We first had shrimp and asparagus quesadillas on vacation this summer. We arrived at our destination city mid-afternoon and needed a little something; nothing that would spoil dinner, just a little snack. We decided to split an appetizer and were so impressed with these. In fact when we went back to the same restaurant for dinner a couple nights later Husband ordered these quesadillas again for his entree.
I have been on the look-out since for a recipe. I found one that sounded close and gave it a try a couple weeks ago. They were good, but the cheese wasn’t quite right. I used a pepper cheese with some diced jalapeño pepper added. It was good spicy flavor but just not quite what we remembered from our previous experience. Husband suggested a smoked cheese as we remember a smoky flavor. This time I used smoked mozzarella along with some regular mozzarella as not to overpower the smoky flavor. A little smoked cheese goes a long way.
I was thrilled with these. The flavor was fantastic and a lot like what I remember from our initial introduction to these great quesadillas.
The cool thing about this sort of recipe is you can add, subtract and substitute ingredients pretty much to your heart’s content. Basically you put cheese and something for cheese to melt around between two tortilla shells and fry it up.
Ingredients:
1 ounce Smoked Mozzarella Cheese – Grated
1 ounce Mozzarella Cheese- Grated
9 medium Shrimp Per Quesadilla
1 large Garlic Clove- Minced
½ tsp Cayenne Pepper
½ tsp Chili Powder
Fresh Ground Black Pepper
Coarse Salt
2 Tbsps Canola Oil
1 Tbsps Olive Oil
4 large Flour Tortillas
5-6 stalks Asparagus Trimmed And Cut Into 2 Inch Sized Lengths
2 Green Onions – Thinly Sliced
Guacamole
Sour Cream
Salsa
Directions:
Quesadilla Filling
In a bowl, combine olive oil, minced garlic, cayenne pepper, chili powder, salt, and black pepper.
Marinate the shrimp in the above oil and garlic mixture for 10 minutes.
Chop the asparagus into 1-2 inch pieces and place in a microwave-safe bowl covered with a lid. Microwave the asparagus on high power for 2 minutes or until the asparagus is tender.
Cool the asparagus on a plate.
Slice the green onions and set aside.
Heat a large heavy skillet over moderate heat. Add the shrimp to the hot skillet along with the marinade and cook for a minute, or until the shrimp are cooked.
Transfer the shrimp to a bowl and set aside.
Assemble the Quesadillas
Add 1 tablespoon of canola oil to a non-stick pan over medium heat.
Lay a flour tortilla flat on a pan. Place some grated cheese, shrimp, asparagus and green onion on top of it and cover it with another tortilla.
Cook the quesadilla for a few minutes ; turning over halfway through, until the cheese is melted and each side is golden brown.
Cut each quesadilla into 6 or 8 triangles.
Place quesadilla with a spatula on a serving platter and serve with tomatoes or salsa, guacamole and sour cream