Crab Meat Enchiladas and Guacamole

Guacamole
2 large ripe avocados
3tbsp lemon or lime juice
2 garlic cloves crushed
40g/1.5oz chopped spring onions
1-2 tbsp chopped mild green chilies, or jalapenos
2tbsp chopped fresh coriander
salt and black pepper
125g/4oz Skinned, seeded and chopped tomatoes

Cut the avocados in half and carefully remove the peel and stones. Scoop out the flesh and sprinkle with a little of the lemon or lime juice to stop it from discoloring.
Coarsely mash the avocado with the remaining lemon or lime juice. Add everything else and mix well, then cover and leave in the fridge for at least an hour.

Enchiladas De Jaiba (crab stuffed tortillas)
Oil for shallow frying
12 soft corn tortillas
450ml/3/4 pint red chili sauce (recipe below)
500g/1lb crab meat
250g/8oz grated cheddar cheese
125g/4oz diced mozzarella cheese
1 small red onion, finely chopped
3tbsp chopped fresh coriander

Heat the oil in a large shallow pan and shallow fry the tortillas one at a time over moderate heat for a few seconds until they become limp. Do not overcook them or they will crisp. (I actually skipped this part)
Pat tortillas with absorbent paper towels, then spread each one with some chili sauce (below). Put some crab meat down the middle of the tortilla. Sprinkle some of the cheeses on top (making sure you are reserving some for the top). Add some chopped red onion, roll up the tortillas and place them in a buttered oven proof dish.

Pour the remaining sauce over the top, then sprinkle over with the remaining cheese and bake at 200c/400f for 15 to 20 minutes.

Serve with sour cream and guacamole

Salsa Roja (red chili sauce)
5 small dried chilies, crumbled
3tbsp boiling water
425g/14oz canned chopped tomatoes
4tbsp oil
2 onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp ground cumin
1tsp ground coriander
1.5 tbsp wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
Place chilies and boiling water in a food processor. Drain the tomatoes, reserving the juice. Add the chopped tomatoes to the processor and blend until smooth. Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the onion and garlic until soft. Stir in all other ingredients and simmer, covered for 10 minutes.

These are from a book called Essential Mexican Cookery. It doesn’t seem to have an author, but it is published by Chancellor Press. I found this book at a car boot sale (like a yard sale), for 50p. Excellent! It has already earned back it’s price and then some.

These were really good, and also really easy to make. I didn’t fry the tortillas, and I really don’t think they were any worse off for it. I also made the last two with just cheese, no crab no onion for the boys. My older son, who is going through a seriously picky eating phase, ate his whole plate, and tried to wrestle away his brothers too. That is really saying a lot.

The Guacamole was really good too. This one is a definite keeper, and I’m absolutely going to try more stuff from this book.