Shrimp Quesadillas

I know you stopped by for a Shrimp Quesadillas recipe ~ the first of two recipes this week for Same Ingredients/Different Results and I swear I’ll get to it but it’s time I come clean. I’m about as tech-challenged as they come. My kids know it and they’ll eagerly vouch for my inadequacy, but if you feel you need further verification, you can ask the ever-patient Michele at Brave Creative Designs the woman who recently designed my new logo and will also vouch for it. Michele set up this fabulous new logo on my blog then emailed me the logo to use on other things, like Facebook and Instagram. . .hello Michele? It’s me again. . .

Lucky for Michele we don’t live in the same neighborhood because if we did she may find me on her doorstep more often than a stray cat. Along with the new logo, which I’m calling my ‘facelift’, I’m also trying a few other new things, like  Same Ingredients/Different Results two meals each week in May using the same ingredients but different meals ~ no waste and no leftovers. I hope you all like it ~ I’d love to hear from you either way! Any-hoo, back to happier things like Shrimp Quesadillas which remind me of my two favorite places in Florida, Manasota Key where they have, among other things, an amazing fresh seafood market and Key West. Manasota Beach is really beautiful and you can pretty routinely see dolphins swimming out in the Gulf. It’s very cool. In fact, we once saw sharks swimming 8-10 feet off shore just after sunset  . .  . in the same water we were swimming earlier that day! I know there are sharks in the Gulf. We walk the beach in the morning looking for sharks’ teeth, but actually seeing them so close to shore was mind-blowing. We jogged along the beach to keep up with them but eventually they disappeared out to sea. It was like watching a horror movie. You’re scared and want to see more. . .but at the same time you don’t want to see more.  

It was in Key West that the inspiration for these Shrimp Quesadillas came. Quesadillas are one of my favorite Mexican foods to make because they’re so easy and you can fill them with almost anything you have on hand, like chicken or veggies or the Grilled Flank Steak from last week. The last time we were in Key West our daughter came to visit and we bought a ton, well maybe not a ton, but a lot of fresh-caught Pink Key West Shrimp. We boiled them in beer because it’s what so many of the restaurants do in Key West and though I’m not a beer drinker, they were delicious. We dunked them in cocktail sauce spiked with extra horseradish for our own poolside Happy Hour and literally stuffed ourselves with them. Because we bought so many we ended up with a dozen or so leftover the next day, so we chopped them up and made Shrimp Quesadillas. It was one of my favorite home-cooked meals there.

Start with raw shrimp peeled and deveined. In a medium size bowl, add the shrimp and about half of the can of enchilada sauce reserving the rest of the sauce for now. Then, in a large skillet add the shrimp. The shrimp will cook really quickly ~ just a minute or 2 per side. When the shrimp is finished cooking turn off the heat and transfer the shrimp to a cutting board. Give half the shrimp a rough chop and reserve and refrigerate the other half for Thursday’s Cobb Salad (part 2 of Same Ingredients/Different Results). Chop the onion and half of the bell pepper, then drizzle a bit more olive oil into the skillet and when it’s warm, drop in the veggies and sauté them over medium heat until they’re lightly browned. Return the chopped shrimp to the skillet and season it all with a bit of salt and pepper, a squeeze of fresh lime juice and some finely minced cilantro.

Transfer the shrimp and veggies back to the bowl and either wash the skillet or using a paper towel, lightly wipe the inside of it. 

Over medium/medium-low heat, add another drizzle of olive oil and a small pat of butter or margarine to the skillet. Spread about one tablespoon of the goat cheese onto one tortilla and lay it face up into the skillet. Layer the shrimp-veggie combination and a fistful or so of Monterey Jack cheese and top it with a second tortilla. Give it a good press with your hand and cook over medium-low heat so the cheeses melt until it’s golden brown. Flip and allow the other side to brown as well.

Black beans are a perfect side with Shrimp Quesadillas. Just drain and in this case you’ll be using only half the can, reserving the rest of the beans for Thursday’s Shrimp Cobb Salad.  Pour the rest of the Enchilada Sauce over the beans let them boil uncovered for a few minutes until they thicken and absorb most of the liquid.

Cut the avocado in half and chop it in bite-size pieces to eat with the Shrimp Quesadillas. A small squeeze of lime juice onto the other half, then wrap it tightly and it’ll keep until you make the Shrimp Cobb Salad. Enjoy the Shrimp Quesadillas with your favorite sour cream or salsa.

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