Shrimp Enchiladas are a delicious seafood dish that is easy to prepare and ready in under 45 minutes. Cheesy, creamy seafood enchiladas are packed with large shrimp, jalapenos, onions, tomatoes and all baked in spicy, creamy sauce.
If you like creamy enchiladas, try our Steak Enchiladas and Vegetarian Enchiladas.
Table of Contents
Shrimp enchiladas make a lovely dinner any day of the week! They are probably the fastest enchiladas that I make and can definitely be a nice week night dinner. Especially, if you’re looking to make a special dinner for someone.
These enchiladas were definitely fantastic: they’re cheesy, creamy, and spicy. (They can be as spicy as you wish!) THe combination of flavors and textures are so good, it’s hard to stop eating them.
All that gooey, melted cheese inside with shrimp, onions, tomatoes, and jalapenos, wrapped in a cream sauce soaked tortilla…ah, perfection! The best part is that you can adjust the heat to your liking. You can add more cayenne pepper (just be careful with how much you add) and add an extra jalapeno if you’d like a spicier dish.
Ingredient Notes
Shrimp – I like to use larger shrimp but size doesn’t matter as much as the quality. If you have access to fresh caught wild shrimp, that would be the best choice. If using frozen shrimp, make sure to thaw them completely first and drain off all the liquid. Make sure to peel and devein the shrimp as well.
Jalapenos – you can regular the spice level of your enchiladas with the chili peppers. Jalapenos are the milder variety so if you want to add more spice, you can add a serrano, red chili pepper, or a habanero pepper as well. You can also use older jalapenos, which are spicier, and keep the seeds in. Chili peppers store most of their spice in the seeds, so leaving them in will increase the spice level.
Onion – use yellow onion, white onion, or red onion. The flavor difference won’t be too noticeable, although red onion does tend to me a touch sweeter.
Monterrey Jack cheese – this cheese is beautiful to use in enchiladas because it has a mild flavor and melts nice and smooth. If you wish, you can use pepper jack cheese instead to add more chili pepper flavor.
Heavy Whipping Cream – heavy whipping cream will give you the richest, creamiest sauce but you can substitute half and half in a pinch. Just don’t go any less creamy than that.
Sour Cream – use full fat sour cream for the best results! I do not recommend substituting Greek yogurt because there is a good chance of curdling or separating when used in cooking.
Cooking Instructions
Make the sauce: Preheat oil in a large cooking pan over medium heat and add sliced onions and jalapenos (1). Let it sauté until they start to soften. Add in diced tomatoes and minced garlic, mix and sauté until veggies are cooked through (2).
While veggies are cooking, whisk heavy cream, sour cream, spices and salt in a mixing bowl or a large measuring glass and pour it into the pan with veggies (3). Stir slowly and carefully until completely incorporated (4) and lower the heat to medium-low.
Cook the shrimp: Add shrimp and cook, still over medium to medium-low heat, until shrimp just turned opaque on the bottom, flip and cook until shrimp turns opaque. Take off heat.
Build enchiladas: Spread some cheese in the center of each tortilla, in a line. Using slotted spoon, scoop out about a quarter of shrimp/veggie mixture, draining most of the sauce, into the tortilla. Spread the shrimp in the line over the cheese.
Roll the tortilla and place it in the baking dish, seam down. Repeat with remaining tortillas, shrimp and veggies.
Baking enchiladas: Pour sauce over enchiladas and spread remaining cheese on top. Bake shrimp enchiladas for about 15 minutes.
Recipe FAQs
Personally, I prefer to use flour tortillas in most of my enchilada recipes. But there is no need to debate, it all comes down to personal preference.
Flour tortillas are softer and sturdier, white corn tortillas do have a tendency to break and crumble. There is also a noticeable flavor and texture difference between the two types of tortillas, that is mostly where personal preference comes in. You can absolutely use corn tortillas if that is what you love or use flour.
If you choose to use corn tortillas in shrimp enchiladas, use larger size homemade or store-bought tortillas. DO use smaller shrimp because corn tortillas are prone to breaking and crumbling.
To soften corn tortillas, lightly brush or spray them with some oil and place them on a sheet tray. Bake at 325° for 3-5 minutes. After they’re warmed, stack them and cover with a damp warmed clean towel to keep them soft while rolling enchiladas.
I don’t usually recommend reheating seafood because it does not reheat well. If you do have to save leftovers and reheat them, definitely don’t reheat shrimp enchiladas in a microwave. Reheat them in a the baking dish, in the oven, at 325° until just heated through inside.
No, these shrimp enchiladas are not good to freeze because of the cream sauce and re-freezing seafood. I never recommend freezing seafood dishes because most people do use seafood in recipes that have been previously frozen.
Some More Shrimp Recipes To Make
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? PLEASE leave a 🌟 star rating! Let me know how you liked it by leaving the 📝 comment below or share and tag me on social media @willcookforsmiles. DON’T FORGET to subscribe to my newsletter!
Shrimp Enchiladas Recipe
Ingredients
- 12-14 oz large shrimp
- 1-2 Tbsp vegetable oil for cooking
- 1 small yellow onion sliced thin
- 2 large jalapenos seeded or not, based on desired spice level
- 2 medium tomatoes “on a vine’ diced
- 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper to taste
- 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- Salt
- 4 soft taco flour tortillas
- 8 oz Monterrey Jack cheese grated, divided in two
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° and grease a 9×9-inch baking dish.
- Preheat oil in a large cooking pan over medium heat. Add onions and jalapenos and sauté until they start to soften.
- Add diced tomatoes and minced garlic, mix and cook until all vegetables are cooked.
- While the veggies are cooking, whisk heavy cream, sour cream, spices and salt in a mixing bowl and pour it into the pan with veggies. Stir well and let it heat through and come to a slow simmer. Lower the heat to medium-low.
- Nestle in the shrimp in the sauce and cook, still over medium-low heat, until shrimp is opaque on the bottom. Flip the shrimp and cook until shrimp just turn all opaque and take off the heat.
- Use half the cheese to divide it among the four tortillas. Spread the cheese in the center of each tortilla, in the line.
- Using a slotted spoon, scoop out about a quarter of shrimp/veggie mixture, draining most of the sauce, into the tortilla. Spread them in the line over the cheese.
- Roll the tortilla and place it in the baking dish, seam down. Repeat with remaining tortillas, shrimp, and veggies.
- Pour the sauce over enchiladas and spread the remaining cheese on top.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes.
Video
Notes
- Flour Tortillas or Corn Tortillas: Flour tortillas are softer and sturdier, white corn tortillas do have a tendency to break and crumble. There is also a noticeable flavor and texture difference between the two types of tortillas, that is mostly where personal preference comes in. You can absolutely use corn tortillas if that is what you love or use flour.
If you choose to use corn tortillas in shrimp enchiladas, use larger size homemade or store-bought tortillas. DO use smaller shrimp because corn tortillas are prone to breaking and crumbling. - To soften corn tortillas, lightly brush or spray them with some oil and place them on a sheet tray. Bake at 325° for 3-5 minutes. After they’re warmed, stack them and cover with a damp warmed clean towel to keep them soft while rolling enchiladas.
- Reheating shrimp tortillas: I don’t usually recommend reheating seafood because it does not reheat well. If you do have to save leftovers and reheat them, definitely don’t reheat shrimp enchiladas in a microwave. Reheat them in a the baking dish, in the oven, at 325° until just heated through inside.
Chris says
These are the best!!! I used the flour tortilla’s but, my daughter used Corn Tortilla’s (where she lives, they make them fresh but, only the corn tortilla’s). I have to say, I was worried mine wouldn’t be as good as my daughter’s but, they are amazing. I’ve made them for Company and everyone loved them. Great recipe.
lyuba says
I’m SO happy you and your friends liked it!!
Homemade corn tortillas sound fantastic.
Thank you, Chris 🙂
Britt says
I am planning on serving this for Sunday dinner. Can I make the filling the day before and still have the same good results?
lyuba says
Hi Britt!
I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you right away. I wouldn’t recommend making the filling ahead of time in this particular recipe only because shrimp, much like most other seafood, should be eater right after being cooked and not very good reheated. When reheated, shrimp tends to be rubbery and tough.
I hope you enjoyed it or will enjoy it soon 🙂
Beth Leahy says
I made this last night. Soooooooo good. I used almond milk and shredded sharp cheddar because I am lactose intolerant. It did make a ton of sauce so will make rice to go with as another reader suggested above. Great!
lyuba says
Oh awesome! I’m so happy that you were able to make this lactose free for you as well! Thank you so much for letting me know 🙂
Tracie says
I’m a queen of making enchiladas this one is a new for me.i definitely want to make husband is a huge seafood freak.what side dishes will work for this I know rice but would it be the traditional Mexican orange rice?
lyuba says
Hi Tracie!
I love experimenting with enchiladas so I’m hoping you’ll like this one 🙂
I don’t usually serve a side with enchiladas because it’s so filling but if I were to serve one, I would definitely go with a rice side. Cilantro rice or a traditional Mexican rice like you said.
I hope you both will like it!
Nancy says
Fixed this tonight with fresh jalapenos from our garden. Oh my goodness…so very delicious! I could drink that sauce. Can’t wait to try some more of your recipes!
Judy Roberson says
I think this recipe is delicious. I served rice and used some of the sauce over it too! Yummy! Thanks for sharing!!
Annie says
Is it 722 per enchilada or for the 4? Thank you
lyuba says
Hi Annie!
It’s per enchilada (including the part of sauce and cheese). 🙂
Serva says
This was sooo good! I wish I had taken a picture…next time. I can’t wait to make it again soon!
Joe says
These are great. How many calories do you think they have, though? Thanks!
lyuba says
Hi there!
I’m so happy you liked it! I will add the nutritional info right now, so check it out below the recipe 🙂
Denise Lyons says
This is a wonderful recipe! I used imitation crab and it turned out great. I look forward to experimenting with different types of fish. Thank you!
Rick says
These are SO the best! Thanks so much for sharing!
Teri says
So amazing! Everyone loved these. I only had 1 tomato so I used 1 tomato and 1 tomatillo. I also used 1/2 Monterrey jack and 1/2 pepper jack. I used heavy whipping cream and whole sour cream. They were not low calorie but no one cared; they were so so so good. Though I would have left overs since I made a lot but nope, no left overs. Will definitely make again. Several people suggested low calorie options but I really don’t think it will be as good without the full fat versions. Will make this on my cheat days!
Lyuba says
That sounds amazing, Teri. No wonder they were all gone!