I got a big kick out of this recipe when I initially made it. It calls for ‘leftover shrimp’.
Does anyone ever have leftover shrimp? If anything, when you serve these as appetizers, they’re so addictive, you are more likely to have nothing but a tail leftover. Then I proved myself wrong. I made roasted shrimp using Ina Garten’s superb recipe. Roasting shrimp makes infinite good sense. When you boil shrimp, you’re basically boiling out the flavor, all of which will be absorbed by the water they’re boiled in. Roast shrimp and you’re roasting the flavor into the shrimp. I can almost guarantee you will never boil another shrimp once you’ve tried Ina’s recipe. And surprise! I made so many of them, I did in fact have some beautifully roasted shrimp left over. And with them, I made some fantastic Quesadillas pictured above.
Two Best Ways to Make Quesadillas
As you can see in the key visual, you can take a flour tortilla, fill it with the shrimp 
mixture of corn, cheese, and seasonings and then top it with a second tortilla. And if you happen to be in possession of a panini maker, you’re in great shape for ‘toasting’ the one on top. But let’s face it, most people don’t own a panini maker. The alternative is to use a large non-stick sauté pan. But oh, the perils of having to flip the tortilla over while keeping the shrimp mixture intact. So on to the second method 
shown here. Simply put the tortilla in the non-stick pan and cover one side with the shrimp, corn, and cheese. Then gently fold the other half over it, and press it down lightly. Cover the quesadilla lightly with foil to keep it warm while you make as many others as you’d like.
A couple more hints for the day
Since discovering Ina Garten’s Roasted Shrimp cocktail, I use it every chance I get. It gives you shrimp that are truly the best I’ve ever had. And it’s very simple. But just supposing, you have no leftover shrimp on hand, and want to make this dish for two, you should roast about 8 shrimp. And if you want to give this dish a real kick, serve your quesadillas with some store-bought salsa verde.
Ina Garten's Recipe for Roasted Shrimp
A truly wonderful way to bring out all the flavor of shrimp
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (12 to 15-count) shrimp (24 to 30 Shrimp)
- 1 tablespoon good olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- (If just cooking the shrimp for quesadillas, adjust volumes accordingly)
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Step 2 Peel and devein the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Place them on a sheet pan with the olive oil, salt, and pepper and spread them in 1 layer. Roast for 8 to10 minutes, just until pink and firm and cooked through.
- Step 3 Set aside to cool. “Now how easy was that?” as Ina would say.
Shrimp and Corn and Queso Quesadillas
A wonderful flavor-filled Shrimp, Corn and Cheese combination that's quick and easy to make.
Ingredients
- 2-4 8-inch Soft Flour Tortillas
- 1 ½ cups cooked shrimp, shelled, tail removed, cut into half-inch pieces.
- 1 ½ cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 1 cup cooked corn (a can of Niblets goosed up with some onion, hot sauce, and a spritz of fresh lime juice.)
- Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper
- 1 ripe avocado, halved and sliced on the bias.
Directions
- Step 1 Lightly Brush one side of a flour tortilla with olive oil.
- Step 2 Place tortilla, olive oil side down, on a Panini maker. Alternatively, use a 12-inch non-stick skillet.
- Step 3 Put a layer of grated Monterrey jack on the tortilla –all over if using a panini maker or leaving the other half to fold over when cooked in the non-stick skillet
- Step 4 Sprinkle shrimp pieces over the cheese.
- Step 5 Spoon corn over shrimp and cheese.
- Step 6 Either top the mixture in the panini maker with another tortilla or fold the tortilla over to cover the shrimp, cheese, and corn mixture in the non-stick pan.
- Step 7 Cook until sizzling and brown marks show on the tortilla.
- Step 8 Remove from heat, and top quesadilla with avocado slices drizzled with olive oil.
Love mexican food. Love this recipe. Love Cilantro. Adding it to this, OK?
Oooo. Nice.
Cilantro away!
Oh this is so perfect int this 100 degree heat! Quesadillas and Tecate. AND leftover shrimp is about as probable as leftover Tecate.. Just not gonna happen. Thank Monte!
Always so much fun to hear from you Ana! And this is so funny! XOXO Monte