A delicious recipe for Shrimp Enchiladas, filled with tender garlic shrimp, sweet corn, and lime zest, lathered in a flavorful Yellow Mole Sauce. Vegetarian-adaptable. Includes a video!
Only love can be divided endlessly and still not diminish.
Anne Morrow Lindbergh
This recipe for Shrimp Enchiladas with Yellow Mole Sauce is a delightful mix of texure and flavors. Shrimp are sauteed with butter, garlic, corn, cilantro, and lime zest, becoming the delicious filling for these tasty enchiladas. The Yellow Mole sauce is made with yellow bell peppers, jalapeno, pumpkin seeds, spices, and a whisper of saffron, then blended into a silky smooth vibrant sauce. Together, the zesty corn and shrimp filling with luscious sauce is such a feast for the senses! Love Mexican Cuisine? Visit 45 Fresh & Tasty Mexican Recipes!
What is Yellow Mole Sauce?
This yellow mole sauce is my take on Mole Amarillo. Mole Amarillo is a golden-colored mole sauce originating from Oaxaca, traditionally made with aji amarillo chiles (which are hard to find here). Mole Amarillo is typically paired with lighter proteins- chicken, fish, or seafood. We’ve simplified it a bit here.
Shrimp Enchilada Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Shrimp– I always look for wild, raw, peeled, and deveined shrimp to save time. Trader Joe’s has some in their freezer section. If making these vegetarian, you could sub roasted cauliflower or black beans.
- Peppers & Chilies – To get the mole sauce a vibrant yellow- use yellow or orange bell peppers for color! Jalapeno adds the perfect heat- or sub-canned green chiles.
- Pumpkin Seeds– give the mole creaminess, but you could easily sub cashews or a little tahini paste.
- Spices – cumin, coriander, saffron and cayenne to taste.
- Fresh Lime– Fresh lime zest and juice adds a lovely acidity.
- Tortillas– Corn or flour tortillas work here- not too thick.
- Cheese– use a mild melty cheese like queso fresco, Monterey jack cheese, pepper jack cheese or shredded mozzarella
How to make Shrimp Enchiladas
Step one: Make the Yellow Mole Sauce. (You could do this ahead).
Saute onion, bell pepper, and garlic until fragrant. Add spices, saffron water, salt, broth and pumpkin seeds and simmer until seeds soften. Blend until smooth.
Step two: Make the Shrimp Enchilada filling.
Chop up the shrimp and saute in butter and garlic over medium high heat. Add corn, lime zest, oregano, and cilantro. Season. Mix in cheese and a little of the yellow mole sauce. Taste and adjust salt, heat and lime. Add a pinch of cayenne pepper, for added heat, or a squeeze of lime juice for more acid.
Step three: Assemble. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Warm the corn tortillas to make them pliable. Fill each tortilla with 1/2 cup of the shrimp mixture, roll tortilla, then place seam-side down in the baking dish. Lather with enchilada sauce. You won’t need all the sauce- save the rest for plating. Sprinkle with cheese. (You could do this all ahead and refrigerate for 24 hours before baking.)
Step four: Bake. Bake uncovered at 375F until golden and melty, about 20 minutes.
To plate the enchiladas, warm the remaining yellow mole sauce in a sauce pan, spoon a little on each plate, and top with an enchilada. Add sliced radishes and chopped cilantro. Microgreens would be pretty here too.
What to Serve with Shrimp Enchiladas
These are on the slightly richer side- so I like to opt for something light like our Mexican Slaw or this Cucumber Salad. My husband always loves rice; this Mexican Rice pairs well.
Shrimp Enchilada FAQS
Yes! The sauce and filling can both be made ahead, and the enchiladas can be assembled one day ahead before baking.
Yes, substitute the shrimp with roasted cauliflower- chop it up small! You could also add beans. To make this vegan, use melty vegan cheese.
Corn tortillas are more traditional and authentic, but both can be used. If using corn tortillas, warm them so they are pliable to prevent cracking when rolling. They can be lightly toasted in the oven, grill, or pan-seared. Dipping the warm tortillas in enchilada sauce before rolling is also traditional but does require an extra step.
More recipes you may enjoy!
Enjoy these and let us know what you think in the comments below. -xo
Shrimp Enchiladas Video
Shrimp Enchiladas Recipe
- Prep Time: 40
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: dinner idea, shrimp, seafood
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: mexican
Description
A delicious recipe for Shrimp Enchiladas, filled with tender garlic shrimp, sweet corn, and lime zest, lathered in a flavorful Yellow Mole Sauce. Vegetarian-adaptable, with a video!
Ingredients
Yellow Mole Sauce:
- pinch saffron with hot water
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, white or yellow, rough chopped
- 4 garlic, rough chopped
- 2 yellow bell peppers (or one orange and one yellow for BEST color)
- 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds (or raw cashews)
- 2 teaspoons coriander
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/8–1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 3/4 teaspoons salt, more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, optional, for color.
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice (zest it, save for filling)
Shrimp Enchilada Filling:
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 garlic cloves, rough chopped
- 1 –2 tablespoons jalapeno, finely chopped
- 1 lb shrimp, raw, peeled and deveined, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups corn, fresh is nice, frozen is fine
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon lime zest
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 1/2 –2 cups shredded mozzarella or queso fresco, divided (6 ounces)
- 1/4 cup cilantro
8 x 6-inch corn tortillas
Garnish: cilantro, radish, microgreens
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F
- Make the yellow mole sauce: Pour 2 tablespoons boiling water over the saffron, and let sit. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Saute onion, bell pepper and garlic, and cover to let this steam and soften for about 5 minutes. Add coriander, cumin, cayenne (go light, add more to taste later) salt, pepper and saffron water. Stir one minute. Add the stock and pumpkin seeds. Bring to a simmer, cover, and simmer gently for 10-15 minutes until pumpkin seeds have softened. Let this cool. Add the lime juice. Blend until creamy, and silky smooth. You could do this ahead. Taste and adjust the cayenne to your liking. If you want to bump up the yellow color, add 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric.
- Make the enchilada filling. Chop the shrimp into small pieces. Heat the butter and garlic over medium-low heat. Add the shrimp and jalapeno and saute 2-3 minutes. Add the corn, oregano, lime zest, and salt. Once the shrimp is cooked, turn off the heat. If it is liquidy, drain. Stir in the cilantro, and add 1/2 cup of the mole sauce and half of the cheese. Taste and adjust salt, heat (add cayenne if you want) and acid (add a little lime juice if you want).
- Assemble. Warm the tortillas (so they are pliable and don’t crack when rolled) either in the oven, microwave, pan-sear or heat over a gas flame-then wrap up in a towel. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish. Place roughly 1/2 cup of the filling in each tortilla, rolling one at a time, placing seam side down in the baking dish. Lather with the sauce- you won’t need all -save the extras for plating. Sprinkle with cheese.
- Bake uncovered until golden and melty, 20-25 minutes.
- If serving like the photo above, heat the remaining mole sauce in a small saucepan. Spoon a little mole sauce on a plate, place the enchilada over the top. Top with thinly sliced radishes and a sprinkling of chopped cilantro. Microgreens are nice here too.
Notes
These can be made a day ahead and refrigerated- be sure to bring to room temp before baking.
For a different sauce option, this Creamy Poblano Sauce would taste good too!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 enchilada
- Calories: 326
- Sugar: 3.8 g
- Sodium: 968.7 mg
- Fat: 17.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 5.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 24 g
- Fiber: 3.6 g
- Protein: 21.6 g
- Cholesterol: 111.9 mg
These were so good. It were the best enchiladas I ever made. I’ll definitely make again. Next time I will premake the mole sauce.
Great to hear!
OMG, the enchilada sauce it so delicious, included the lime zest too and chickpea cooking liquid instead of chicken broth.
We eat plant based so subbed sautéed tempeh for the shrimp, included a tad of cooked grain. This will be on regular rotation. Thank you Sylvia!
Awesome to hear Joyce!
Disappointed with the results including presentation considering the time and effort executing the recipe.
Shoot Barbara, sorry to hear this. Can you give more specifics?
Really enjoyed this one! I love the color and the spiciness of the sauce and filling. I kept it vegan and used crispy tofu instead of shrimp. Love the extra sauce to serve with. I made the filling and sauce on one day, then assembled the next day. Definitely worth every step!
Great to hear Angeli!
This is a fabulous recipe (“winner dinner” according to spouse). I let the veggies for the sauce brown a little so my colour wasn’t a nice yellow but it was delicious nevertheless. Also, I don’t eat dairy so skipped the cheese. I may try it with some vegan cheese in a future attempt but I didn’t think I was missing anything.
Great to hear Laurie!
Amazing! My husband and I just made this for the first time and we are in love with it! This will be a new regular recipe in our home! Thank you SO much Sylvia!
Wonderful Susan!
I have made this exactly as written twice and it’s phenomenal. It was called my best meal!! I am thinking of making tomorrow with crab and zucchini… (crab from earlier this season- picked and frozen)
I was thinking I would salt the zucchini and then cook like the shrimp, and just stir in the crab at the end.
That sounds delicious! Let us know how it turns out.
this was my first recipe to make from feasting at home…it was divine!!! I followed it as written, will definitely make it again!!!
So happy to hear this!
There are so many recipes that are really tasty, and easy to adjust for different proteins, and or vegetarian/vegan. Sylvia is amazing! You will definitely find yourself coming back for more!
Thanks Joseph! Appreciate you 🙏
Family LOVED the shrimp filling and the unique mole sauce. The sauce was creamy and the perfect companion to the shrimp. Family said this was a keeper!
Awesome Melinda, happy everyone enjoyed!
This is yet another amazing recipe! The flavour combination is divine. Its also very simple to make.
Great to hear Anna!
I am anxious to make this recipe. Are there any suggestions from those who have made it?
Just do it!
I made these yesterday and enjoyed them. I really appreciate your notes on substitution options in your recipes.
Glad you enjoyed these Jim!
This recipe is delicious; great depth of flavor. Hubby cannot tolerate any bell peppers so while he was out of town, I made this for some girlfriends. Everyone raved. Thank you again for sharing your wonderfully flavorful and healthy recipes.
I am so glad you all enjoyed this!
These shrimp enchiladas are insanely delicious. The yellow mole sauce is heavenly–creamy, balanced, and unique in a subtle way. My boyfriend said yesterday, “Those shrimp enchiladas and the fesenjan (also from Feasting at Home) are the two recipes that I’d want to make for guests any time.” YUM!
Awww… love hearing this- thanks!
Sylvia – We made the Shrimp Enchiladas earlier in the day for a quicker dinner. Wow – is all we can say – these are so good! We so enjoy your Farmer’s Market Vegetarian Enchiladas that they are on our regular dinner rotation. The Shrimp enchiladas will also join the rotation – yum!
Thanks Joy- Im so happy you enjoyed these!
Sylvia – these Shrimp Enchiladas are fantastic! Made them earlier in the day for an easy dinner – yum!
We are a big fan of your Farmer’s Market Vegetarian Enchiladas, they are on our regular rotation – the shrimp enchiladas will be added as well!
Awesome to hear! Thanks for the comment and rating- appreciated! ❤️
I made these last weekend and they were SO good. They definitely take a little time to put together, but it wasn’t hard. Well worth the time!
Great to hear Molly!
Absolutely fantastic. Flavors were beautifully combined. And of course, color…
Definitely one of my new go to recipes.
Loved it
Thanks so much Gail- happy you enjoyed these!
This may be the best sauce….ever! I had some leftover crepes in my freezer in place of tortilla wraps. The dish is so pretty with the bright yellow colour and was an amazing dinner. Thank you!
Glad you like it…I love the color too. 😉