Taqueria Style Crab Enchilada

Description:

Taqueria Style Crab Enchilada

Ingredients:

This is a recipe I created several years ago, for the Crab House on Pier 39. Years later, it is still one of my favorites. In the cookbook, the recipe will be for quesadillas, but I wanted to share the original recipe with you. It does take a lot of crab, so it's a "splurge" dish, but believe me: it's worth it.

Prepare:

- 1 pound tomatillos, husks removed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 4 8-inch flour tortillas
- 24 ounces (1 1/2 pounds) crabmeat
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- One bunch green onions, chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- One 7-ounce can peeled whole green chilies
- One head romaine lettuce, chopped
- 2 cups shredded yellow or white cheddar cheese
- One 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes, drained
- 1/2 cup sour cream

How to Serve:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a large pot of boiling water, blanch the tomatillos for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the skins appear tight and shiny. Remove from heat. Drain. Place the tomatillos into a blender and blend on medium speed for about a minute, or until they are smooth, with few chunks. Season with salt and pepper.

In a bowl, mix the crab meat with sour cream, half of the green onions, cumin, cayenne pepper, and chili powder.

To assemble the enchiladas, lay the flour tortillas out on a flat surface with all of your ingredients within close reach. Spread 1/4 of the crab down the middle of one tortilla; lay one green chili over the top. Top with 1/4 of the shredded romaine and 1/4 cup of the grated cheese. Roll the tortilla into a burrito. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

Place enchiladas into a lightly oiled baking dish, seam side down. Ladle the tomato sauce over the top of the enchiladas. Ladle the tomatillo sauce on the sides. Top with remaining grated cheese.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and melted. Remove from heat. Pipe the rest of the sour cream over the top; sprinkle with remaining green onions. Serve immediately. Serves 4.