Thursday, August 20, 2009

Shrimp Quesadillas


I bought a new cookbook last week, The Pastry Queen, and seriously every recipe looks absolutely delectable. The focus of the book is obviously dessert and (duh) pastry, but she does include a chapter of savory recipes. This recipe didn't stand out for me initially, but since I really wanted to make something from the cookbook, I put it on the menu for the week.

Well let me tell you, it is fabulous! Easy to throw together, spicy, cheesy, with a little sweetness from the mango salsa, this is now one of my go-to dinners since we keep frozen shrimp on hand. I didn't have any issues, other than the fact that I wasn't sure what "thai-style chili sauce" is. I just used Siracha, but I drastically decreased the amount since it is very spicy (for my wimpy palate anyway). The shrimp were smoky and delicious, and would make a wonderful appetizer or main dish all on their own.

I made several other changes to the recipe. Basically I replaced the cayenne for chili powder, chopped the shrimp before adding to the quesadillas, added tequila to the onion mixture, and only used 1 tortilla instead of 2. I also threw together some guacamole to serve alongside the quesadillas. My version is posted below.

Shrimp Quesadillas with Mango Salsa
adapted from The Pastry Queen, page 172


Mango Salsa
  • 2 mangoes, diced
  • 1 fresh jalapeno, stemmed, seeded, and finely diced
  • 1/2 medium red onion, diced
  • 2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 Tablespoon Siracha
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Combine the ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days until ready to serve.

Quesadillas
  • 1 lb. uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon Ancho chili powder
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, halved and sliced
  • Dash of Worchestershire sauce
  • Dash of tabasco sauce
  • 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch slices
  • 1/4 cup tequila
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 (8-inch) flour tortillas
  • 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Rub the shrimp with the chili powder and salt. In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, saute the shrimp in 1 Tablespoon of the oil for 1-3 minutes, until the curl up and turn pink. Remove the shrimp from the pan, remove tails, and coarsley chop into pieces.

Add the second Tablespoon of olive oil, and add the onion, Worcestershire, and hot sauce, and saute about 5 minutes. Pour tequila into pan and add the bell pepper. Continue to cook about 5 minutes longer, until the onions are brown and caramelized, and the tequila has evaporated. Remove from heat and stir in salt and pepper to taste.

Heat a large non-stick skillet or griddle over medium high heat. Spray tortillas lightly with non-stick cooking spray, and on the un-sprayed side, over half the tortilla layer cheese, onion mixture, shrimp, and top with additional cheese. Fold the tortilla and carefully place in saute pan. Repeat, cooking 2 tortillas at a time.

Carefully flip when the first side is browned and the cheese has melted. Cook the other side. Remove from heat and cut the quesadillas into quarters and transfer to serving plates. Serve immediately with mango salsa.


4 comments:

wanto said...

Yummy, i like seafood

seafood supplier said...

Delicious food and nice photo

paper writing service said...

looks better than smells D: :D anyway it's so wonderful food. thanks for recipe

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