These Shrimp Enchiladas are filled with tender, flavorful shrimp then topped with a delicious homemade creamy sauce. It’s the perfect quick, easy weeknight meal if you love shrimp and Tex-Mex!
I’ve got the best shrimp recipe for you today! I’ve been making these shrimp enchiladas for a long time, and they might be one of my favorite enchilada recipes. I mean, I love all of my recipes equally, but this one is really special.
I first made these for a friend several years ago, and we LOVED them. Juicy seasoned shrimp wrapped up in tortillas and topped with a creamy sauce is a match made in heaven. You definitely need to add this to your dinner rotation!
Why This Recipe Works
- These enchiladas are loaded with Tex-Mex flavors!
- The ingredient list might look long, but I promise it’s easy to make. You make the filling, roll it up in tortillas, make the sauce, and then bake everything until the enchiladas are bubbly hot.
- I think these are better than any restaurant shrimp enchiladas – add some chips, salsa, and guacamole for the best experience! Oh, and a cold margarita is always good, too!
Make this for dinner and everyone will think you ordered take out from a Tex-Mex restaurant. It will be a hit!
What people are saying about this recipe
“Absolutely delicious! Definitely added to our dinner rotation.”
“I’ve made this recipe three times and it has become my absolute favorite seafood enchilada dish … nothing is close to the taste of these.”
“Julie I just have to tell you how much I love this recipe. I made it last night. I didn’t have any shrimp in the freezer though and didn’t want to run to the store so I used shredded chicken instead. It was still wonderful.”
How to Make the Shrimp Filling
You will want to make the filling first. Here are the ingredients you’ll need:
- Butter
- Finely chopped bell peppers and onions
- Minced garlic
- Chopped peeled and deveined raw shrimp
- Chopped cilantro
- Chili powder and ground cumin
- Salt
- Flour or corn tortillas
Cook the veggies: Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the bell peppers and onions and cook them until they are softened, about 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook additional 30 seconds.
Cook the shrimp: Add the chopped shrimp and cook it with vegetables for two to three minutes. You don’t need to cook it all the way through because it will finish cooking in the oven once you assemble the enchiladas.
Season: Take the pan off the heat and add the cilantro, salt, cumin, and chili powder. Stir to coat the shrimp and vegetables and then set the skillet aside while you make the sauce.
How to Make Enchilada Cream Sauce
Once you’ve made the filling you can leave it aside while you make the sauce. Here are the ingredients you’ll need:
- Butter
- Flour
- Chicken broth
- Sour cream
- Garlic powder
- Canned diced chilies
- Salt and pepper
- Green enchilada sauce or salsa verde
- Shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the flour and stir to combine it with the butter. Cook the mixture for one to two minutes.
Add the chicken slowly, stirring continuously. Doing this slowly will prevent the sauce from being lumpy. Once you’ve added all of the chicken broth, the sauce should be smooth. Cook the sauce, constantly stirring, for about three to five minutes or until it’s thickened.
Once the sauce has thickened, lower the heat and stir in the sour cream, garlic powder, chilies, and enchilada sauce. Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper, if needed.
Assemble the Shrimp Enchiladas
Add one cup of the cream sauce to the shrimp mixture and stir to combine.
Place 1/3 of the filling on a tortilla. Roll it up and place it seam-side down in a prepared baking dish. Repeat this process with the rest of the filling and tortillas.
Pour the rest of the sauce over the top of the enchiladas. Sprinkle the shredded over the top of the sauce. Bake the enchiladas for 20 to 30 minutes at 350°F.
Garnishes! Once the enchiladas come out of the oven, garnish them with sliced jalapenos, chopped cilantro, and a squeeze of lime juice!
Recipe FAQs!
I don’t recommend using precooked shrimp because they will end up overcooked and rubbery. You can usually buy raw shrimp that is already peeled and deveined at the seafood counter in the grocery store.
I don’t precook the tortillas for this recipe, but warming them up before you fill them helps to keep them from tearing when you roll them with the filling.
I think shrimp enchiladas are best hot out of the oven, but leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for two days or so. The sauce will thicken up when it’s chilled and won’t be as creamy.
I love this shrimp enchilada recipe because it’s easy enough for a weeknight, but fancy enough for guests or special occasions! It’s a recipe I turn to again and again – I think you will, too, once you try it. Enjoy!
More Enchilada Recipes!
Try it and love it? Rate it, please! Seriously, though, a five-star rating below will make my day!
If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy dish!!
Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy treat!
Shrimp Enchiladas
Ingredients
Shrimp mixture:
- 2-3 tablespoon butter
- ½ cup red and green bell pepper finely chopped
- ½ cup onion finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1- pound shrimp peeled and deveined, chopped into pieces
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 8 9 inch flour or corn tortillas
Cream Sauce:
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoon flour
- 1 1/2 cup chicken broth
- ¾ – 1 cup sour cream
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ cup diced canned chilies
- salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ cup green enchilada sauce or salsa Verde sauce
- 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese
- garnish: sour cream cilantro, jalapenos, and limes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.
- Shrimp mixture: Using a large skillet melt butter. Sauté the bell peppers and onions until lightly softened, about 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook additional 30 seconds.
- Add shrimp and cook 2-3 minutes, or until shrimp starts to turn pink. (You don’t want to overcook the shrimp. Remember it will cook more in the oven). Remove from heat and add in cilantro, salt, cumin and chili powder. Stir and set aside.
- Cream Sauce: In a large skillet melt butter over medium high heat. Add flour and cook 1-2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth (1/2 cup at a time). Continue to cook, stirring constantly, about 3-5 minutes until thickened.
- Lower heat, stir in the sour cream, garlic powder, chilies, and enchilada sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add 1 cup of sauce to shrimp mixture, stir to combine.
- Assemble enchiladas: Add 1/3 cup shrimp mixture to a flour tortilla, roll tightly and place seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
- Pour the remaining sauce over the rolled tortillas. Sprinkle the cheese over enchiladas.
- Bake 20 -30 minutes.
- Serve immediately, garnish and enjoy!!
Aaron says
Everything in this recipe is amazing except for using chicken broth. Yes it taste all right. But if you just use that shrimp sauce that is left over from cooking your shrimp I mean that’s what I do there is a lot of sauce left over after cooking a shrimp in a pan it turns liquidy in there and all them juices are strictly amazing do not throw it away use every drop of it. and cook your shrimp with the shells on as it makes for a better Broth. And after they’re cooked the shells come right off. That makes an amazing sauce keep the chicken sauce out. You’ll have plenty of amazing shrimp stock. And add a seasoning when cooking your shrimp called tamarind. It is a soup mix. But it’s also used for cooking seafood. A little trick that I learned from my Asian stepfather. As they eat a lot of shrimp and seafood. It is strictly amazing. Where I live I have to buy that at the Asian store but most places you can get it at the regular store I’ve now personally just buy it off Amazon a lot cheaper you can buy a pound container for nine dollars which will last you for ever
Bob N. says
This looks great but I can’t take cilantro – tastes like soap to me. Is chopped parsley an acceptable substitute? I hope so; it would open up lots of Tex-Mex and S.E. Asian recipes for me.
Julie Evink says
That should be fine!