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5 from 1 vote

Open-Faced Shrimp Quesadillas - Gluten Free

Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time8 minutes
Total Time28 minutes
Course: dinner, lunch, Snack
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: avocado, gluten free, jalapeno, limes, mexican, mexican cheese blend, Onions, pizza, quesadilla, shrimp, sour cream, tomatoes
Servings: 2 quesadillas
Author: GFchow @ gfchow.com

Ingredients

  • 2 gluten free tortillas I use Mission Brand
  • 1 cup (or more) shredded Mexican cheese blend I use Trader Joe’s

Toppings

  • 1/3 cup tomatoes chopped
  • 1/2 small avocado pit removed and diced
  • 1-2 tablespoons jalapeño slices either fresh or Trader Joe's Hot & Sweet Jalapeños
  • 1-2 tablespoons cliantro leaves whole, torn, or rough chopped
  • a few red onion slices thinly sliced
  • lime wedges and extra cilantro for garnish

Shrimp

  • 6 shrimp, U-12 size or smaller (approx 1/3 lb) raw, peeled, and cut in half vertically*
  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Kosher salt and pepper to season

Lime Crema

  • 1/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
  • 1/4 teaspoon lime zest
  • 1 teaspoon lime juice fresh squeezed
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic minced
  • pinch of salt

Instructions

Shrimp

  • Mix cumin, olive oil, salt and pepper together. Add shrimp and combine to coat.
  • Light grill on medium-high heat. Once preheated, spray with non-stick oil and then carefully place shrimp onto grill. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until bottom side turns color. Flip and cook for an additional 1 minute, until both sides are pink. Place shrimp in a bowl or on a plate and set aside.

Lime Crema

  • Mix sour cream, lime zest and juice, garlic, and salt. Set aside.

Assembly

  • Reduce heat on grill low to avoid burning the tortillas. Re-spray grill if necessary. Place 2 tortillas on the grill and sprinkle 3/4 of the cheese onto each tortilla. Once cheese begins to melt, top with shrimp, avocado, tomato, onion, and jalapeño slices. Then top with remaining cheese and cilantro and cover the grill. Total cooking time is 3-5 minutes, or until all cheese is melted and tortillas are toasted. Carefully remove tortillas from the grill with a large spatula and place on a serving platter.

To Serve

  • Place Open-Faced Shrimp Quesadillas on a large platter. Drizzle or spoon the lime crema onto the quesadillas and garnish with lime wedges and cilantro.

Notes

*Smaller sized shrimp can be used in this recipe. If using smaller shrimp they will not need to be cut in half vertically but remember to reduce the cooking time because smaller shrimp need less time to cook. Also, If you're in a time pinch, cooked shrimp can be used but the texture and taste won’t be nearly as good as when you cook the shrimp yourself. 
** If drizzling the lime crema, place in a plastic baggie and make a very small cut off the tip of the baggie to drizzle the crema onto the quesadillas.
All of the toppings are optional and can be modified or deleted. For example, you can use salsa or salsa verde, scallions, bacon, edamame, and/or avocado cream. It’s your quesadilla, make it your way!
If not gluten free, use your favorite store-bought tortilla; or better yet, make your own!
These quesadillas can also be made on a griddle pan instead of on the grill.