Shrimp Quesadilla! Flour tortillas toasted with shredded Monterey Jack cheese and pan-fried shrimp with onions, cilantro, and avocados
Quesadillas have to be my favorite lunch dish. They’re just so easy to make! Especially if you have tortillas and cheese in the fridge, which we almost always do.
One way to take a quesadilla from snacking to a meal is to add some protein, like chicken, beef, or in this case, shrimp.
If you are in a real hurry, you can use already cooked shrimp. Just toss it with some salt, chili pepper, and lime juice while you grate the cheese and heat the tortillas.
- Want to make your own tortillas? Try this recipe: Homemade Flour Tortillas
Updated recipe and photos, first published in 2008
Shrimp Quesadilla
If you’re starting with frozen raw shrimp, place them in a bowl of ice water to thaw.
If you’re starting with cooked shrimp, just toss them with some salt, pepper, chipotle chili powder, and lime juice and let them sit while you heat the tortillas.
ingredients
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1/4 lb from medium-small raw shrimppeeled and deveined
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1/4 teaspoon Chipotle powder
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prize Salt
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prize ground black pepper
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1 tablespoon lime or lemon juice
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2 1/2 teaspoon Extra virgin olive oil (divided, 2 teaspoons and 1/2 teaspoon)
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1 tablespoon chopped Red onion
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1 tablespoon chopped fresh corianderplus more for garnish
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salt and pepper
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2 Middle flour tortillas
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1/2 Cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
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1/4 avocadocut
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glob sour cream or crema fresca
method
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Marinate shrimp:
In a small bowl, toss the shrimp with 1/4 teaspoon chipotle or chili powder, a pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper, and a tablespoon of lime or lemon juice. Leave to rest for 10 minutes. Then pour off the juice.
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Cook shrimp:
Heat a few teaspoons of olive oil in a fairly sticky skillet (a cast-iron skillet works well) over medium-high heat.
Add the shrimp and sear for half a minute on each side, then transfer to a bowl.
The shrimp should not be fully cooked through; they continue to cook in the next step.
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Heat tortillas:
Wipe out the pan with kitchen paper. Add a small amount of olive oil (about 1/2 teaspoon, you could use butter as well) and heat the pan over medium-high.
Place a flour tortilla on the pan. Turn the tortilla a few times, 10 seconds between turns. Air pockets should form in the tortilla.
Remove the tortilla and repeat with the second tortilla. Leave the second tortilla in the pan and reduce the heat to medium.
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Prepare Quesadilla:
Sprinkle the tortilla with the grated cheese. Scatter the shrimp over the cheese. Add chopped onion and coriander. Place the other tortilla on top.
Flip the quesadilla when the bottom tortilla is nicely toasted and the cheese begins to melt. Remove the quesadilla from the pan when the now-bottom tortilla is sufficiently toasted.
You can also use just one tortilla instead of two and fold the tortilla over itself like an omelet.
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Cut quesadilla into triangles:
Cut into six slices like a cake (a pizza wheel works well). Place on a serving platter. Serve with avocado slices and sour cream. Garnish with chopped fresh coriander. Squeeze some lime juice over everything.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 1058 | calories |
| 74g | Fat |
| 63g | carbohydrates |
| 44g | protein |
