Upscale enchiladas? You betcha! Take your enchiladas to serious new heights by baking fresh halibut, instead of frying it, and cooking the enchiladas in a delicious tangy verde sauce. Serve with black beans sprinkled with Cotija cheese, and a simple side salad for a truly flavorful meal.

　　

Ingredients

makes 5 servings

　　2 pounds halibut fillets

　　1 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

　　Salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　1 tablespoon unsalted butter

　　1/2 cup chopped onion

　　3/4 cup mayonnaise

　　3/4 cup sour cream

　　1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles

　　2 cups store-bought shredded Mexican cheese mix (8 ounces)

　　4 cups store-bought salsa verde, or homemade Salsa Verde (page 198)

　　10 8-inch corn tortillas

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

　　

Step 2

Lightly coat the halibut with 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil and season it with salt and pepper. Put the halibut in a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish and bake for 25 minutes. Allow the halibut to cool, then flake it into a bowl. Keep the oven at 350°F.

　　

Step 3

Melt the butter in a sauté pan set over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 8 minutes. Transfer the onion to a medium bowl and add the mayonnaise, sour cream, chiles, and 1 cup of the cheese mix. Mix thoroughly.

　　

Step 4

Pour 2 cups of the verde sauce into the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish. Set aside.

　　

Step 5

Heat the remaining 1 cup of vegetable oil in a sauté pan set over medium heat until just warm, then turn off the heat. Put one tortilla in the oil at a time and leave it in the oil for 5 seconds (you are looking to just make the tortilla pliable, not brown or crunchy). Transfer the tortilla to a cutting board. Put 1/4 cup of the fish mixture on one end of the tortilla. Roll up the tortilla and put it on top of the sauce in the casserole dish, seam side down. Repeat until all ten tortillas are filled, then pour the remaining 2 cups verde sauce over the top to coat the enchiladas entirely. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup cheese mix over the top.

　　

Step 6

Bake for 25 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling slightly and the enchiladas are heated through.

　　

note

Step 7

Salsa verde is a versatile sauce that Sandy has in her refrigerator all the time. She likes to warm 1 cup of the sauce in the morning and pour it over eggs and toast for breakfast. It’s a spicy way to start the day!

　　From The Casserole Queens Cookbook by Crystal Cook & Sandy Pollock. Copyright © 2011 by Crystal Cook and Sandy Pollock; Food photographs copyright © 2011 by Ben Fink. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers.Crystal Cook and Sandy Pollock, the Casserole Queens, have been delivering casseroles in Austin, Texas, since 2006; they also teach cooking classes at Whole Foods stores in the area. They have been featured on Food Network's Throwdown! with Bobby Flay and Bobby Flay Radio on Sirius XM, as well as on television news and radio talk shows.