Crab Enchiladas

Oh my.

Rarely do I make a blog post just hours after trying a new recipe - generally its a few days later, when I'm bored on a weeknight, and thinking to myself, "I'd rather be in the kitchen."

Yet, here I am, on a Friday night, with a million things on my wedding to-do list...and I just have to put this recipe on paper before it slips my mind.

These enchiladas are fun and flexible. I gathered tips and ideas from several different recipes, as well as a crab enchilada recipe that my mom recently tried out. I had a good sense of what flavors and textures I wanted in the crab filling versus the cream sauce. I wasn't scared to go my own route with this one. I had no recipe in front of me, and I took it slow. I wrote down what ingredients I used, and in what quantities.

I wouldn't change a thing next time - the only exception being that I would love more cilantro... however, my cilantro plant on the patio is still just a baby and I can't take all of its leaves off yet, right? ;-)

Crab Enchiladas

3 (6-oz) cans white crab (Chicken of the Sea brand) - drained well

6 oz can chopped green chiles

1 small onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

small bunch of cilantro, chopped

juice of 1 lime

mexican spice blend

1/4 C sherry wine

1 pint fat-free half and half

3/4 C fat free sour cream

3/4 C colby jack cheese blend, shredded

4 TBS butter, divided

2 tbs flour

salt, pepper

4 large flour tortillas

avocado and tomato, if desired

1. In large skillet, saute onions in 2 TBS butter until translucent. Add garlic and saute another 2 minutes. Place onions and garlic in medium bowl. Remove skillet from heat and set aside.

2. To the onions and garlic, add crab, green chiles, cilantro, juice of lime, and 1 TBS mexican spice blend. Mix well and set aside.

3. Place skillet back on med-high heat and add 2 TBS butter. When melted, add 2 TBS flour and cook one minute, until flour is lightly browned. Add sherry wine to the pan to deglaze, and whisk until smooth. Don't let anything burn. Add half and half slowly, whisking constantly. Continue to whisk several minutes as mixture comes to a slow boil and gradually thickens. Remove from heat. Let sit 5-7 minutes until slightly cooled. Add shredded cheese and sour cream. Stir well. Add a bit more mexican spice blend and season with salt and pepper as you like. Taste as you go.

4. Preheat oven to 350. Add 3/4 C of the cream sauce to the crab mixture. Spray a large baking dish with PAM. In each tortilla, place several large tablespoons of the crab filling. I had enough for 4 tortillas. Roll the tortillas and place seam-side-down in pan. If extra filling is leftover, just drizzle it on top. When all tortillas are in the pan, drizzle the remaining cream sauce over the top.

5. Bake 30 minutes. Before serving, place avocado and tomato over the top.

...Apologies for the so-so photos. I would have loved to take a picture of the inside of the enchilada, with all that yummy crab...however, as soon as my fork went in, it was all over... :-)