Ensalada de nopalitos (cactus salad) at Picante – The Real Taco (Andrew Chriss)

Dish of the Week: Ensalada de Nopalitos (Cactus Salad)
Where: Picante – The Real Taco

Cactus? Who eats that? You can buy it fresh at your local grocery store, but the preparation, mainly the danger of being gouged while peeling, sounds too cumbersome to be enjoyable. It also comes sold in a jar, but try convincing yourself that the oozy slime (which results from overcooking) doesn’t gross you out just a little. The taste of cactus is hard to put into words, with opinions ranging from cucumber (wildly inaccurate, if you ask me) to sweetish to okra. Fresh cactus doesn’t have that strong of a taste and has the texture of a roasted pepper. If you’re promised fresh cactus and you taste brine, you’re most likely dealing with the canned product.

I tried cactus for the first time in the ensalada de nopalitos at Picante – The Real Taco in Chantilly a little over 10 years ago, and it has never disappointed to this day. The cactus is tender and crisp, mixed with tomatoes and diced onion, tossed with a little olive oil and lime juice, and topped with avocado and a super-generous heap of queso fresco. Cactus is the star of the dish, but the avocados and queso fresco provide a creamy texture to balance with the crisp, acidic flavors of the other ingredients. The salad is served with fresh flour tortillas, because honestly every salad benefits from a buttery, carb-loaded vessel.

Is it worth going all the way to Chantilly for cactus salad? We could debate risk/distance vs. reward until we’re all domesticated bovines (or something like that), but I promise that the quality of any trip to Dulles Airport or the Leesburg Corner outlets increases with a slight detour to Picante. While you’re there, try the mole enchiladas and tortas, but skip the “standard” fare (e.g., plain chicken tacos).