Not your average quesadillas!
These are filled with delectable crabmeat and Monterey Jack cheese
and served with a kicky mango salsa.
Crab Quesadillas
With Mango Salsa
1 large mango, seeded,
peeled and diced*
2 tablespoons chopped red onion
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/2-inch piece gingerroot, peeled and grated
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 pound crabmeat, flaked
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 jalapeño**, seeded and minced
4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided use
4 flour tortillas
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- To make salsa, mix together
mango, onion, lemon juice, ginger, and cayenne pepper and chill.
- In a small bowl, mix together
crabmeat, cilantro, and jalapeno; set aside.
- Heat a 10-inch cast-iron
skillet over medium heat and lightly coat with 1 tablespoon oil.
Place 1 tortilla in the pan, cook less than a minute, and turn.
Sprinkle with 1 cup of the cheese. Top with an even layer of
half the crab mixture, and top with another tortilla. Press with
spatula, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until the cheese
is melted and the tortillas are browned in spots, about 5 minutes
total, turning frequently with a spatula. Transfer to serving
platter: repeat with remaining ingredients. To serve, slice each
into quarters and top with salsa.
Makes 8 servings.
*To Peel a Mango: Stand
the mango on end and slice down along the sides of the large
flat pit with a boning knife or other long, flexible knife, curving
around the pit as you slice. You will end up with three sections:
two larger, rounded sections and a flat center section. Score
the fruit in each rounded section lengthwise into slices, then
crosswise into chunks, if desired. Holding a rounded section
by its edges, push at the curved bottom to turn the rind inside
out. The slices or chunks can then be cut away from the rind.
Trim away rind from the flat center section and separate as much
fruit as possible from the pit. Always cut away from yourself
and be careful - mango is very slippery
**Working with jalapeños
or other chiles:
Capsacian is the ingredient in chiles that causes the burning
sensation associated with fresh peppers. It's a good idea to
use rubber gloves when handling fresh chiles. (Disposable surgical
gloves, available at most drugstores, work best for this.) If
you choose not to use gloves, be extremely careful not to touch
any part of your body, especially your eyes. After you've finished
handling the chiles, wash your knife and cutting board with hot
soapy water to ensure that there is no carry-over to other foods
that may come in contact with the peppers.
