These yummy enchiladas are filled with shrimp and homemade chipotle sauce and served with a napa cabbage and radish slaw for crunch.
- Prep Time:
60 mins - Cook Time:
20 mins - Total Time:
1 hr 20 mins
Shrimp enchiladas with slaw? Does that sound like a strange combination to you? It did to me until I tried it. I wouldn’t think twice about putting slaw together with shrimp tacos but for some reason slaw with shrimp enchiladas seemed odd.
It reminded me of the Friends episode where Rachel was making Thanksgiving dessert and accidentally mixed the recipe for an English trifle with a recipe for shepherd’s pie. (Anyone else remember Friends or am I showing my age?)
Granted a combination of slaw and shrimp enchiladas isn’t quite as crazy as Rachel’s creation but I really wasn’t sure how they would go together. It turns out they go together very nicely. It’s hard to describe but somehow the crisp and tangy flavors of the napa slaw complements the smokiness of the shrimp and chipotle sauce.
It just works.
The first time I made the napa slaw, I decided to leave out the radishes since no one in my family likes them. Although we liked the slaw, we felt like it was missing something.
It turns out it was missing the radishes because the second time I made this recipe, I decided to give the radishes a chance and it made a huge difference. Even my kids liked the slaw better with the radishes. I’m not ready to start adding radishes to all my salads but they are a necessary part of this recipe.
Recipe Notes
The source for this recipe comes from La Fonda restaurant in San Antonio, Texas where my husband’s grandparents lived for many years. It’s a restaurant that my husband’s family has many fond memories of – four generations of his family (including myself) have frequented it and we have loved everything we’ve ever had there. I think that is the main reason I wanted to try this recipe.
I simplified parts of the recipe to make it easier and reduce the amount of pots and pans required. The original recipe called for oven roasting tomatoes for the sauce which I substituted with fire-roasted canned tomatoes.
I also decided that straining the sauce wasn’t really required and just made for more dirty dishes. A thorough puréeing in the blender will make the sauce smooth enough.
Also, be sure to use freshly grated cheese. Pre-grated cheese is often coated with something to keep the cheese from clumping together and will make the sauce grainy.
Shrimp Enchiladas with Napa Slaw
- Prep Time: 60 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 4-5 servings
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Mexican Inspired
Description
These yummy enchiladas are filled with shrimp and homemade chipotle sauce and served with a napa cabbage and radish slaw for crunch.
Ingredients
For the napa slaw
- 2 cups julienned napa cabbage
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, minced
- ½ cup thinly sliced red radishes
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the chipotle sauce
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ½ medium yellow or white onion, chopped
- 1½ teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 large chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, seeded and chopped
- 42 ounces canned fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 3 cups grated asadero cheese (or substitute Monterey Jack)
- Kosher salt, to taste
For the filling
- 1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- ¾ cup chopped white onion
- 1½ cups chipotle sauce (remainder of sauce is used for topping)
- Kosher salt, to taste
For assembly and serving
- 8–10 flour tortillas
- Crema Mexicana or sour cream
- Diced avocado
Instructions
For the napa slaw
- Prep veggies. Toss the napa cabbage, cilantro and radishes together. Cover and refrigerate.
- Make dressing. Whisk the olive oil and vinegar together. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate.
For the chipotle sauce
- Cook aromatics. Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and chipotle peppers and cook for 1 minute.
- Blend. Place onion mixture and tomatoes in a blender and purée until smooth. Pour sauce back into sauté pan.
- Cook sauce. Heat sauce over medium-low heat. Add grated cheese a little at a time, stirring constantly until cheese is melted into sauce. Add salt to taste. Cover and keep warm.
For the filling
- Prep shrimp. Coarsely chop the shrimp; set aside.
- Cook shrimp. Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the minced onion and sauté until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook until opaque. Reduce heat to low.
- Add sauce. Add 1½ cups chipotle sauce (reserve remainder for topping) to the pan and stir gently until mixture is heated and shrimp are cooked through. Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove from heat, cover and keep warm.
For assembly and serving
- Toss slaw. Whisk dressing until oil and vinegar are incorporated. Pour dressing over the napa slaw and toss to mix. Divide slaw among serving plates.
- Assemble and plate enchiladas. Warm tortillas in the microwave until warm and pliable. Working with one tortilla at a time, gently dip tortilla in warm sauce on both sides and place on work surface. Place about ¼ cup shrimp filling on the lower third of the tortilla, roll, and place on top of the slaw, 2 enchiladas per serving. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
- Garnish. When all the enchiladas are plated, top enchiladas with remaining chipotle sauce. Garnish with Crema Mexicana and diced avocado.
Notes
- Recipe adapted from the La Fonda restaurant via the Houston Chronicle.
Liz says
Absolutely delicious sauce! I need to make this again soon because it was a huge hit with the roommates. I also made a vegan version with jackfruit instead of shrimp which also turned out great!
Nguyet says
What a wonderful compliment that not only you but also your roommates loved this recipe. Thank you for taking the time to share with me, Liz!
Nagi@RecipeTinEats says
OMG!! I remember that exact episode!!! When the pages of the mag/cookbook were stuck together….I had to laugh! I probably would have done that!!!
I must admit, I thought the combo sounded a bit unique but I trust your taste!!!! I haven’t ever actually had shrimp enchilada before – can you believe that??? Hmm, this might have to be my first ever!!
Taming of the Spoon says
I so miss Friends. What a great show!
You’ve never had shrimp enchiladas?! They are definitely worth a try. I make a couple of variations – this one with a red sauce and another one with a white sauce. Both very different but so good.