Quesadillas de Jaiba con Salsa Roja (Crab Quesadillas)
Crisp flour tortillas filled with melted cheese and sweet crab, served with a warm red chilli dipping sauce.
Made with Red enchilada sauce and Flour tortillas. Make a batch of the base first, then this takes minutes. Skip to the method
- Time25 min
- LevelEasy
- Costabout £2.46 a head
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Ingredients
Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.
Method
- 1
Warm your ready made red enchilada sauce (see the base recipe) in a small pan and pour it into a bowl for dipping.
- 2
Mix the crab with the spring onions, jalapeño and lime juice. Add a pinch of salt.
- 3
Lay a flour tortilla in a dry frying pan over a medium heat. Cover half with cheese and a quarter of the crab, then more cheese. Fold over to make a half moon.
- 4
Brush the top with a little oil, cook for 2 to 3 minutes until golden underneath, then flip and cook for 2 minutes more until the cheese melts. Repeat to make 4 folded quesadillas, using 2 tortillas each if you want them sandwich style.
4 min 30 s - 5
Cut into wedges and serve with the warm red sauce for dipping.
Tips
- Grate the cheese yourself. Pre grated cheese has anti caking coatings that melt less smoothly.
- Cook over a medium heat so the cheese melts before the tortilla burns.
- Make them in a corn tortilla and call them tacos dorados if you prefer gluten free.
- Add a handful of chopped coriander to the crab for freshness.
Storing and freezing
Best eaten straight from the pan. Cool leftovers within 1 hour, keep in the fridge for up to 1 day and reheat in a hot pan until steaming hot all the way through.
Questions
Which cheese is best?
Oaxaca cheese melts into long strands and is the most authentic. Low moisture mozzarella is the best UK substitute.
Can I use tinned crab?
Yes. Drain 2 tins very well and squeeze out the liquid so the quesadilla does not turn soggy.
Can I freeze them?
Not recommended, as crab and soft tortillas do not freeze well. Make them fresh, because they take under 10 minutes.
Can I make them gluten free?
Use gluten free tortillas or corn tortillas folded over, and check the label on both. The sauce is gluten free if made with gluten free stock.
More made with red enchilada sauce
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.