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Old Bay and the trinity of bell peppers, celery and onions give Rach's shrimp quesadillas an extra-flavorful and festive kick. 

To finish off her Cinco de Mayo menu, Rach serves them with her Creamy Guac and a batch of easy Tex-Mex Black Beans

Ingredients

  • About 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • About 1 tablespoon butter
  • ½ onion, finely chopped (about ½ to ¾ cup)
  • 2 stalks celery, finely chopped (about ½ to ¾ cup)
  • 1 green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped (about ½ to ¾ cup)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 2 to 3 cloves garlic
  • ¾ to 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails off, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
  • About ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • About ½ teaspoon ground coriander
  • Hot sauce, to taste
  • About ¼ cup silver/white tequila
  • 1 lemon, halved
  • Cooking spray
  • Four 8- to 10-inch flour tortillas, or eight 6-inch soft corn tortillas
  • 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack and/or Colby, cheddar
  • Cilantro, for topping
  • Sliced green onions, for topping

Yield

Serves: 4

Preparation

Heat EVOO and melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onions, celery and bell peppers and stir 2 to 3 minutes, add thyme and salt and cook 2 to 3 minutes until tender. Grate in garlic, then add shrimp, Old Bay, salt, black pepper and a pinch each ground cumin and coriander, , stir and cook until shrimp is just opaque and barely cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Add a few dashes of hot sauce, then add tequila and shake pan for about 1 to 2 minutes and let tequila evaporate or burn off. Add lemon juice and remove from heat. 

Heat a cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat with a light spray of oil, add tortilla, char and remove, and char one side of the remaining tortillas. 

To assemble, add a tortilla to pan, charred-side up,  top with cheese and shrimp and more cheese. Fold in half if using larger tortillas, or stack another tortilla on top, charred-side in, if using smaller 6-inch ones. Keep turning to brown and melt cheese. Top quesadillas with creamy guacamole, sprinkle with cilantro and green onion and serve.