Grilled Shrimp Quesadilla with Spicy Homemade Salsa - Carne Asada Seasoning Also Works Well on Seafood

My friend got me a bottle of carne asada seasoning from the states. Usually carne asada is meant for steak, however, after trying it on this grilled shrimp quesadilla recipe, it's proven that carne asada seasoning can also be a great helper when preparing seafood. A very flavorful one.

Grilled shrimp quesadilla with spicy homemade salsa -

Ingredients (makes one full round-sized serving)?

For the salsa:

• 1 ripe tomato
• 1/4 onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1 1/2 tablespoons pickled jalapeño
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Some lemon juice (depending on preference but no more than 1/2 lemon)

Others:

• 2 medium/large tortillas
• 12 medium shrimps (peeled, deveined)
• 1 teaspoon carne asada seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar and mozzarella (Mexican cheese blend works even better)
• Some cayenne pepper

How?

Marinate peeled, deveined shrimps with 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil, 1/8 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of carne asada seasoning for about 10 minutes -

If the weather is too hot, it's better to cover the container with a lid or foil and let the shrimps marinate in the fridge instead.

Prepare a big bowl, add in seeded and cubed tomato, about one cup. Also add in peeled and cubed onion, 2 tablespoons of finely chopped cilantro, 1 1/2 tablespoons of finely chopped pickled jalapeño, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, zest of one lemon, and some lemon juice -

Mix well and give it a quick taste, adjust the flavor with salt and lemon juice per your liking. Don't over salt the salsa since carne asada seasoning and cheese also contain certain amount of salt.

Brush olive oil to the grill pan and turn to high heat. Once the surface gets hot enough, grill the shrimps till both sides change color. Rather slightly undercooked the shrimps instead of well done because the remaining heat will continue the cooking process even after removing the shrimps from the pan. 

When the shrimps are ready, remove from heat and let them cool down. Chop into smaller pieces and set aside for later use.

Lay one tortilla onto a non-stick flat-surfaced pan and turn to medium heat. Evenly lay the chopped shrimps all over and sprinkle generous amount of shredded cheese mix -

Top with the other tortilla and slightly pressing it down. Once the bottom heats up, carefully flip the tortilla to cook the other side. Continue to press it so the melted cheese can better bind two tortillas together. 

One safer way to flip the tortillas is by covering the pan with a big plate. Turn both the pan and the plate upside down so the tortilla now falls onto the plate. Carefully slide the tortilla back to the pan to heat up the other side.

So now tortilla turned quesadilla. Transfer the quesadilla onto a plate or a big cutting board and cut into triangular pieces. 

Dust with cayenne pepper and serve with spicy and tangy homemade salsa. 

Of course you can swap out the shrimps and use what carne asada was meant for - steak, but I actually really enjoyed that crustacean aroma together with strong carne asada flavor. The creaminess from the melted cheese also helped a little soothing the burning sensation from the jalapeño salsa and the spiciness from the carne asada seasoning. 

It was a good burn. 


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• Summer recipe - grilled shrimp and steak tacos
• Weekend brunch? Try rotisseries chicken with kiwi salsa ciabatta sandwich
• Inspired by the movie "Chef" - here's my version of grilled cheese with homemade salsa
• Grilled shrimps with mango salsa (and a kick of deadly chilies)