. Today, outside Mexico, this recipe is a wonderful way to connect with Lenten tradition without sacrificing authentic flavour.

Estimated cost

£6.10

Total cost

£1.55

Per serving

* Approximate prices based on UK supermarkets

Nutritional information per serving

180

Calories

18g

Protein

14g

Carbohydrates

Fat

Fibre

520mg

Sodium

* Approximate values. May vary depending on ingredients used.

Method

1
If using raw cactus paddles, cook them in salted water with a piece of onion for 10–12 minutes until tender but not too soft. Drain well and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking and remove the natural sap. Set aside. If using tinned or jarred nopalitos, drain and rinse.
💡 Adding a slice of onion or coriander to the cooking water helps reduce the natural mucilage from the cactus.
2
Rehydrate the dried prawns: place them in a bowl with hot water and leave to soak for 10 minutes until softened. Drain and reserve the soaking water (it is full of flavour and will be used in the sauce). If the prawns are large, cut them into smaller pieces.
3
Rehydrate the guajillo chillies: toast them on a dry comal over medium heat for 30 seconds per side, taking care not to burn them. Place in hot water with the tomatoes and leave to soak for 10 minutes until the chillies soften. Blend with the garlic, tomatoes and 1/2 cup of the prawn soaking water. Pass through a sieve.
💡 Do not over-toast the guajillo or the sauce will turn bitter. It should just become slightly pliable and fragrant.
4
Heat the oil over medium heat in a frying pan or casserole. Fry the chopped onion for 3–4 minutes until translucent and lightly golden. Add the drained dried prawns and fry for 2 minutes more.
5
Pour the strained guajillo sauce over the onion and prawns. Fry, stirring, for 3–4 minutes until the sauce darkens and thickens. This step is important to cook out the raw sauce and develop the flavours.
6
Add the cooked, drained nopalitos to the sauce. Stir well to coat everything. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan and cook for 8–10 minutes so the cactus absorbs the flavours of the sauce. Adjust salt to taste.
💡 If the sauce is too thick, add a little more prawn soaking water or plain water.
7
Serve the nopalitos with dried prawns piping hot, garnished with freshly chopped coriander. Accompany with white rice and pot beans, or with freshly made maize tortillas.