A Very Good Supper!

Seafood Tortilla Lasagna

(Adapted from Taste of Home Magazine)

1 (20-24 oz.) jar picante sauce

1 lb. uncooked small/medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, (thawed & drained)

4-6 cloves garlic, minced (I used jarred)

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper (or to taste, I used homegrown red pepper flakes)

1 Tbsp. olive or vegetable oil

1/3 cup butter or margarine

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 (14.5 oz.) can chicken broth

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

18 (6-inch) corn tortillas

1 1/2 lbs imitation crabmeat, flaked

1 regular sized bag shredded Colby/Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 375°.
In a skillet, cook shrimp, garlic, and cayenne in oil until shrimp turn pink, about 3 minutes. (I cut my shrimp into thirds because I don't like "chunks" in my lasagna.) Remove shrimp and liquid* and set aside in another dish. In the same skillet, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat. Stir in heavy cream and picante sauce; heat through.

Spread a thin layer of sauce in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish. (I did not grease mine and nothing stuck.) Layer with 6 tortillas, 1/2 of the shrimp, crab and sauce, and ~ half of the cheese. Layer 6 more tortillas, the remaining shrimp, crab, and sauce, reserving ~ 1/2c cheese. Layer 6 more tortillas and sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake, covered for 30 to 35 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting (it makes a world of difference if you let it settle/cool).

*Even though I thawed/drained my shrimp, a lot of water came out of them when cooked. So when adding the shrimp layers, I just used a slotted spoon to scoop the shrimp.

This dish was wonderful! It has been on my lengthy list of "recipes to try" for a long time, but I've been afraid to go ahead and try it. Seafood, corn tortillas, and picante sauce sounds like sort of an odd combination. But is isn't--I swear!