Better Than Chi-Chi's Seafood Enchiladas
Creamy shrimp and imitation crab enchiladas with a lobster sauce made with white wine and sherry, topped with Monterey Jack cheese. Makes 8 enchiladas, or 4 servings of 2 enchiladas each. This is a homemade, Chi-Chi’s-inspired recipe.
Servings: 4 servings (2 enchiladas each)
Ingredients
Creamy Seafood Sauce
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 tablespoon lobster base slightly heaping
- 2 cups 2% milk
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 cup cooking sherry
- 6 ounces Monterey Jack cheese freshly shredded, divided: 2 ounces for sauce and 4 ounces for topping
Seafood Filling
- 6 ounces cooked shrimp coarsely chopped, thawed and drained if frozen
- 8 ounces imitation crabmeat roughly chopped
- 1 cup prepared seafood sauce from above
For Assembly
- 8 flour tortillas 6-inch
- Paprika for garnish
Instructions
- Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook, stirring frequently, for approximately 5 minutes, until fragrant and slightly nutty.
- Gradually whisk in the dry white wine and cooking sherry. Cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Stir in white pepper and lobster base, cooking for another minute until thoroughly incorporated.
- Gradually whisk in milk. Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring frequently, until smooth and thickened.
- Reduce heat and stir in 2 ounces of shredded Monterey Jack cheese until melted. Remove from heat.
- In a medium bowl, combine the cooked, chopped shrimp and imitation crab. Gently fold in 1 cup of slightly cooled seafood sauce.
- Preheat convection oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a rectangular baking dish large enough to hold 8 enchiladas in a single layer.
- Spread a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Divide seafood filling among the tortillas, roll, and arrange seam-side down.
- Spoon remaining seafood sauce over the tortillas and top evenly with the remaining 4 ounces of Monterey Jack cheese.
- Bake for approximately 12–14 minutes in a convection oven, until bubbly, golden, and heated to an internal temperature of 165°F. A conventional oven at 425°F may require additional time.
- Sprinkle with paprika and allow to rest for a few minutes before serving. Garnish with sliced green onions if desired.
Video
Notes
Yield: 8 enchiladas; 4 servings of 2 enchiladas each.
Use a snug oblong or rectangular baking dish that holds all 8 enchiladas in one layer; no specific dimensions are needed.
Use concentrated lobster base, not prepared stock. Taste before adding salt, since lobster base and cooking sherry already contain salt. Add a splash of milk if the sauce becomes too thick to pour.
The 32-minute cook time includes making the sauce and baking. Bake at 425°F convection for about 12–14 minutes, checking that the center reaches 165°F.
Refrigerate leftovers promptly and use within 3–4 days, counting from when the seafood was initially prepared. Reheat to 165°F.
Briefly simmering wine and sherry does not remove all the alcohol.