I try to find any excuse to switch up our daily home meals to keep things exciting and new.
With the Mexican celebration Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for the fifth of May) coming up next month, it is a perfect time to share this recipe with you.
If you don’t care for shrimp/prawns, then substitute with fish or strips of raw chicken.
Canned chipotle peppers can easily be found in the Mexican food section of practically any grocery store. These small cans usually contain a handful of peppers in them, so make sure you freeze the remaining ones for future use.
This recipe calls for two of these peppers in total, but to make it milder, just use two halves instead. I like minced shallots in this recipe, but these can also be replaced with minced onions if you prefer.
There is a bit of assembly required for this recipe, but I find the end result worth it, and I hope you do, too.
Shrimp Enchiladas
Makes 10 small enchiladas
10 small 4-inch flour tortillas
• 1 tbsp canola or grapeseed oil
• 1/4 cup minced shallots
• 1 minced canned chipotle
pepper
• 340g raw shrimp or small prawns, no shells
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 cup whipping cream
• 1 - 796ml can of diced tomatoes
• 1 tbsp canola oil or grapeseed oil
• 1/4 cup minced shallots
• 1 minced canned chipotle pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp sugar
• 170g Monterey Jack cheese, sliced or grated
• Sour cream as garnish – optional
1. Preheat oven to 375º degrees and spread a small bit of oil in a 9x13 baking dish with a paper towel. Lay the 10 small flour tortillas out on the counter or on a baking sheet.
2. Heat a pan over high heat. Add 1 tbsp oil, 1/4 cup shallots, 1 chipotle pepper, shrimp, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, the whipping cream, and 1/2 cup of the diced tomatoes. Cook while stirring until the shrimp are just cooked through, approximately 3 to 4 minutes.
Distribute this shrimp mixture with a slotted spoon evenly on the tortillas.
Roll up each tortilla and place them seam side down into the prepared 9x13 baking dish. Pour remaining sauce in pan over the rolled tortillas.
3. Return the pan to the heat. Add the other 1 tbsp oil, 1/4 cup shallots, and 1 chipotle pepper and saute for 1 minute.
Add the remaining diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, and the sugar. Cook until thickened.
Spoon over the rolled enchiladas and top with the cheese.
4. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the cheese melts and turns lightly golden. Serve with the optional sour cream.
Chef Dez is a food columnist and culinary instructor in the Fraser Valley. Visit him at www.chefdez.com. Send questions to dez@chefdez.com or to P.O. Box 2674, Abbotsford, B.C. V2T 6R4