Shrimp Enchiladas with a Creamy Poblano Sauce

Courtesy of Razzle Dazzle

Marc and I absolutely love all things Mexican cuisine and try to eat it as much as possible. I had a lot of shrimp in the freezer that I needed to use but also wanted Mexican, and that is how I came across this shrimp enchilada dish with a creamy poblano sauce. The sauce is the most time-consuming part of the dish, so I recommend making it ahead of time and sticking it in the fridge until go-time. The sauce does pack a little heat, so I recommend adding an additional 1/4 cup sour cream or 1/4 cup of chicken broth to tame this down if needed. For the poblano peppers, I opted to charr those over an open flame (gets the job done much faster). For the shrimp portion of the dish, I only used about 1.25 pounds of shrimp instead of 2 pounds and it made 6 huge enchiladas. I also decided to cut them into bite-size pieces before sautéing and mixed in black beans with the shrimp and onion mixture just to give the dish more texture and flavor. I topped it at the end with cilantro, shredded lettuce, sour cream and salsa!

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds medium Shrimp, cleaned and deshelled

½ Onion, diced

1 tablespoon Olive oil

¼ cup Cilantro, finely chopped

1 tablespoon Lime juice

12 medium Flour Tortillas

2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

½ tablespoon Seasoned salt

½ tablespoon Cumin

½ tablespoon Chili powder

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon Garlic powder

CREAMY POBLANO SAUCE

5 Poblano Peppers

4 cloves Garlic

1 cup Sour cream

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the head off of the garlic, just about ½ inch to expose the garlic cloves. Place the garlic on a piece of aluminum foil that is big enough to wrap the whole thing.

Step 2: Drizzle about ½ tablespoon of olive oil over the garlic. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and wrap the aluminum tightly around the head of garlic. Place it in the oven for about 10-15 minutes.

Step 3: Next, Place a cast iron skillet on the stove over high heat. Add the poblano peppers to the skillet and char them on each side. The skin should start to blacken. Keep turning until all sides are charred.

Step 4: Remove the poblano peppers and wrap them in a bowl with a lid, or bowl covered with foil for at least ten minutes.

Step 5: Uncover the bowl and gently peel the skins off of the poblano peppers and discard it. Discard the stems as well.

Step 6: Add the peppers, garlic, and sour cream to a blender and blend until smooth. If the mixture is too thick, add a teaspoon of water at a time until desired consistency is met.

Season to your taste with salt and pepper. Set aside until ready to use.

Step 7: Sprinkle all of the seasonings over the marinated shrimp, and coat evenly by mixing it around with a spoon.

Step 8: Add one tablespoon of olive oil, and one tablespoon of butter to the cast iron skillet over medium heat.

Step 9: Add the shrimp in one single layer in the skillet, also add the diced onions. Sauté shrimp and onions for 2 minutes (flipping shrimp at one minute mark) and remove them from the skillet and place in a bowl (VERY important so shrimp doesn’t overcook).

Optional: roughly cut shrimp up if desired so that it is in bite size pieces

Step 10: Add ½ cup Monterey Jack cheese directly into the bowl with the shrimp and onions. Mix together with a spoon and set aside.

Step 11: Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Add a thin layer of the creamy poblano sauce to the bottom of the dish. Spoon shrimp mixture into one side of the tortilla (about two tablespoons or so depending on size of tortillas).

Step 12: Starting from the end that the shrimp mixture is on, roll the tortilla over until it is tightly closed. Place the rolled tortilla seam side down directly into the baking dish. Continue the process until all the enchiladas are rolled. The dish should be tight by the time all of them are rolled and placed in there.

Step 13: Cover the enchiladas with the remaining creamy poblano sauce, or just enough until the enchiladas are covered evenly. Sprinkle the remaining Monterey Jack cheese over the top. If there are any shrimp left, add that as well!

Step 14: Cover the dish with foil and place it in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to cook for 5 minutes.