Not your ordinary nachos. These have garlic shrimp and creamy homemade queso over thin, crisp tortilla chips. These are perfect for the Super Bowl or for any time you need to have a crunchy, salty snack with tons of melting cheese sauce.
Course
Appetizer
Cuisine
Mexican
Keyword
Nachos with Shrimp Scampi and Queso
Prep Time20minutes
Cook Time15minutes
Total Time35minutes
Ingredients
For the queso:
2tablespoonsbutter
1cupfinely minced onion
1/2cuproastedpeeled, seeded and finely chopped poblano peppers
1tablespoonminced garlic
½teaspooncumin
1 1/2cupscanned petite diced tomatoesdrained
18-ounce package cream cheese, cubed
16ouncesgrated Monterey jack cheese
4tablespoonschopped cilantro
Tabasco sauce
For the shrimp scampi:
2tablespoonsbutter
16ouncesraw medium shrimpdiced and very dry
2tablespoonsfinely chopped garlic
¼cupchopped parsley
¼cupcilantro
juice of half of a lemon
11ouncesthin and crispy corn chips
8ouncesshredded cheddar cheese
1-2jalapeno peppersthinly sliced (optional)
½cupchopped cilantro for garnish
Instructions
For the queso:
Melt the butter in a medium sized heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and roasted poblano peppers and sauté until onion is translucent, about 6 minutes.
Stir in the garlic and cumin and cook for 5 minutes until the garlic is soft. Add the tomatoes and cream cheese and increase the heat to medium high. Stir the mixture until the cream cheese is melted.
Stir in the Monterey Jack cheese in handfuls, allowing the cheese to melt before adding more.
Stir in the cilantro and Tobasco to taste. Set aside while you make the shrimp scampi.
For the shrimp scampi:
Over medium high heat melt the butter. Add the shrimp and garlic and stir the mixture quickly until the shrimp are just cooked, about 5 minutes. Do not overcook them.
Stir in the cilantro and lemon juice and set aside.
For nacho assembly:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
On a large baking sheet scatter the corn chips. Evenly spoon the shrimp scampi over the chips and pour the queso evenly over the shrimp.
Sprinkle the cheddar cheese over the top and bake the nachos for 10 minutes until the cheddar cheese is melted.
Garnish the nachos with the cilantro and the sliced jalapenos, if desired.