One-Pan Shrimp Enchiladas Verde

By Sarah Copeland

One-Pan Shrimp Enchiladas Verde
David Malosh for The New York Times
Total Time
45 minutes
Rating
4(1,519)
Notes
Read community notes

If the only thing holding you back from making enchilada verde tonight is the idea of standing over the countertop, stuffing and rolling tortillas, read on. These layered lasagna-style enchiladas cut your work in half. Instead, put all your effort into making a nearly effortless verde sauce with pan-roasted tomatillos, jalapeño and onion. Once that’s done, there is little to do but layer and simmer: The shrimp cooks in minutes in the tomatillo bath. For the best flavor, look for wild-caught Gulf or Argentine shrimp. Then, the only challenge here is deciding how to portion fairly for four people (hint: be generous). If you make this in cast-iron, store any leftovers in glass or plastic in the fridge — the sauce is too acidic to spend a long time in a cast-iron pan — and reheat lightly over a very low flame. (Note, too, that the sauce can be made up to two days ahead, and refrigerated.)

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 4tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 8corn tortillas
  • 1jalapeño, seeds removed
  • 2pounds tomatillos, husks removed (about 20 tomatillos)
  • 2small red onions, peeled and sliced into rings
  • ½bunch cilantro, leaves and stems, plus leaves for garnish
  • ½ to 1teaspoon salt
  • 1pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined and roughly chopped (patted dry if wet)
  • 6ounces cotija or queso anejo, crumbled (about 1½ cups)
  • Mexican crema or crème fraîche, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

605 calories; 34 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 15 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 41 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 13 grams sugars; 39 grams protein; 1160 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, fry tortillas two at a time, until soft and lightly brown on the edges, about 30 seconds to 1 minute per side, and set aside.

  2. Step 2

    Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan, along with jalapeño and tomatillos. Increase the heat to high and cook, covered, until tomatillos and jalapeño are blistered and starting to wilt, about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add about ¾ of the onions, reserving a few slices for garnish, reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking until the onions are soft and the tomatillos start to slump. Remove from heat to cool slightly.

  3. Step 3

    Transfer tomatillos, onions and jalapeño to a blender along with most of the cilantro leaves and stems, and salt. Purée until completely smooth.

  4. Step 4

    Add another tablespoon of oil to the skillet and heat over medium heat. Carefully add a third of the sauce (it will sizzle) and lower heat to medium-low. Layer four tortillas, overlapping slightly, along the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle all the shrimp and half the cotija over tortillas. Drizzle in another third of the sauce, followed by the remaining tortillas, sauce and cotija. Cook, covered, over medium-low until shrimp is cooked through and the sauce is thickened and bubbly, and browning a bit around the edges, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat, sprinkle with sliced onions and cilantro and serve with crema or crème fraîche on the side.

Tip
  • Some cast-iron skillets come with a matching lid, which is useful for making the skillet operate a bit like a mini stove-top oven, cooking evenly and basting the food with flavor and steam. If you don’t have one, use a lid from another pan, or two layers of thick foil, folded at the center and large enough to cover your pan.

Ratings

4 out of 5
1,519 user ratings
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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

claire

Delicious! Even easier, I used a jar of Frontera Salsa Verde with a dash of lime instead of making the tomatillo sauce. So much faster, and provided exactly the right amount of liquid and spice.

Nancy

Having lived & learned to cook in Mexico, I was cynical when I read this decidedly *not*-enchiladas recipe. How pleased I am to have been wrong. This is easy & delish and tastes authentic. Three notes: 1) The shortcut of using quality jarred salsa verde is fair; just make sure you blend some extra cilantro into it; 2) season shrimp w/ garlic powder for the garlic flavor sought in the notes below; 3) *importantly*, add some of the raw red onion to the shrimp layer, for texture&taste throughout.

JMo

Delicious weeknight meal! You can have this on the table in less time than it takes for a pizza or Chinese takeout to be delivered. I did substitute Monterey Jack for the cojita (grocer was out of stock) and it didn’t alter the flavor of the recipe. I’ll definitely make again...

ecomaniac

I make enchiladas verdes only once or twice per year because it is such a laborious process. This recipe is much easier and has all the essential flavors. One can add cream to the sauce if one likes to kick it up a notch, but it's still great without. Note that if you brown the tomatillos for too long before adding the onions, they'll release their juices and cool the pan. Add enough heat to get the browning done and the onions in before that happens, else no yummy caramelization.

Amanda

Made homemade corn tortillas which I would recommend if you have the time - the texture was really nice and they held up to the liquid and cook time. I also pickled the red onion garnish (boil vinegar and water then pour it over sliced red onion with some mustard seed, let sit for 30 minutes). Next time I'll be careful to not overcook the shrimp and will add garlic to the sauce.

cadiejill

The flavors were good and the preparation was easy. I added just a small amount of lime juice to the sauce. Wish I had added a couple cloves of garlic too. Next time I will either add another layer of tortillas or reduce the sauce. Maybe both. The sauce to other ingredients ratio is off imo, leaving the dish feeling rather mushy. I was able to make the dish in one pan, making clean-up relatively simple, even with the blender.

Annie

Definitely pickle the red onion for garnish, either as described by my fellow noter, with hot vinegar and water, or if you have more time, overnight in lime juice. It really adds the right finishing note.

Angelica R

This was very good and fairly quick to put together! Few recommendations: - Add lime and garlic to the salsa verde - Add other sautéed vegetables along with the shrimp like bell peppers - Season shrimp with smoked paprika or chili - Made fresh pico de gallo to top this Recommendation for NYTC: change the recipe name from enchiladas to chilaquiles

kelly

This recipe is delicious! I used extra large tortillas and a generous 1 lbs of large shrimp. I even added 3 cloves of garlic as suggested by others. Not sure the leftovers will make it through the night. Love it!

CM

Wow, wow, wow. This recipe is great, the tomatillos have almost a citrus-y flavor. After reading other comments, I did doctor the sauce just a little (garlic, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, and Mexican oregano). Definitely adding into rotation!

Nancy

BTW... absolutely no need to use all the oil prescribed here. Eliminate the oil in step 4; the pan is already oily on the bottom, so just throw in the salsa and let it do the work!

Dan

This is also great with chicken. After frying the tortillas, cubed chicken breasts and sautéed in the same pan. Set aside and add with sauce on each layer.

jas

One of the best meals I've made in a LONG time. And was pretty fast and easy. I substituted the shrimp for veg chorizo and frozen spinach. So many things you could layer in there really.

Sean

I'd recommend cooking the shrimp separately then adding. Following the recipe ended up with a soupy mess and wet fried tortillas.

j3anders

We loved this. I did use a bottled green salsa (Goya med heat) because 20 tomatillos were not to be had. Next time I will tear the tortillas into the layers.

Michael Rivers

1. Add cilantro to salsa verde 2. Add half of diced onion to shrimp 3. Add Garlic salt to shrimp

Michael Rivers

1. Add lime juice and cilantro to salsa verde 2. Add diced onion to shrimp layer 3. Add garlic powder to shrimp

kam

Tasty version of salsa verde. I halved my tomatillos before cooking because they were huge. Some lime and garlic would be a good addition to the salsa. It was hard to tell when the shrimp was done, so I'll approach that portion of the dish separately next time. Halved the sauce and reduced the oil--both were good choices.

Theresa F

We don't like corn tortillas so I used flour ones and skipped frying them (why add those extra calories?) and there happened to be no fresh tomatillos so I had to use canned, but this was delicious and very easy. Next time I will put more hot peppers.

Kathy

This is insanely good and so riffable. I used jarred green salsa and tossed the shrimp with smoked paprika, minced garlic and lime juice. I followed other commenters’ advice and threw some diced red onion over the shrimp before proceeding. I pickled some red onion to sprinkle on top and served it with a side of refried beans. It made 6 servings. Could make it with shredded cooked chicken or shredded beef and red salsa. Can’t wait to make it again.

Michael Rivers

1. Add cilantro and (1/2 lime) lime juice to the jarred salsa verde 2. Season shrimp with garlic powder 3. Add diced onion to the shrimp prior to cooking 4, Top with more cilantro, purple onion (not pickled), and sour cream

Colleen

A mushy mess, the shrimp became rubbery by the time the sauce thickened.

Barbara

This was outstanding. We used local shrimp (in SC). I didn’t fry the tortillas, but sprayed them with olive oil and baked them until crisp. It was easy to make, and I only used one pan! Five stars for sure! The salsa is delicious.

Julie

Had to make several adjustments due to lack of available ingredients. Tomatillos are unheard of where we are and Cojita is difficult to find. Nonetheless, we tried using jarred roasted green salsa and havarti cheese. Not great but does satisfy cravings!

Ross

This was delicious it did destroy the seasoning of my cast iron skillet

SW

Made this for dinner this evening, excellent! Found a fresh Tomatillo Salsa but it was too spicy for me to use as the overall sauce. In place of it, I used 2 10oz cans of Las Palmas Mild Green Chile Enchilada Sauce and served the Salsa on the side. After reading many notes, I sautéed the shrimp separately first in a separate pan adding some lime juice and fresh minced garlic. I also used 10 6” white corn tortillas making 3 layers. Covered and baked at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, perfect!

ryan

Very tasty. Would add 2-3 jalapeños instead of 1. Fry the tortillas pretty well so they maintain texture. Get regular sized tortillas not the small ones.

SmunterATL

Meh. The sauce was great with the addition of a garlic clove and a big squeeze of lime. I thought the shrimp and few tortillas got lost. Will try again with chicken and more tortillas.

mary

Delicious. I broiled tomatillos, jalapenos, and red onion for 10-15 min. Thought it was easier. Next time I might actually roll shrimp and cheese in tortillas and bake in oven..

Vietnam1971

Would have been helpful to say what size tortillas.

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