Seafood Enchiladas in a Green Sauce

It’s Tuesday – as in Taco Tuesday. I’m not sure where this whole tacos on Tuesday craze first started. Doing a little digging, and it seems that Taco Johns has Taco Tuesday as a registered trademark since 1989. While Taco Johns were not the first to utter the phrase, they were business-savvy enough to trademark the expression.

It seems that long before Taco Johns came along, ads appeared in print for Taco Specials on Tuesday. In El Paso Texas an ad for Taco Tuesday featured three tacos for 15 cents way back in 1933. There was even a lounge in Albuquerque called Zia Lounge that gave away free tacos on Tuesday in early 1949. Smart idea. Tacos made people thirsty. The less customers spent on food, the more they spent on booze. Tacos were cheap and easy to make. It was a winning combination. There was even a place in Green Bay, Wisconsin that featured a Taco Tuesday Special. Theirs was a little strange. If you bought a taco, the coffee was free. I don’t know about you, but coffee is the last thing I want to drink with my taco.

So what does all this talk of Tacos have to do with Seafood Enchiladas? Simple. In our house, we don’t limit Tuesdays to just Tacos. Hubby and Kiddo both love anything Mexican, so I’ve made Tuesday Mexican Night. Since this is the Lenten Season, here’s a great south of the border delicious meal that is in keeping with our Mexican Traditions and our Lenten observations.

Seafood Enchiladas in a Green Sauce
2½ cups medium Shrimp (41-50 count)
2½ cups cooked Lump Crab meat
¼ cup Yellow Onion
1 Jalapeño Pepper
¼ cup Red Bell Pepper
¼ cup Yellow Bell Pepper
3 tablespoons Butter
½ cup fresh Cilantro
1 tablespoon Ground Cumin
6 tablespoons Tequila
¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
1 cup Crema Mexicana
½ cup Manchego Cheese, shredded and divided
½ cup Queso Quesadilla Jalapeño Cheese, shredded and divided
¼ cup Green Onion
2 cups Green Enchilada Sauce
12 medium-sized flour tortillas
½ cup Queso Fresco cheese, crumbled

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Peel, devein and chop raw shrimp. Set aside.

Pick over cooked crab to inspect for any remaining shell or cartilage. Set aside.

Peel and finely dice the onion. Set aside.

Core and seed the Jalapeño Pepper. Mince well and set aside.

Core and seed the red and yellow bell peppers. Mince one-quarter cup of each and set aside.

In a large saucepan, melt butter and sauté onions, jalapeños and bell peppers for 2 minutes. Add seafood, cilantro, cumin, tequila and pepper. Stir to mix thoroughly and sauté for 3 more minutes. Remove from heat to cool, add Crema Mexicana, ¼ cup each Manchego and Queso Quesadilla Jalapeño.

Heat enchilada sauce in a saucepan. Brush each tortilla with sauce and stack on a plate.

To assemble, spoon 2/3 tablespoons seafood mixture on a tortilla. Roll up and place in a 9-inch by 12-inch casserole dish, seam-side down.

Repeat until all the tortillas have been filled.

Cover with remaining enchilada sauce. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven, sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Return to oven for 5-7 minutes (until cheese melts). Garnish with crumbled Queso Fresco.

Author: Rosemarie's Kitchen

I'm a wife, mother, grandmother and avid home cook.I believe in eating healthy whenever possible, while still managing to indulge in life's pleasures. View all posts by Rosemarie's Kitchen