Get out of your quesadilla rut with this Shrimp Quesadilla with Chorizo, served with a smoky guacamole. There is so much flavor and the guacamole takes it over the top!
Love an easy shrimp dinner? Check out these Shrimp Rolls, these Shrimp Tacos with Chipotle Lime Crema, or these Shrimp Tostadas.
As much as I love a regular quesadilla, I’m always up for adding a little bit of pizazz and spice to a recipe. These are definitely not your normal, every day quesadillas!
Shrimp Quesadilla with Chorizo
This is one of those recipes that is great for a weeknight meal, but also easy enough to whip up for lunch. If you have never had the combination of chorizo and shrimp, you are going to fall in love with it in this recipe! You get the spicy chorizo with the sweet shrimp – and don’t believe what you’ve heard about keeping cheese away from seafood. This really is the perfect combination!
What is Chorizo
When a recipe calls for chorizo, it’s not that clear cut. Because there are 2 main kinds of chorizo, and they are actually quite different.
Spanish Chorizo
Spanish chorizo is typically a dried, cured pork sausage that is flavored with paprika. It can be spicy or sweet, depending on the kind of paprika that was used. This is not the kind of chorizo you need for this recipe.
Mexican Chorizo
Mexican chorizo is a sausage that flavored with chili peppers. It can be made of pork, but many times, the Mexican chorizo is made from beef. One of the biggest differences (besides the flavorings and spices) is that Mexican chorizo is usually fresh, not cured like the Spanish chorizo. You can usually find it in links (just like the Italian sausage that you see at the grocery store) or you can find it loose. For this recipe, if you use the links, just remove the casing and crumble the meat, or if using the loose chorizo, just add it to your pan and cook.
I will admit here, that while Spanish and Mexican chorizo are usually not interchangeable, I’m pretty sure the original version of this recipe called for Spanish chorizo (although it wasn’t specified), but I used Mexican and I love the way these Chorizo and Shrimp Quesadillas turned out! So while that rule may be true sometimes, sometimes it’s a good idea to break the rules.
How to Make This Shrimp Quesadilla with Chorizo
- Start by making the smoky guacamole. All you do is combine avocado, sour cream, lime juice and chipotle peppers. It’s super easy. I take the seeds out of the chipotle peppers because they can be quite spicy, but if you like things hot, then you can always leave the seeds in.
- To make the quesadillas, cook the chorizo in a large skillet, breaking it up as it cooks.
- Push the chorizo to the side of the pan. Sprinkle the shrimp with salt and pepper, then add them to the hot pan. Cook for a couple of minutes, then turn the shrimp and cook the on the second side. Remove the pan from the heat.
- Heat a clean skillet over medium heat, then add some olive oil. Add a tortilla and cook for a few seconds, turn it over and add 1/4 of the cheese. Add 1/4 of the chorizo/shrimp mixture, then fold the tortilla in half to enclose the filling.
- Cook until golden, then flip the quesadilla and brown the other side.
- Once cooked, cut the quesadilla into triangles, and cook the remaining 3 quesadillas.
- Serve the quesadillas with the smoky guacamole.
More Quesadilla Recipes
Chicken Quesadilla with Refried Beans
Grilled Chicken Quesadillas
Roasted Veggie Quesadillas
Chipotle Beef Quesadilla Recipe
Cuban Quesadilla Recipe
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Shrimp Quesadilla with Chorizo
Ingredients
- 2 ripe avocados
- juice of 1 lime
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo, seeds removed and minced
- 6 oz fresh Mexican beef chorizo, casing removed
- 12-20 shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed
- 4 12-inch flour tortillas
- 8 oz pepper jack cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Peel and seed the avocados and place in a medium bowl. Use a fork or a masher to roughly mash the flesh. Add the lime juice and a pinch of salt and stir to combine. Stir in the sour cream and chipotle peppers. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed. Refrigerate until needed.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chorizo and cook until completely separated, about 5 minutes.
- Season the shrimp with salt and pepper, then add to the pan with the chorizo, pushing the chorizo to the side. Cook until pink, about 2 minutes, then flip over and cook another minute until the second side is pink. Remove from the heat.
- Place another large skillet over medium heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil. Place one of the tortillas in the pan and cook for 30 seconds, then turn over. Add 1/4 of the cheese to 1/2 of the tortilla, then layer on 1/4 of the shrimp and chorizo. Fold the tortilla over. Cook until the bottom is browned and the cheese is melting, then flip over and cook until the second side is browned. Remove to a cutting board and repeat to make 3 more quesadillas.
- Cut each quesadilla into wedges and serve with the smoky guacamole.
Elle says
These look fantastic! I can only get the spanish chorizo around here, so that’s what I always end up using. Not only does this look great, it’s very simple, too!
The Urban Eater says
Okay Deborah, my Mexican tribute to Sex and The City has been posted!
Dhanggit says
i agree with catherine this is my second mexican delicious treat after her post 🙂 yummy..i love the combination of shrimp and chorizo and the sound of smoky guacamole is irresistible!!
RecipeGirl says
Good to know about chorizo. I haven’t yet cooked with it but I should be- it’s everywhere around here!