I haven’t had the best luck trying to cook seafood. But my loaded nachos are pretty fabulous, if I do say so myself. (And I just did.) “So what if,” I thought to myself, “I did seafood, but made it like my nachos?”
Hmm, that could work. But the seafood has to be sort of like the chili, so it can’t just be a baked chunk of something. Then I thought about the fettuccine Alfredo with shrimp, scallops and sun-dried tomatoes I had at a local Italian place. Getting close.
Then instead of cheddar, go with muenster so it doesn’t overwhelm the flavor of the scallops. Okay, now it’s on.
Ingredients
fresh-made tortilla chips (or your favorite brand)
1 stick (1/4 pound) butter
1/2 head (~10 cloves) garlic
1 pound shrimp, cleaned and de-veined
3/4 pound small (80-120/lb) scallops
1 teaspoon each kosher salt and coarse-ground black pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
4-5 thick slices muenster cheese (~1/4 pound)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
sun-dried tomatoes
fresh chives
Directions
If you’re not making your own chips, you’ll want to warm up the ones you’ve got. Pop them in the oven set as low as it will go while you get the seafood ready.
Melt the butter over medium-high heat until it just starts to turn brown.
Mince the garlic. I used the new toy for this. You can do it old school if you prefer.
Add the garlic to the butter and stir.
Add the scallops.
I just added them frozen. You can get away with this if the scallops are very small. They thaw out really quickly before the outside burns.
While the scallops are starting, chop the shrimp into pieces about the same size as your scallops.
Add the shrimp and stir again. By this time the scallops should be thawed, so turn the heat down to medium-low.
Add salt and pepper, and stir over medium heat until the shrimp is pink all the way through. It should only take 2-3 minutes.
Add the cream and 3/4 of the muenster (which I also used the new toy to shred) and stir until the cheese is melted.
Remove from heat, add the Parmesan and stir.
Assemble the chips on a serving plate. Usually I do nachos on a large platter and share, but for these I did individual portions.
Top the chips with some of the seafood.
Sprinkle on the rest of the muenster.
Add sun-dried tomatoes and fresh chives.
And that’s it.
8 Comments
Well THAT was a surprise! What a great idea! I wasn't expecting that AT ALL! Hey… what could I substitute for the Shrimp (or shrimp-like animals)? I'm allergic.
Sorry… Anonymous was Me.
Hmm, if it's all shellfish, then you probably can't go with crawfish, crab or lobster either. They would be my first choices.
However if you go with imitation crab meat — by the way, I have no problem with "imitation" foods if it's due to a medical or allergic issue — that's actually made with whitefish, not shellfish.
If you want to really go different, this thread suggests some other options, including cauliflower, and a vegetarian shrimp substitute made with yam flour.
Holy guacamole, that looks good. Hmmm, I might try fontina instead of the Muenster, but then again, why mess with a fabulous-looking recipe? Thank you!
Lobster nachos, now that sounds downright decadent! And we are heading to Maine next week. I might just have to see how many times and ways I can eat lobster and document it! Me no likes scallops. Last time I ate them, lets just say the result was not pretty.
I just bookmarked your blog because I will be back for more deliciousness. These "nachos" look great.
I'm also shellfish allergic. I'd suggest a firm fish like cod, or perhaps Calamari (yum). Sardines? maybe not.
What about Sashimi? (the raw factor would be interesting). But it's nothing *my* grandmother would do. LOL
imitation crab meat – I'd be careful because it's often "flavored" with crab juice.
Shandon, you should always consider a recipe a starting point, not holy writ.
Becca, I'm assuming you're in Maine right now. When you come back, let me know if you got anyone to put lobster on nachos.
E., I think these qualify as nachos, not "nachos". Now the stuff you get in movie theaters in the little plastic tray with the cup of "cheese" on the side … those are "nachos".
Tzard, I hope anyone with allergies pays more attention to what trace ingredients may be in things than what I do. Still, thanks for the tip. (By the way, do you have your Halloween costume picked out yet?)