Enchiladas de Jaiba (Crab and Sweet Corn Enchiladas in a Poblano Cream Sauce)

Enchiladas de Jaiba (Crab and Sweet Corn Enchiladas in a Poblano Cream Sauce)

Seafood
Crab, Mexican, Main Dish

Serves 6

Delicate, rich and fresh-tasting, this will remind you more of a French crepe dish than the red-sauce-and-yellow-cheese enchiladas you may be more familiar with. These make a great brunch or luncheon dish for company. Jumbo lump crab is a premium ingredient, but lesser grades should not be used here.

Ingredients #

  • For the sauce: #

    • 2 tbsp butter
    • 1 cup thinly sliced shallots or white onions
    • 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
    • 4 poblano chiles, fire roasted, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/4” strips, 1/4th reserved for garnish
    • 1 jalapeno chile, fire roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped
    • 2 cups crema Mexicana (Mexican table cream) or creme fraiche
    • Kosher salt to taste

  • For the filling: #

    • 2 tbsp butter
    • 1 cup sweet corn kernels, freshly cut off the cob
    • 12 oz jumbo lump crab meat
    • Kosher salt to taste
    • Pinch of powdered chile de arbol or Kashmiri chili powder
    • Lime juice to taste
    • 2 scallions, thinly sliced

  • For assembly: #

    • 12 white corn tortillas
    • Vegetable oil as needed to soften tortillas
    • Crumbled Cotija cheese or shredded Gruyere

Instructions #

Sauce #

Melt 2 tbsp butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook gently until the onion is soft and translucent, but not brown. Add the greater part of the poblano strips and sautee for another minute.

Transfer to a blender, add the crema Mexicana, and blend until smooth.

Transfer to a saucepan over medium heat. Once warm, season to taste and thin with drops of water if needed. Cover and keep warm.

Filling #

Melt two tablespoons of butter in a skillet over high heat. Add the corn and cook, stirring constantly, until the corn begins to brown.

Reduce heat to low. Add the crab meat and stir gently for 1 minute. Add a generous pinch of salt and chile de arbol powder to taste. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until heated through.

Add lime juice to taste. Gently fold in the scallions. Adjust seasoning to taste, cover, and keep warm.

Assembly #

Turn on the broiler. Pour oil to depth of 1/2” in a skillet over medium-high heat. Heat to around 300 F.

Place each tortilla in the oil and fry for just a few seconds, just long enough to soften the tortilla and firm the edges up a bit. Drain on paper towels.

Dip a softened tortilla in the warm sauce. Place 2 tbsp of the crab mixture on the lower third of the tortilla, roll up, and place in an ovenproof baking dish.

When the enchiladas have been assembled, cover completely with the sauce. Optionally, sprinkle a bit of Gruyere cheese over the top (just a bit! This shouldn’t be a “cheesy” dish.)

Place under the broiler just long enough to heat through. If you didn’t use Gruyere, you can sprinkle a bit of crumbled Cotija cheese here. Garnish with reserved poblano strips and cilantro leaves.