Shrimp Enchilada Recipe Recipe

Ingredients

Yellow Mole Sauce

• pinch saffron with hot water
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, white or yellow, rough chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, rough chopped
• 2 yellow bell peppers
• 1.75 cups chicken broth
• 0.5 cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 2 teaspoons coriander
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 0.5 teaspoon ground annatto (optional)
• 0.125 teaspoon cayenne
• 0.75 teaspoons salt
• 0.5 teaspoon pepper
• 0.5 teaspoon turmeric (optional, for color)
• 1.5 tablespoons lime juice

Shrimp Filling

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 cloves garlic, rough chopped
• 1 tablespoon jalapeno, finely chopped
• 1 lb shrimp, raw, peeled and deveined, chopped
• 1.5 cups corn
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon lime zest
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 0.5 teaspoon pepper
• 1.5 cups shredded mozzarella or queso fresco, divided
• 0.25 cup cilantro

Instructions

Yellow Mole Sauce

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Pour 2 tablespoons boiling water over the saffron, and let sit.
3. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Saute onion, bell pepper and garlic, and cover to let this steam and soften for about 5 minutes.
4. Add coriander, cumin, cayenne (go light, add more to taste later), salt, pepper and saffron water. Stir one minute.
5. Add the stock and pumpkin seeds. Bring to a simmer, cover, and simmer gently for 10-15 minutes until pumpkin seeds have softened.
6. Let this cool. Add the lime juice. Blend until creamy and silky smooth. Taste and adjust the cayenne to your liking. If you want to bump up the yellow color, add ½ teaspoon ground turmeric.

Shrimp Filling

1. Chop the shrimp into small pieces.
2. Heat the butter and garlic over medium-low heat. Add the shrimp and jalapeno and saute 2-3 minutes.
3. Add the corn, oregano, lime zest, and salt. Once the shrimp is cooked, turn off the heat. If it is liquidy, drain.
4. Stir in the cilantro, and add ½ cup of the mole sauce and half of the cheese. Taste and adjust salt, heat (add cayenne if you want) and acid (add a little lime juice if you want).

Assembly

1. Warm the tortillas (so they are pliable and don't crack when rolled) either in the oven, microwave, pan-sear or heat over a gas flame, then wrap up in a towel.
2. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish. Place roughly ½ cup of the filling in each tortilla, rolling one at a time, placing seam side down in the baking dish.
3. Lather with the sauce (you won't need all of it—save the extras for plating). Sprinkle with cheese.
4. Bake uncovered until golden and melty, 20-25 minutes.
5. If serving like a restaurant, heat the remaining mole sauce in a small saucepan. Spoon a little mole sauce on a plate, place the enchilada over the top. Top with thinly sliced radishes and a sprinkling of chopped cilantro.

Notes

• For the saffron, a small pinch steeped in 2 tablespoons of hot water is sufficient.
• If you can't find ground annatto, feel free to leave it out—the dish will still be delicious.
• Fresh corn is wonderful here, but frozen works just fine.
• This recipe is vegetarian-adaptable: substitute the shrimp with sautéed vegetables like zucchini and mushrooms.