Prawns Quesadillas with Caramelized Onions
I was craving something different for dinner, so I decided to make prawns quesadillas with caramelized onions. I didn't have a recipe, so I just threw together some ingredients that I thought would go well together. The result was a delicious and flavorful dish that my family loved.
I was craving something different for dinner, so I decided to make prawns quesadillas with caramelized onions. I didn't have a recipe, so I just threw together some ingredients that I thought would go well together. The result was a delicious and flavorful dish that my family loved.
- salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- sour cream
- 1 pound non cooked prawns shell removed and deveined
- 2 large onions peeled and thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1/2 cabbage, thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon butter
- 2 lemons, squeezed
- 2 tablespoons water – if necessary
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
- 1/2 garlic clove smashed
- 4 large flour quesadillas
- Carbohydrate 78.9535821874315 g
- Cholesterol 266.395151046174 mg
- Fat 27.1038457620982 g
- Fiber 10.2773123226275 g
- Protein 36.7707676145327 g
- Saturated Fat 13.1113905677403 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (511g)
- Sodium 1366.67454324006 mg
- Sugar 68.676269864804 g
- Trans Fat 1.89940941053001 g
- Calories 693 calories
Step-by-step
- This recipe is made in steps. Start with the onions as they take the longest to cook, 10 minutes.
- Caramelized onions: In a large skillet over medium heat melt the butter until foam appears. Add the onions and cook slowly stirring frequently until obtaining a light golden and translucent onion. Add the sugar, mix well until the sugar is melted. Set aside and keep warm.
- Cabbage: In the same skillet of the onion, add the butter and the cabbage. Stir a couple of times and add the lemon juice. Add the water and season with salt and pepper. When the cabbage is wilted and juice all absorbed, remove from the heat and keep warm.
- Prawns: Over medium heat, add the 2 tablespoons butter, the garlic and parsley. Once the butter is melted add the prawns and cook over high heat until all the prawns turn pink. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce the remaining sauce left in the pan. Set aside.
- Putting it all together and enjoying it: Spread a little butter over one side of the flour quesadilla. In a large cast iron skillet place the flour quesadilla, butter side down and golden for 30 seconds and turn to the other side and do the same. Place one quesadilla on each plate and start layering: Cabbage, caramelized onions, prawns and divides the remaining sauce left from the prawn equally over the 4 plates. Fold and serve.
Onions require patience during caramelization, demanding a sustained medium heat for 10 minutes to transform from raw slices into translucent, golden strands without scorching. Cooks frequently rush this phase by turning the burner too high, which burns the exterior before the natural sugars can break down fully. Sugar accelerates the browning process, but adding it too early hardens the cell walls of the onions and halts proper softening.
Shrimp demand equally careful attention because shellfish overcooks in seconds. High heat is necessary when introducing prawns to the melted butter, garlic, and parsley mixture, but remove the pan from the heat the exact moment the flesh turns pink and opaque. Leaving prawns in a hot pan past this stage creates a rubbery texture that ruins the mouthfeel of the folded tortilla. Reducing the remaining pan juices until concentrated yields a flavorful pan sauce that must be distributed evenly over the fillings before folding, preventing dry bites.
Using a cast-iron skillet for toasting the flour tortillas guarantees an even, crisp exterior. Buttering one side and browning each side for 30 seconds requires strict timing; cast iron retains heat aggressively, so watch for deep golden spots to avoid burning. When preparing this dish for larger gatherings, scale the components independently rather than crowding the skillet, keeping the cooked cabbage, onions, and prawns warm in separate bowls until assembly.
