Seafood Enchiladas

Circle B Kitchen

Seafood Enchiladas

I’ll be honest, this isn’t a recipe you’re likely to try and throw together on a busy weeknight. It’s a special dish that I’ve made over the years for family Christmas dinners or other special occasions. If you make the poblano cream sauce ahead of time, this will actually come together pretty quickly. You can use any combination of seafood you like, but lately I’ve been using just shrimp and crab and it seems like the perfect combination. But you do you.

Serves 6

3 cups of any combination of shrimp (raw, peeled and deveined), crab meat,

bay scallops and/or cooked langostines)

1 dozen corn tortillas (preferably homemade)

1 recipe poblano cream sauce (see below)

3/4 lb jack cheese, grated

chopped fresh cilantro

1 avocado, sliced for serving(optional but delicious)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Make poblano cream sauce and set aside.

Saute the shrimp in a little olive oil, salt and pepper until just barely pink. Remove from heat and cut into 1 inch pieces.

Saute the scallops, if using, and add to the shrimp along with the crab.

If using store-bought tortillas, place them in a ziplock bag with a damp paper towel. Do not seal the bag. Place in the microwave for 20-30 seconds to soften. If using homemade tortillas, you can skip this step.

Pour enough poblano cream sauce into the baking pan to just cover the bottom. Sprinkle one tortilla with about a tablespoon or two of cheese and then some of the seafood. You want the tortilla to be full but not overly so. You should be able to roll the tortilla completely around the filling to enclose. Place in the baking pan seam side down and then drizzle with enough of the poblano cream sauce to cover. You don’t want the tortilla to dry out and crack while you assemble the rest.

Continue with the rest of the tortillas. Top with some more poblano cream sauce and then sprinkle with the remaining grated jack cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 10 to 15 minutes until browned and bubbly. (you may have to put it under the broiler for a minute to brown). Do not overcook these as the cheese will harden and the tortilla will dry out. Not good eats.

To serve, top with chopped cilantro and sliced avocado.

Poblano Cream Sauce

3 large fresh poblano chiles

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup chopped white onion

1 small garlic clove, minced

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

2 cups warm whole milk*

*I sometimes use 1/2 cup or so of half in half with the milk

Char chiles directly over gas flame or in broiler until blackened on all sides. Enclose in a paper bag 10 minutes. Peel, seed, and slice chiles.

Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; sauté until soft, about 2 minutes. Add garlic; stir 30 seconds. Stir in flour (mixture may be firm).

Sauté 1 minute longer. Whisk in warm millk and a little salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until sauce thickens, whisking occasionally, about 5 minutes.

Pour sauce into blender and add the roasted chiles. Blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. If not spicy enough, add a chopped jalapeno or some cayenne pepper. This sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Whisk over medium heat until just warm before continuing with the recipe.