Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Crab & Avocado Quesadillas with Mango Salsa


I am so thankful that we've had such a mild winter, but even so, I'm getting antsy for spring and summer.  And more specifically, I'm getting antsy for a tropical vacation.  Alas, this dinner is as close as I'll be getting for a while, but it will have to do.

I've made a lot of quesadillas in my day, but these rank up there as some of my favorites.  The crab and avocado go really well together, and the sweet-spicy mango salsa is a perfect complement.  The avocado is mashed up, then the crab, some Monterey Jack cheese, and a few herbs and spices are mixed in.  So you basically make a "crab guacamole."  Which sounds kind of weird and maybe a little disgusting, but when I tasted it to adjust the seasonings, I pretty much wanted to just grab a bag of tortilla chips and go to town.  The mango salsa comes together really quickly, and this recipe makes more than you'll need - I trust that you can find something to do with the leftovers though (see above comment re: tortilla chips).  These are quick and easy, relatively healthy, and go perfectly with a margarita.  I'm not sure what else you could possibly want?




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Crab & Avocado Quesadillas with Mango Salsa
adapted from Fine Cooking
makes 4 quesadillas


Mango Salsa
  • 1 mango, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/4 inch cubes
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed, chopped small
  • 1 jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, minced
  • 1/4 cup cilantro, minced
  • 2 scallions, minced
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 1/4 cup minced red onion
  • kosher salt
Quesadillas
  • 1 avocado
  • 2 scallions, minced
  • 2 Tbs minced cilantro
  • juice of 1/2 lime
  • 4 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
  • 1 cup crabmeat, picked over
  • 1/4-1/2 tsp hot sauce (I prefer Choula)
  • kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 4 8-inch flour tortillas
  • oil, for the tortillas.
 To make the salsa, combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl.  Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.  Set aside while you make the quesadillas.

In a medium bowl, mash the avocado with a fork until it's almost completely smooth.  Fold in the scallions, cilantro, lime juice, cheese, hot sauce, crab meat, and salt and pepper.  Taste and adjust seasonings with additional lime juice, hot sauce, and/or salt.

Prehat a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Fold the tortillas in half and brush one side with canola oil.  On the un-oiled side, scoop about 1/2 cup of the avocado-crab mixture onto the bottom halves of each of the tortillas. Cook a few minutes per side in the skillet, until the tortilla is golden-brown and the filling is heated through.  Slice into wedges and serve with the mango salsa.




14 comments:

Unknown said...

I JUST saw a recipe with crab and avocado and it's my new obsession. Add quesadillas to the mix and I bet this is a fantastic combination!!!! Thanks Josie!

Laura said...

Was just thinking yesterday how crab season can't come fast enough! Was thinking about a crab enchilada, but I'll be trying this first. Looks great!

Ammie said...

These look amazing! I hope I can get my hands on some good crab to make these...yum!

Elizabeth said...

These look delicious! I love crab and avocados.

Bev Weidner (Bev Cooks) said...

I have just fallen out of my chair and onto the ground. YUM.

Katie said...

OMG! This looks amazing! I must try this asap!

Josie said...

Laura, crab enchiladas sound amazing. Please make those and share ASAP!! :)

Joanne said...

Sigh. A tropical vacation WOULD be lovely right about now...but until then, these quesadillas will have to do! They scream tropics.

Annie said...

Um yeah, your post just sealed the deal. I'm pretty sure our next get together should be - a tropical vacation. Hello, fun! (Also, these look amazing - duh.)

Bryan and YiRan said...

Right on about getting antsy for the summer - we just made guacamole last night to go with our enchiladas. #cantwaittogrill

Nicole @ I am a Honey Bee said...

ooo this sounds perfect for the summer. I would def grill this!

Alaina @Fabtastic Eats said...

This looks delicious! Im printing it as I type this! I can't wait to try it!

branny said...

Are the instructions on this recipe a little out of order? For some reason I'm not following well...

Josie said...

Um, yeah.... Not sure what happened there. You fill the tortillas, fold in half, and then cook. Thanks for catching my mistake!

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