Cajun Enchiladas with Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

By corlear

These spicy enchiladas napped in a lusty tomatillo sauce and garnished with sour cream guarantee oohs and aahs from gratified diners. This dish is a stunning appetizer with one enchilada or doubled for a special entrée. It is a true classic at Brennan's of Houston.

Ingredients

• 2 cups Roasted Tomatillo Salsa (see recipe)
• 1 cup Pico de Gallo (see recipe)
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
• 1/4 cup finely chopped poblano pepper
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 pound cooked crawfish tail meat
• 1 tablespoon Louisiana hot pepper sauce
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese, divided
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 4 corn tortillas
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 4 whole crawfish, boiled, for decoration (optional)

Preparation

Step 1

Prepare Roasted Tomatillo Salsa; reserve, keeping warm.

Prepare Pico de Gallo; reserve.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, poblano, bell pepper and garlic; sauté until onion is translucent.

Add crawfish, hot sauce and Worcestershire; heat through.

Add 1/2 cup cheese and heat until melted; season with salt and pepper.

In a separate small skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil. Place tortillas quickly in and out of the hot oil to soften. Or, wrap tortillas in dampened paper towel and microwave on high 25 seconds to soften.

Divide crawfish mixture among tortillas, roll them up and place on an oiled sheet pan. Top with remaining cup cheese and warm in oven about 7 minutes, or until hot.

Spoon 1/2 cup hot Roasted Tomatillo Salsa on each plate and place an enchilada directly from oven on salsa. Top with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of reserved Pico de Gallo. Complete garnish with a whole, boiled crawfish. Or, place 1 cup salsa in a casserole, top with enchiladas and remaining 1/2 cup cheese; heat in oven until hot. Garnish as above; serve remaining 1 cup salsa on the side.

Chef’s Tips: You can substitute shrimp, lobster or crab sautéed in vegetable oil and sprinkled with seafood spice. The most succulent crawfish are available from January to June from seafood markets or grocery stores in the South. If fresh crawfish are not available, you can find them frozen. When buying live crawfish, look for the ones that are lively and uniform in size. Our other enchilada fillings are duck confit, pheasant, smoked or roasted chicken — omitting the crawfish garnish.