Friday, March 20, 2009


fresh and delicious crab quesadillas

i just cannot get enough of the intercourses cookbook. to my dear friend laura - this book has been so much fun. i'm going to facebook message you to let you know, but thank you thank you!

this must be how everyone in the tuesdays with dorie cooking club feels about her book. while i don't make what everyone else is making every week - i can understand wanting to try more and more and share the experience with others. these crab quesadillas are up there as one of my favorite new recipes that i can see myself making over and over this summer.



first time using a tomatillo

as a bonus, they are so simple and like most quesadillas, require almost no prep or cooking. plus they are packed with fresh ingredients and i'm certain they would only be enhanced by a nice frozen margarita. (dreaming of summer much?)


avocado? sign me up.

i'm sharing the recipe for the quesadilla but skipping the peach salsa accompianment the book includes. i often shy away from fruity salsas and am working on that. plus it's the middle of winter round these parts and peaches just aren't good right now. i used a basic pico de gallo with chopped onion, tomato, and cilantro mixed with salt and lime juice.

crab quesadillas (intercourses)
2 medium avocados
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 tbs chopped fresh cilantro
6 6-inch flour tortillas, preferably freshly made from the grocery store or a restaurant
1 tomatillo, husked, washed, thinly sliced and peel removed
1 8-oz container high quality crab meat, picked over for shells
2 limes
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 teaspoons olive oil

1. slice avocado in half lengthwise, remove the pit, and make thin slices lengthwise through the flesh
2. scoop out the sliced halves with a spoon
3. combine cream cheese and cilantro until evenly distributed
4. spread a layer of cream cheese over on entire side of each tortilla
5. place a few pieces of tomatillo over half of the tortilla, then top with crab meat
6. squirt fresh lime juice over the the crab, season with salt and pepper, and top with a layer of avocado slices
7. fold over the tortilla, pressing down lightly so everything stays in place (like a half moon*)
8. swirl oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and add 2 quesadillas to the pan and cover
9. cook 2 to 3 minutes, until underside starts to brown - flip to cook other side until golden
10. slice in half for easy eating and serve with peach (or whatever!) salsa

(*instead of half moons i did full tortillas, 1 bottom/1 top, and cooked them as whole circles)


cannot resist

have i mentioned that i loved these? the cream cheese and cilantro gets all warm, the avocado and tomatillo are perfect together, and the lump crab doesn't need any help. it's 10 am right now and i'm hardly able to keep myself from pawing at the screen. when we made these, we used only half the can of crab meat, allowing for a second meal of this tasty treat. i wish i had some this instant, with leftovers for about an hour from now.

5 comments:

Ellie said...

These look delish!

Molly Jean said...

Mmm these look so good! Great photos too :)

Thomas said...

Avocado AND margaritas? I can't wait for summer warm times either! I'll skip the crabs, though. Kthxbaikisses.

Anonymous said...

These look so good that I can't decide if I should drool or wet myself a little bit. Seriously! Great job on the photos, too.

FIL

Anonymous said...

These look so awesome! I love your blog by the way, lots of yummy treats I will have to try out!