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
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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.
Christina says
These are absolutely the best seafood enchiladas I have ever eaten. Followed recipe exactly
LyubaB says
Wow! Thank you for the sweet compliment, Christina! I am so glad you enjoyed them!
Veronika says
Hi! I’ve made these before as written and they were fabulous!!!!
Today I didn’t have tortillas and didn’t really want to stop at the store so I just served the shrimp filling over cilantro lime rice topped with more cilantro, shredded cheese and avocado. I also added sweet mini peppers and portobello mushrooms to the sauce and substituted smoked paprika for the cayenne since my husband can’t have too spicy food. It was absolutely delicious and will make it again soon!!
Thank you!!!
Cynthia says
Evidently this means nothing. If you don’t post the servings, what’s the point? So frustrating..how many tortillas..I can gauge from that, is this a hard question? Because you haven’t answered it. This my third post!
LyubaB says
Hi Cythia,
I am sorry I am just getting back to you, I don’t usually work on the weekends. I only see one other comment and it was on the same day. But If you look in the recipe card it says how many servings (4) and how many tortillas (4) hope this answers your questions. Have a great day!
Liz says
She’s a food blogger. Not your personal servant. She isn’t required to answer your questions immediately when you post them. I’m sure you can take the amount of tortillas in the recipe, divide that amount by how many people are in your family, and figure out an appropriate serving without harassing someone online
Daisy says
I guess it depends on how hungry you are and who you are feeding?
Might be 2 servings for my teenage son… might be 6 servings for my old dad. You can’t look at a dish and decide how much you would need for you and your family?
Discernment and math skills are good qualities to have 😉
Cynthia says
SERVING SIZE!
Suzi says
Look at the picture! It shows a 9 by 9 pan with 4 enchiladas 🤣
Judy V says
This recipe was awesome. We are always looking for something new ,interesting , and tasty but is easy to do and this is it. It was so good my husband was literally licking his plate.
LyubaB says
That is so nice to hear! I’m so glad you liked them, Judy!
LyubaB says
No, you do not want to use raw shrimp in the tortillas. When they are cooked it is in the enchilada sauce which keeps them from getting rubbery and you cook them just long enough for the cheese to melt and everything to cook through.
Ursula Sunquist says
Regarding shrimp Enchiladas, would cook them first and then bake make them too tough, isn’t just baking them enough
Amy says
My family loved these! We live in Amelia Island, FL, the shrimping capitol of the USA. I followed the basic recipe, but I had 1&1/2lbs of shrimp so I added more of everything. I sautéed red, green & yellow peppers with onion & jalapeños. I doubled the spices & added a pint of heavy cream & a can of mild chopped green chillies. I don’t think you can go wrong…I would also add chopped cilantro next time. I made them a few hours ahead & refrigerated them for several hours. I cooked them covered for 30mins then uncovered for 15 & broiled on medium for 3mins. I served them with condiments including red & green salsa, chopped cilantro, shredded Mexican blend cheese, avocado & sour cream. My recipe made 9 enchiladas. We have leftovers. for lunch tomorrow!
LyubaB says
Hi Amy,
Your not far from me! I am so glad you liked the recipe and thanks for stopping by to share with me. 🙂
Karen says
I made this twice now. I would classify it as “restaurant quality”. This is now my go to meal to impress!! Amazing!
I want to make it again, would it be good with canned diced tomatoes – like the rotel with green chiles? Just trying to think of how I can save time (& money).
LyubaB says
Yes, you can use can tomatoes you will probably only need 1/2 cup of them and they won’t break apart as much as the fresh tomatoes, canned tend to stay together but that would work.
Cindy says
These were delicious ! I’m sometimes disappointed trying new recipes but this one was fantastic! Very flavorful without being to rich. My husband raved about how good they were. Will definitely make again
Lydia Kania says
This recipe is amazing! Last night was the second time I’ve made these enchiladas for company, and got rave reviews. I used a combination of shrimp and shredded lobster meat and complemented the menu with a side of Mexican rice, cilantro and lime cole slaw and buttermilk biscuits.
Thank you Lyuba for this and all your other great tasting and no-fail recipes.
LyubaB says
Hi Lydia,
Lobster sounds amazing in this dish I will have to give that a try! I am so glad you liked it! Thank you for taking the time to let me know! 🙂
Jaime geiser says
is there a non spice shrimp anchalada
LyubaB says
Hi Jaimie,
These are not very spicy because of the cream sauce. But if you don’t like any spice you can control the heat by adjusting the jalapenos and omitting the cayenne pepper. If you want to use jalapenos make sure to pick out the smallest ones with smooth skin and take out all the seeds and membrane ribs inside because that is were the heat is at and the smaller ones are less spicy. The chili pepper has a little spice but if you leave it out it will take out a lot of the flavors so I would leave that in if possible.