Crawfish Enchiladas (Gabrielle's)
Submitted by Nancygirl54
Crawfish enchiladas from Gabrielle’s restaurant, rolled in corn tortillas with a creamy cheddar-chili sauce and melted Monterey Jack. Where Cajun crawfish meets Tex-Mex soul.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
25 minREADY
45 minWhen a New Orleans restaurant rolls crawfish into enchiladas, you know something good is happening.
These Gabrielle’s-inspired crawfish enchiladas wrap chopped crawfish tails in soft corn tortillas, smothered in a from-scratch cream sauce built with chili powder, the Cajun holy trinity, cheddar cheese, and heavy cream. A blanket of melted Monterey Jack on top finishes the job.
The lard (or bacon fat) in the sauce adds a smoky richness you won’t get from butter. It’s a small detail that makes a big difference.
Forty-five minutes from start to table, and your kitchen smells like a Friday night on Magazine Street.
Kitchen Tips
- Soften the tortillas in the microwave wrapped in plastic before rolling. Cold tortillas crack and tear.
- Use fish stock or clam juice in the sauce for an extra layer of seafood depth.
- Pack the enchiladas snugly in the casserole dish so they hold their shape and don’t unroll.
- This recipe scales easily. Double everything for a dinner party crowd.
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the sauce.
Melt lard in a medium saucepan, add chili powder, onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic.
Cook over medium heat until soft, about 10 minutes.
Add corn or instant flour and cook 2 minutes more.
Add cream and stock, bring mixture to a boil and stir in cheddar cheese.
Stir constantly until melted.
Remove sauce from heat and season to taste with salt.
Heat oven to 400 degrees F, then prepare the enchiladas.
Soften tortilla shells by wrapping them in plastic wrap and heating in a microwave oven for 30 to 50 seconds.
Combine half of the sauce with the crawfish tails.
Fill each tortilla shell with ¼ cup of this mixture and sprinkle with green onion.
Roll shells around filling and fit snugly into a small oven casserole dish.
Pour remaining sauce over all and top with shredded Monterey Jack.
Bake until enchiladas are heated through and cheese is melted and bubbly, about 10 minutes.
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