Salsa Verde Shrimp Enchiladas
Course: DinnerCuisine: MexicanDifficulty: Intermediate6
servings30
minutes25
minutesI have been making this recipe over ten years. I love it so does my family. It is wonderfully delicious, a little heat and a little sweet from the fresh shrimp and herbs used. Over the years I have tweaked the recipe to my families personal tastes. I also double the ingredients for the salsa verde and freeze the leftovers as it compliments steak, chicken or pork and also goes well with vegetables and grain dishes for those who prefer vegetarian or vegan. You can’t go wrong. This dish is a hit every spring and I even made it for a Cinco de Mayo party and it was gobbled up. This recipe has not been doubled.
Ingredients
4 Tablespoons avocado oil, divided
2 1/2 lbs tomatillos, husked and rinsed
6 large fresh poblano chiles, halved lengthwise, cored and seeded
4 unpeeled garlic cloves
2 cups packed coarsely chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
1 cup packed green onions
1 1/4 cup chopped red onion plus tiny thinly sliced for garnish
48 uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (1 1/2 lbs)
2 Tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
12 (6 inch round) corn tortillas
12 oz Cotija cheese, a Mexican cheese very much like Feta, crumbled and divided
Directions
- Preheat broiler. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with heavy duty foil. Grease the foil. Arrange the tomatillos, poblano chiles cut side down, and garlic cloves on prepared baking sheet. Broil until tomatillos and chiles are turning black in spots. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes. I usually put the poblano’s in a metal bowl and cover with plastic wrap as it makes the burnt skin come off easier.
- Transfer the tomatillos to a food processor or a vitamix. Remove the peel from the garlic and add that to the tomatillos. Peel the charred skin off the chiles and coarsely chop. Add 1/3 cup chiles to the processor. Add the 2 cups cilantro and 1 cup green onions to the processor. Pulse on/off until it resembles a coarse puree. Season the salsa verde with salt and fresh ground pepper. Transfer 1 1/2 cups to a bowl and reserve both. I make this a day ahead.
- Heat 2 Tablespoons oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add the red onion and sauté until softened about 2 minutes. Sprinkle shrimp with salt and fresh ground pepper. Add the shrimp, oregano, cumin, and remaining chopped chiles to pan. Sauté everything together until shrimp are almost cooked through about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Preheat oven to 350. Brush a 13x9x2 with oil and spread 1/2 cup salsa in the bottom of the dish. Stack the tortillas and wrap in a damp paper towel. Place in the microwave about 1 -1 1/2 minutes. Working with one tortilla at a time, dip the tortilla into the reserved salsa on both sides then fill the tortilla with 4 shrimp and some of the red onion/chile mixture then sprinkle with the cheese. Roll the tortilla and place in dish seems side down. Repeat with remains tortillas. Spread the 2 cups from the processor over all the enchiladas. Sprinkle with more cheese.
- Bake the enchiladas until just heated through and the cheese is melted about 20-25 minutes. Using a spatula, place 2 enchiladas on each plate. Sprinkle with more cheese and garnish with sliced red onion and chopped cilantro. I serve these with black beans and Spanish rice.
