Citrusy Paprika Shrimp Quesadillas
These quesadillas are easy, delicious, and summery! They were a huge hit with my family and will be with your if you love seafood. I saw the recipie in my RRay Magazine.
INGREDIENTS
1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), for drizzling
1 1/2 teaspoons smoked sweet paprika (half a scant palmful)
1 teaspoon onion powder (1/3 palmful)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (eyeball it)
Salt and pepper
Juice of 1 lime
A small handful of cilantro or flat leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
1 slightly underripe avocado, pitted, removed from skin and very thinly sliced or diced
1/2 lemon, juiced
8 large tortillas, heated to soften slightly
2 plum or vine-ripened tomatoes, seeded and diced
4 scallions or green onions, very thinly sliced or chopped
2 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Cooking spray
Note: you will need metal skewers to prepare this recipe or just pan cook
Serves 6
PREPARATION
Pre-heat an outdoor grill, indoor griddle, grill pan, or pan (what I did) to medium-high heat.
Coat the shrimp lightly in EVOO, then season with the smoked sweet paprika, onion powder and garlic powder; season with salt and pepper (I also added Cayenne for a kick). Thread the shrimp onto metal skewers or skip the skewers if you are lazy like me & are doing it in the house. Grill until pink and firm, about 2 minutes on each side. Douse with the lime juice, then remove the shrimp from the skewers and chop; sprinkle with the cilantro. Dress the avocado with the lemon juice.
Build the quesadillas on the tortillas in assembly line fashion: On one half of each tortilla, arrange the shrimp, tomatoes, scallions or green onions, avocado and cheese. Fold over the other tortilla half, then spray lightly with cooking spray. Grill, turning once, until crisp and the cheese has melted, about 5 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve.
PS I used the low fat Monterey Jack and it was still really good.
