Shrimp & Crab Enchiladas

These seafood enchiladas keep the filling almost naked. Shrimp gets poached quickly in seasoned water with bay leaves, chopped fine, and folded into lump crab meat. That’s the entire filling. No cream cheese, no mounds of Monterey Jack, just clean seafood flavor.

The technique is worth copying for any seafood enchilada. Keeping the shrimp poach short (two minutes) prevents rubbery bites once the enchiladas reheat in sauce. Chopping fine gives each corn tortilla an even layer rather than pockets of empty space around whole shrimp.

Twenty corn tortillas gets you a baked casserole for a crowd. Warm each tortilla for about 10 seconds on a dry skillet before rolling so they don’t crack, then fill, roll, and top with your sauce of choice before baking.

Kitchen Tips

• Stop the shrimp poach the moment they turn pink and curl into C shapes. Cooked past that point, they toughen up.
• Pat the shrimp and crab dry before mixing. Wet filling soaks through tortillas and they tear when you try to roll.
• Warm tortillas individually on a dry comal or skillet for 10 to 15 seconds per side. Microwaving stacks of them unevenly softens the middle while the edges stay stiff.
• Salt the poaching water well, but skip additional salt in the filling. Crab and shrimp both carry natural sea salt.
• Roll tightly and place seam-side down in the baking dish. Loose rolls open up during baking and spill their filling.

Variations

• Top with a green tomatillo sauce for enchiladas verdes, or a red ancho chile sauce for something smokier.
• Stir chopped cilantro, diced avocado, and a squeeze of lime into the filling for brighter flavor.
• Use a mix of flaked white fish in place of half the crab to stretch the filling and lower cost.