These Shrimp Enchiladas are cheesy, flavorful, and easy to make for a comforting week night dinner. A delicious twist on a family favorite!
Enchiladas are a go-to classic recipe when you are craving Mexican Food. Other options to try include my Chicken Enchiladas or Beef Enchiladas .
Why You’ll Love These Shrimp Enchiladas?
- These cheesy shrimp enchiladas are a delicious way to shake up your usual taco-night routine.
- They reheat beautifully, making tomorrow’s lunch something to actually get excited about.
Sabrina’s Shrimp Enchiladas Recipe
Shrimp Enchiladas are one of those special dinner entrees that don’t have to break the bank if you make them at home. They are perfect for adding to your weeknight dinner line up when fresh shrimp is on sale. The rest of the ingredients are ones you find on your pantry shelves or for inexpensive prices at the store. Next time you are shopping, swing by the seafood counter to see if there are shrimp deals and make these decadent, creamy seafood enchiladas.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 2 pounds shrimp , peeled and deveined
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil , divided
- 1/2 red onion , diced
- 1 red bell pepper , diced
- 1 green bell pepper , diced
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 cups cheddar cheese , shredded, divided
- 1/2 cup green onions , thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 cups green enchilada sauce
- 8 tortillas , fajita sized
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.
- Chop the shrimp into ½ inch chunks.
- Toss the shrimp with chili powder, salt, paprika, cayenne pepper and cumin.
- To a large heavy skillet add the vegetable oil on medium heat.
- Add in the shrimp, cook for 2 minutes, stir and cook one additional minute.
- Remove the shrimp to a large bowl.
- Add the red onion, red bell pepper, green bell pepper and garlic.
- Stir well and cook for 3-4 minutes until softened.
- Add to the bowl with the shrimp.
- Add 1 cup shredded cheese, green onions and sour cream, stir well to combine.
- Pour the green enchilada sauce into a large bowl.
- Dip each tortilla in the sauce then place onto cutting board.
- Fill with ⅓ cup of shrimp filling and roll.
- Place seam side down in baking dish.
- Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the rolled tortillas.
- Top with remaining 1 cup of cheddar cheese.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, then top with additional green onions and sour cream if desired.
Nutrition
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Sabrina’s Tip
For the best texture, avoid overcooking the shrimp before assembling the enchiladas. They’ll continue cooking in the oven, so just cook them until they’re nearly done to keep them tender and juicy.
Table of contents
About this Recipe
This is an easy and delicious recipe for Shrimp Enchiladas, one that you can add to your weekly dinner rotation or save for special occasions. Flavorful shrimp sautéed with garlic, veggies, and warm Mexican seasonings are mixed with cream and cheese. The decadent, creamy filling goes perfectly with the green salsa and the soft flour tortillas make every bite pillowy.
Ingredients
- Shrimp: You want to use raw shrimp for this recipe and if you can, use fresh shrimp. Use jumbo or large shrimp so they don’t overcook and stay tender while cooking. If you need to use frozen shrimp, thaw overnight until completely thawed and rinse before cooking.
- Sour Cream: This recipe adds sour cream to the shrimp filling to make them creamy and extra melt in your mouth delicious. Top with even more sour cream for the ultimate creamy shrimp enchiladas.
- Green Enchilada Sauce: Green enchilada sauce is made with tomatillos and has a slightly citrusy flavor that pairs perfectly with seafood. Salsa verde is usually pretty mild but you can find some that really bring the heat, so be sure to check the label for a mild version.
- Flour Tortillas: Usually enchiladas are made with corn tortillas but the flour tortillas are better for shrimp. The slightly bigger fajita size is big enough to hold the larger shrimp pieces and they won’t break as easily as corn tortillas. Plus, they make each bite buttery soft!
Can this be made ahead of time?
Yes! You can assemble the enchiladas ahead of time, cover, and refrigerate until you’re ready to bake. Add a few extra minutes to the baking time if they’re going straight from the refrigerator to the oven.
Serving Ideas
These Shrimp Enchiladas make a tasty dinner all on their own with your favorite toppings like Guacamole, sour cream, and fresh cilantro. Or you can go full Mexican food feast with Toasted Mexican Rice and Chipotle Black Beans, and a small salad or cup of Chicken Tortilla Soup to start. Serve some Elote or Grilled Corn for that coastal, Mexican beach feel.
How to Store
- Serve: This seafood dish is best served hot out of the oven. Don’t keep it at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
- Store: If you have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container or wrap your dish tightly with plastic wrap and foil. Reheat on low heat in the oven until hot.
- Freeze: You could freeze these enchiladas but they are best fresh because the creamy sauce doesn’t reheat from frozen well. If you freeze them, it will stay good for up to 2 months.
Variations
- Seafood Enchiladas: You can use other seafood instead of shrimp or try a mixture with the shrimp. White fish like cod, Halibut, or tilapia are tasty, or use crab or lobster if you want to be extra fancy.
- Veggies: Add some more veggies to your filling like sweet corn kernels, peas, finely diced carrots, or diced tomatoes. You just want to make sure your veggies are all the same size so they cook evenly. Spinach is an easy veggie to add to your enchiladas because you don’t have to even chop it!
- Creamy Sauce: To make your creamy cheese sauce extra creamy, add cream cheese to the sour cream before stirring into the shrimp filling. For a tangier filling, try Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.
- Spicy: Up the spice levels in these enchiladas in a few different ways. Add a teaspoon chili powder or some chipotles in adobo for a smoky heat. Green chiles, poblano peppers, or jalapeno peppers can be used, either fresh or canned, depending on how much heat you want.
- Cheese: Swap out the cheddar with pepper jack, Colby jack, Monterey Jack, or a Queso blend in these cheesy shrimp enchiladas.
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