Seafood enchiladas can be tricky to cook without overcooking the filling, but selecting the right fish and using processed seafood can help. Cream-based sauce and properly softened tortillas are also key to success.
Enchiladas are a Mexican dish that mainly consists of tortillas wrapped in a filling of meat, beans, or cheese. This dish is typically topped with a pepper, tomato, or cream and cheese based sauce before being cooked. A common variation of the dish is seafood enchiladas, which can be filled with a variety of seafood types, such as shrimp, crabmeat, or scallops. While meat, bean, or cheese fillings tend to be more forgiving and don’t have their texture damaged by overcooking, a seafood filling can easily become rubbery and tough if it’s even lightly cooked. This may make it difficult for some cooks to cook the enchiladas and melt the cheese completely without overcooking the fish; however, there are a few tips for making seafood enchiladas successfully.
The type of fish you select can help reduce the risk of overcooking the dish. For beginners who aren’t used to cooking with seafood, choosing a fancy form of seafood, such as imitation crabmeat, may be easier because they won’t have to be so concerned about overcooking it and affecting the texture. . Since processed seafood is usually already cooked, the main concern when cooking enchiladas is simply melting the cheese rather than worrying about the delicacy of the seafood filling. If using chopped raw shrimp, scallops, or other seafood, they typically need to be sauteed in oil until they are no longer translucent so they don’t dry out when the enchiladas are baked.
While enchilada sauce can also be made with red or green chiles, seafood enchiladas traditionally tend to be made with a cream-based sauce. Cream-based enchilada sauce has a milder flavor than pepper-based sauces, so it may be less likely to overwhelm the delicate taste of the seafood filling. A common enchilada cream sauce may consist of heavy cream simmered with broth, wine, or other liquid, and may be flavored with sauteed onions, garlic, peppers, or other favorite ingredients. Enchilada sauce is usually divided, with one portion being mixed with the seafood to moisten it and create the filling, while the other portion of the sauce is reserved for topping the enchiladas.
Another of the best tips for making seafood enchiladas is to properly prepare the tortillas and make them pliable enough to handle and easily fold around the filling. Although corn tortillas tend to be more traditional, flour tortillas can also be used to make enchiladas. The tortillas can be softened in a variety of ways, including being wrapped in foil and baked for 10 minutes or until softened or being heated about 30 seconds per side in an ungreased nonstick skillet on the stovetop. Once the tortillas are softened enough that they can easily be folded without breaking, the seafood filling can be applied to them and the tortillas can be rolled around the filling. After being covered in reserved sauce and your preferred type and amount of cheese, seafood enchiladas should be cooked just until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is melting to avoid drying out the seafood filling.
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