PW's Shrimp Quesadillas (Quesadillas de Camarones)

I know I am late posting my dinner selection this evening, but I didn't have dinner figured out until almost 5 pm. I kept going back and forth with what I was going to make, only to find out I didn't have this ingredient or that ingredient on hand. Finally, after several starts and stops, I realized that I had ever thing to make these quesadillas. Thankfully, this dish was pretty easy to assemble and came together quickly.

Instead of retyping the entire recipe, I am just going to link to The Pioneer Woman website. Her photos and step by step instructions cannot be beat!

PW's Shrimp Quesadillas (Quesadillas de Camarones)

In case the link doesn't work, here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
Flour Tortillas
12 whole Large Shrimp, Peeled And Deveined
8 ounces, fluid Mexican Red Sauce
1 whole Large Onion
1 whole Red Bell Pepper
1 whole Green Bell Pepper
2 cups Cheese, Grated (Monterey Jack Is Best)
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Salt To Taste

Directions:
Pour red sauce over shrimp. Set aside.
Chop vegetables into large pieces. Heat skillet over high heat and add olive oil. Cook vegetables over high heat until they start to get brown/black. Remove from skillet and set aside.
Return skillet to high heat, then dump in the shrimp with the sauce. Cook, stirring only occasionally, until shrimp is opaque. Add in a little water if the sauce gets dry. Remove from skillet and chop into bite-size pieces.
In a separate skillet, heat butter. Place a tortilla in the skillet, then layer on ingredients: cheese, vegetables, and shrimp. Top with a little more cheese and a second tortilla. Cook on both sides, adding butter before flipping to the other side so the tortilla isn’t overly dry.
Remove from skillet and slice into wedges. Serve with rice, beans, salsa, sour cream, guacamole—whatever you’d like!




The Result:
These shrimp quesadillas were fan-freakin'-tastic! So, so good!!! The flavors blended perfectly and they turned out just as promised...picture perfect and absolutely delicious. That Pioneer Woman sure knows her way around the kitchen!

Surprisingly,this dish was also quite filling. The husband and I were both stuffed after having two triangles each, so they were certainly satisfying as a main dish.

I only have a couple of notes to share with you about this recipe. First, I would definitely use a cast iron skillet in the preparation of these babies. The pan really does need to be screaming hot. Then, I only made one deviation from the original recipe; I used canola oil instead of olive oil. I only had extra virgin olive oil, which doesn't have a high enough smoke point for this type of application, so I chose to use canola oil instead. Overall, the quesadillas turned out perfectly cooked and I am ridiculously pleased with the end result.

By the way...disregard the unremarkable looking dark blob toward the back of the plate in my photo. It was a fast side dish of black beans...really, not appetizing to look at and only so-so tasting. The beans were kind of an afterthought, so nothing good to report there. (I am glad they are out of focus in the pic.)

I whole-heartedly endorse these quesadillas, though. They are about a hundred different kinds of yummy. Try them soon and you won't be sorry!