Seafood Enchiladas with Imitation Crab Recipe
Try this tasty Seafood Enchiladas recipe! Made with imitation crab, it’s creamy, cheesy, and packed with flavor! It’s the perfect homemade version of my favorite dish from a Mexican restaurant. For more recipes, see my Recipe Index page.
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Today I’m sharing one of our all-time family favorite recipes, Seafood Enchiladas with Imitation Crab! Don’t worry, if imitation crab isn’t your thing, you can totally swap it out for real crab, shrimp, or even scallops, and it’ll still turn out delicious.
When I was younger, my family loved going to Chi-Chi’s Mexican Restaurant, and my go-to order was always their Crab Enchiladas, also known as “The Cancun.” It was rich, creamy, and honestly so decadent I could barely finish the plate.
That dish left a lasting impression on me and became my favorite Mexican food meal ever. Since Chi-Chi’s is long gone, I made it my mission to find a recipe that came close.
I stumbled on a recipe by an imitation crab meat company that somewhat hit the mark. It’s not an exact replica of my fav restaurant version, but it’s super flavorful and loved by everyone at my table.
TIP: If you’re not into imitation crab, just use real crab meat or sauté some shrimp. I’ve had it both ways, and this dish is a total win.
MORE RECIPES
More Imitation Crab Mexican Recipes!
What is Imitation Crab?
Imitation crab is actually cooked fish. If you read the package, it will usually read that it is made from a fish, usually Pollock. The fish meat is pressed and shaped into what looks like crab meat.
Imitation crab is used to make Surimi sushi, which is cooked fish sushi, not raw fish sushi.
If you have been afraid to try sushi, just know you can order the ‘cooked” fish or imitation crab, like California Rolls, without the fear of raw fish allergies.
How to Cook Imitation Crab
You can eat imitation crab right out of the package. But I like to sauté it first to bring out the flavor in these crab enchiladas.
Fish disguised as a crab can be quite bland, so seasoning it up a bit and cooking it in real butter really brings out a rich crab taste.
I have grown to love imitation crab more than real crab, and I hope you will too!
Seafood Enchiladas with Imitation Crab
RECIPE EDITED May 2025
Ingredients:
- 1.5 lbs Imitation Crab
- 2 cups Four Cheese Mexican Blend
- 1 can of Enchilada sauce (we love the Hatch Brand)
- Large burrito wraps (burritos) or corn wraps (enchiladas)
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 tsp butter
- 1 small onion, diced
- ½ tsp cilantro
- 1 tbsp lime juice NEW
- Hot sauce to taste
- Salt & Pepper to taste
I call this enchiladas, but it’s really a crab burrito recipe unless you use corn tortillas to wrap them up with.
Instructions:
- Add onion, crab meat, salt, pepper, and saute until onions are clear.
- Add cilantro, a squeeze of lime juice, sour cream, and 1 cup cheese.
- Blend and reduce the heat to low.
- Add a few shakes of hot sauce and blend.
- Separate crab mix evenly into 4-6 servings in the pan.
The hot sauce just adds flavor. It does not make it hot if you only use a 1/2 tsp. Mix it well.
- Add the Filling to the center of a burrito or corn tortilla, fold and place in pan fold side down.
- Add to the dish, fold side down, and repeat.
- Pour enchilada sauce over the wraps and top with cheese.
- Bake 25-30 min.
Below is the full recipe.
Shop these fun kitchen ideas!
MAKE AHEAD: Make sure the enchiladas are completely cool. Place them in an airtight container or freezer bag. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
FREEZER: Place in an airtight container or freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in a microwave or in the refrigerator overnight. Bake on 350 for 25 minutes or microwave for 5 minutes on high.
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Seafood Enchiladas with Imitation Crab
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs Imitation Crab
- 2 cups Four Cheese Mexican Blend
- 1 can of Enchilada Sauce, We use the Hatch Brand
- Large burrito wraps or corn wraps
- 1 cup Sour cream
- 2 tsp Butter
- 1 Small onion diced small
- ½ tsp Cilantro
- ½ tsp Lime juice
- Hot sauce to taste
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in deep skillet on medium heat.
- Add onion, crab meat, salt, pepper and saute until onions are clear.
- Add cilantro, a squeeze of lime juice, sour cream and 1 cup cheese.
- Blend and reduce heat to low.
- Add few shakes of hot sauce and blend well.
- Separate crab mix evenly into 4-6 servings in pan.
- Place one section of filling down middle of burrito, then wrap and fold.
- Add to the dish fold side down and repeat.
- Pour enchilada sauce over center of wraps and top with cheese.
- Bake 25-30 min.
- Serve topped with lettuce, tomatoes and sour cream.
NOTES
Nutrition
The nutrition info provided is only an estimate. See my nutrition disclaimer for more info on how the data is collected for recipes.
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I made this tonight and it was so delicious! Definitely making this again. The only thing I did different was add some shrimp with the crab and I used green enchilada sauce. It was amazing!
Thank you Paula for the great review! I am so glad you liked. Definitely tweak it to suit your taste. We top it with lettuce and tomato and it changes the flavor as as well!
I remember Chi Chi’s seafood enchiladas. They were deep fried and then baked long enough to melt the Mexican cheese on top. I’m looking forward to trying your recipe to see how it compares.
Deborah, mine are made with imitation crab this recipe is not a rich tasting as the Chi Chi’s version. You can however use real crab meat if you like. I have made this recipe using shrimp and they are really good too. Enjoy!
So amazing!
I will absolutely make this again. it reminds me of Chi Chi’s seafood burrito
Made this tonight and definitely my new favorite way to use imitation crab. The only deviation is I added a small can of diced green chilies and added some hot taco sauce to the enchilada sauce.
It’s really good. Would add a bit more hot sauce. Spray the pan next time. Leftovers for another day
My kid will definitely love this!! Great post
Made these tonight and loved them!! Thanks for a great recipe!
I am super impressed! I kind of doubted this dish because it didn’t have the typical creamy sauce.
However, I am SO pleased with it!
I only made a couple of adjustments;
I used part Peperjack cheese and part cheddar. I also used my own enchilada sauce.
This was SO friggen yummy that I kept spooning out little bites from the corners before I even served it!
These turned out excellent! We love imitation crab! Not much on onions so I annexed them and used some tomato basil wraps but the recipe was delicious! Definitely will be making these again. ?
I am making this with a creamy cheese sauce, because my 16 year old son and I don’t like enchilada sauce. My husband and 14 year old will eat anything so they won’t care. It looks so yummy.
Ok,,,I officially love you haha. I am a cajun girl that does NOT like seafood (strange unicorn I know haha). I DO enjoy, every once in awhile, a good imitation crab sushi. I had some imitation crab and i needed to use it. So i made these. I used what cheese i had on hand and let me tell you….LOOOOOVVVEEEEEE IT!!!!! Thank you tons!!!!!
Hi Janice,
I’m so glad you liked this recipe as much as I do!! I would make it once a week if my family would let me. We serve it with black beans and rice. Thanks for letting me know.
Kim
I don’t see any temp listed for baking.
Hi Ariel,
I changed recipe apps recently and some info didn’t transfer over. Thanks for letting me know. The oven temp is 350 degrees.
Kim
We love seafood enchiladas. Brilliant idea to use imatation crab! =)
I always use imitation crab to make sushi, but this sounds really good. I never thought of using imitation crab to make enchiladas…yum!
Imitation crab taste really good and I love it .
Thank you for sharing this recipe with us.
Imitation Crab sounds funny! But this looks so delicious!