Blue crab season is winding down to a close here on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. But, it sure has been a great summer for them here at our house! My dad has a couple of crab pots at his boat slip, and he’s been gifting us with a few dozen almost weekly.
Last month I entered my crab and fresh corn chowder into the 49th Annual Hard Crab Derby Cooking Contest in Crisfield, Maryland. It came in 2nd with some stiff competition, which was more than an honor for this Maryland girl. There were actually several crab and corn soups entered. Which, got me to thinking that next year I wanted to do something really off the wall, that I was sure no one else would be making…
That’s where I came up with the idea for these crab enchiladas. These shrimp enchiladas are one of my favorite meals of all time, so it wasn’t a far leap to just replace the shrimp with crab meat. And, oh my lawd…so incredibly good! Richer than the shrimp version, but still extremely filling and different. If you have access to fresh crab meat, definitely give these a try. It’s an impressive dinner that’s sure to please. Can’t wait to enter these babies in next years competition!
Crab Enchiladas
2 Tbsp. butter, divided
1 lb. fresh crab meat, picked clean of shells
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 small onion, diced
1/2 tsp. Old Bay (or another seafood seasoning)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
6 tbsp. heavy cream or half-and-half
1/4 cup sour cream
8 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 cup tomatoes, seeded and diced
8-10 (8-inch) flour tortillas
Cooking spray
In a large sauté pan, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the diced bell pepper and onion, and cook until just tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add the Old Bay, salt, and flour to the pan; stir well and cook briefly until fragrant, about 30-60 seconds. Lower the heat to medium-low and add the heavy cream to the pan, stirring to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook just until slightly thickened, 1-2 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the sour cream, half of the shredded cheese, and the tomatoes. Add the crab to the pan, and carefully mix everything together until combined and the cheese is melted.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Scoop 1/3 cup of the filling mixture down the center of a tortilla. Sprinkle lightly with some of the reserved cheese. Roll the tortilla tightly around the filling and place seam side-down in the prepared baking dish. Repeat with the remaining filling, tortillas and cheese. Spray the tops of the finished assembled tortillas lightly with cooking spray. Bake uncovered for about 30-35 minutes, until lightly browned. Let cool at least 5-10 minutes before serving.
