Shrimp Enchiladas Suizas

It's Cinco de Mayo, so enjoy Mexican fare.  Enchiladas Suizas are enchiladas with a creamy, cheesy sauce.  Apparently derived from Swiss emigrants to Mexico, who produced dairy, Enchiladas Suizas are commonly filled with chicken.  But fish and seafood are increasingly popular in tacos and enchiladas, so I used shrimp here.

4 8-inch flour tortillas
1 lb large shrimp, peeled
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp Spanish Pimenton, smoked paprika
1 red pepper, sliced
1 yellow pepper, sliced
1 jalapeño pepper, diced
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, inched
1/2 lb pepper jack cheese, grated
Palmful cilantro leaves, chopped
1 lime quartered

Enchilada Suizas sauce:
1 cup salsa verde
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup light cream or half and half
1 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 Tbsp cold water

Heat a bit of olive oil in a large skillet.  Toss in the red and yellow peppers and the onion.  sate over medium heat for about 8-10 minutes.  Add the jalapeno and garlic and cook another 2 minutes. 

Meanwhile, prepare the sauce my mixing the salsa, broth and cream in a small saucepan.  Bring just to a boil, whisking from time to time.  Dissolve the cornstarch in the water and whisk into the boiling liquid.  Cook until thickened.  Remove from heat and cover.

Dry the shrimp by patting with a pepper towel.  Toss the shrimp with the chili powder and paprika in a bowl.  Heat a bit of canola oil over high heat in a large skillet.  Toss in the shrimp and shake gently to distribute the shrimp.  Allow shrimp to sizzle for about a minute, until the first side is browned.  Using tongs, flip shrimp and cook for another minute or two on the other side.  The total cooking time should be about 3-4 minutes for the shrimp.

Now heat your broiler.  Assemble your enchiladas by dividing the veggie mixture and shrimp evenly, one one half of each of the four tortillas.  Roll the enchiladas and place in a 13x9 casserole.  Spread cheese on top of enchiladas and broil for about 2-3 minutes, to melt the cheese.  Take care to let the cheese bubble and slightly brown but not to burn.  Top with the enchilada sauce and plate each enchilada.  Top enchiladas with chopped cilantro, and serve with lime wedges.

Serves four.

 Cook's Note:  While corn tortillas are common for enchiladas, I really like soft flour tortillas, especially flavored with peppers.  So here I used Trader Joe's Habanero-Lime flour torillas.  But you can certainly use corn tortillas.  You can also enrich the creaminess of the sauce by adding a few tablespoons of sour cream if you like.