Crab Enchiladas

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For a change up in my daily dinner menu, I decided to make crab enchiladas. When growing up, it was common for our families to use canned chile sauce. However, we say they don’t make it as good as in the old days. i ask, how would we remember? I start by simmering can sauce to thicken it and I add ground roasted pumpkin and coriander seeds to enhance the flavor. Want to try it? Let’s get started.

Ingredients

Serves 4

1 can green enchilada sauce 28 oz

1 tablespoon roasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

1 teaspoon roasted coriander seeds

12 oz canned crabmeat

½ cup diced onion

½ cup diced carrot

1 teaspoon crushed oregano

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 dozen corn tortillas

¾ cup shredded Monterey jack cheese

¼ cup diced scallion

1 avocado sliced, optional

Salt and pepper

Preparation

Sauce

Dry roast the pumpkin and coriander seeds in a small pan to a golden color then set aside to cool. Make a paste from pumpkin and coriander seeds. I use a coffee bean grinder, but you can make a puree in a blender with ½ cup water.

In a sauce pan, simmer the canned green enchilada sauce to reduce it by ⅓; about 15 minutes, then mix-in the pumpkin seed paste.

Filling

In a bowl, mix the crab, carrot, onion, oregano, lemon juice and olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. If necessary add additional olive oil to ensure the mixture is moist.

Assembly

Enchiladas

Review the illustrations below and follow the instructions. Place 4 tablespoons of sauce on a dinner size plate. Using a comal or pancake skillet, heat a tortilla on each side sufficiently to make the tortilla pliable so it’s easy to roll. Place the tortilla over the sauced plate and rotate it in a circular motion to coat the bottom side of the tortilla uniformly with sauce. Add another tablespoon or two of sauce on the open face of the tortilla and spread the sauce evenly. Place 2 tablespoons of filling on the tortilla about ½ inch from the edges and roll the tortilla tightly. Lay the assembled enchilada seam side down in a 13 by 9 by 2 inch casserole dish. Top with sauce then evenly layer the cheese.

Preheat the oven at 350° F. Heat the enchiladas about 10 minutes or long enough to melt the cheese. Optionally, place the enchiladas under the broiler to lightly brown the cheese. Remove and cool for 5 minutes then top the dish with the diced scallions and slices of avocado. Serve hot and place any extra sauce on the table.

Note

I choose to pair the crab meat with carrot and onion because that’s what I had in my refrigerator that day. Try a filling with items like cilantro, celery, red pepper, fresh Anahiem chile, almonds. I always like a crunch in my enchiladas. Most supermarkets and specialty stores sell green chile sauce.

Buen provecho

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