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.
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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.
Brandi says
Could you freeze leftovers?
LyubaB says
No, I am sorry but 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.
Jeff B says
What do you consider large shrimp?
Becki says
It says on the bag of shrimp how big they are…
Melba Martinez says
Sooooo gooodddd!!! Thank you!
LyubaB says
You are so welcome! I am so glad you like it!
NBR says
Delicious!!!
LyubaB says
Thank you!
Morgan says
Seriously so good! We loved them! Next batch my husband wants me to put crab in with the shrimp as well. Do you think I could sub the shrimp for chicken for my non seafood lovers? Reminds me of a chimichanga!
LyubaB says
I think crab would be so good! Just remember to look though for any shells, I always seem to find at least a few when I used crab meat.
I think chicken would be taste great. You could use a rotisserie chicken and follow the recipe the same way. If using raw chicken first sear the chicken till it’s cooked or almost all the way cooked then take it out of the pan and add the cream and cook your veggies, then add the chicken back in because you don’t want to cook the cream to long.
Lisa Hartley Scott says
I made substitutions. Instead of jalapeños and tomatoes, I used medium salsa, whole milk instead of heavy cream. It was very tasty. I served with steamed white rice to get all of the delicious sauce. I will make it again.
LyubaB says
That’s fantastic! I am glad you were able to make successful substitutions in the recipe and that the dish turned out tasty. Happy cooking!
Michele says
Quick dinner, tastes excellent! We substituted goat milk and goat yogurt because of dairy allergies and it was excellent,
LyubaB says
Thanks for stopping by to let me know. I am so glad you were able to substitute and it still came out good!
Mia says
Awesome makes these turned out great
Doris Hutmacher says
I loved these and I used jar tamed jalapeños, organic canned tomatoes, frozen precooked shrimp that I added last since they were cooked and I used Italian 6 cheese blend. All things I had on hand and they were still very very good.
LyubaB says
I am so glad you liked it, Doris!
Annie A Green says
I have made this before and we loved it. I am having a cinco de mayo party tomorrow. Can I pre-make the dish and refrigerate it and cook it tomorrow?
LyubaB says
I wouldn’t the tortilla’s will get soggy.
wheelerlake says
I’m not necessarily a spicy food fan, but tried these and they are excellent! A new favorite in our house. Easy, quick and delicious. I’m now wondering if I’m missing out on other dishes. I absolutely loved the combination of the spices in these. They are now a “go-to” comfort food!
LyubaB says
I am happy to hear you liked the recipe!
Sheri says
Is this really spicy or hot..I want to make it as I like spicy but was going to make it for my mom and she can’t take really spicy food at 88.
wheelerlake says
These have a very nice mildly spicy flavor. I’m not a hot, spicy person either, but I LOVE these. I accidentally made another recipe of these, no where near the flavor. The spices just add nice flavor, not a “hotness”. These are addicting and the best!
Donna Colwell says
This is the 2nd time I made these, made a couple of substitutions based on our likes, but these are seriously the BOMB!!!! Sooooo good. Great with cilantro rice Or Mexican rice. Definitely now in our top 5 best meals to make!!!
Thank you!!!
LyubaB says
Thank you, Donna! I am so glad you like it!