One-Pan Shrimp Enchiladas Verde

Name: One-Pan Shrimp Enchiladas Verde
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 4 tablespoons vegetable oil; 8 corn tortillas; 1 jalapeño, seeds removed; 2 pounds tomatillos, husks removed (about 20 tomatillos); 2 small red onions, peeled and sliced into rings; 1/2 bunch cilantro, leaves and stems, plus leaves for garnish; 1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt; 1 pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined and roughly chopped (patted dry if wet); 6 ounces cotija or queso anejo, crumbled (about 1 1/2 cups); Mexican crema or crème fraîche, for serving

By Sarah Copeland

Total Time: 45 minutes
Rating: 4(1,599)
Comments: Read comments

If the only thing holding you back from making enchilada verde tonight is the idea of standing over the countertop, stuffing and rolling tortillas, read on. These layered lasagna-style enchiladas cut your work in half. Instead, put all your effort into making a nearly effortless verde sauce with pan-roasted tomatillos, jalapeño and onion. Once that’s done, there is little to do but layer and simmer: The shrimp cooks in minutes in the tomatillo bath. For the best flavor, look for wild-caught Gulf or Argentine shrimp. Then, the only challenge here is deciding how to portion fairly for four people (hint: be generous). If you make this in cast-iron, store any leftovers in glass or plastic in the fridge — the sauce is too acidic to spend a long time in a cast-iron pan — and reheat lightly over a very low flame. (Note, too, that the sauce can be made up to two days ahead, and refrigerated.)

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

4tablespoons vegetable oil
8corn tortillas
1jalapeño, seeds removed
2pounds tomatillos, husks removed (about 20 tomatillos)
2small red onions, peeled and sliced into rings
½bunch cilantro, leaves and stems, plus leaves for garnish
½ to 1teaspoon salt
1pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined and roughly chopped (patted dry if wet)
6ounces cotija or queso anejo, crumbled (about 1½ cups)
Mexican crema or crème fraîche, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, fry tortillas two at a time, until soft and lightly brown on the edges, about 30 seconds to 1 minute per side, and set aside.
Step 2
Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan, along with jalapeño and tomatillos. Increase the heat to high and cook, covered, until tomatillos and jalapeño are blistered and starting to wilt, about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add about ¾ of the onions, reserving a few slices for garnish, reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking until the onions are soft and the tomatillos start to slump. Remove from heat to cool slightly.
Step 3
Transfer tomatillos, onions and jalapeño to a blender along with most of the cilantro leaves and stems, and salt. Purée until completely smooth.
Step 4
Add another tablespoon of oil to the skillet and heat over medium heat. Carefully add a third of the sauce (it will sizzle) and lower heat to medium-low. Layer four tortillas, overlapping slightly, along the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle all the shrimp and half the cotija over tortillas. Drizzle in another third of the sauce, followed by the remaining tortillas, sauce and cotija. Cook, covered, over medium-low until shrimp is cooked through and the sauce is thickened and bubbly, and browning a bit around the edges, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat, sprinkle with sliced onions and cilantro and serve with crema or crème fraîche on the side.

Tip

Some cast-iron skillets come with a matching lid, which is useful for making the skillet operate a bit like a mini stove-top oven, cooking evenly and basting the food with flavor and steam. If you don’t have one, use a lid from another pan, or two layers of thick foil, folded at the center and large enough to cover your pan.

Ratings

4 out of 5

1,599 user ratings

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Comments

claire6 years ago

Delicious! Even easier, I used a jar of Frontera Salsa Verde with a dash of lime instead of making the tomatillo sauce. So much faster, and provided exactly the right amount of liquid and spice.

Nancy4 years ago

Having lived & learned to cook in Mexico, I was cynical when I read this decidedly *not*-enchiladas recipe. How pleased I am to have been wrong. This is easy & delish and tastes authentic. Three notes: 1) The shortcut of using quality jarred salsa verde is fair; just make sure you blend some extra cilantro into it; 2) season shrimp w/ garlic powder for the garlic flavor sought in the notes below; 3) *importantly*, add some of the raw red onion to the shrimp layer, for texture&taste throughout.

JMo6 years ago

Delicious weeknight meal! You can have this on the table in less time than it takes for a pizza or Chinese takeout to be delivered. I did substitute Monterey Jack for the cojita (grocer was out of stock) and it didn’t alter the flavor of the recipe. I’ll definitely make again...

gayle4 months ago

This will be in regular rotation! As other reviewers have suggested, I purchased a jar of green salsa (Herdez brand) instead of making the sauce in the recipe. Also quickly pickled the red onions and added some thinly sliced zucchini to the brine. Quick and delicious.

Susan Hindinger9 months ago

The food network has a tutorial for homemade corn tortillas made by soaking tomatillo husks in the water which is then used to make the tortillas. I am going to try this with this recipe.

Aileen9 months ago

I had the kitchen windows open while I was making the sauce, and random people walking by in the street asked my husband, who was outside, what we were cooking because it smelled so good. It tasted delicious too. That said, the shrimp was cooked before the sauce had time to reduce a bit, so the meal was pretty sloppy. I would make this again, but with chicken instead of shrimp and let it cool down longer.

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