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Chorizo Quesadillas With Radish and Fennel Salsa Recipe

Emily and Matt Clifton
Chorizo Quesadillas With Radish and Fennel Salsa Recipe

[Photograph: Matthew and Emily Clifton]

Crispy tortillas filled with spicy chorizo and gooey cheese, these quesadillas are balanced by the fresh, unusual flavor of a radish and fennel salsa. It's a sophisticated pairing that elevates a familiar comfort food.

Why It Works

  • Cured chorizo is fully cooked, so all it needs is a quick sear in a hot pan.
  • The cool, crisp salsa balances the spicy sausage and gooey cheese.
  • Radishes and fennel make an unusual but sophisticated salsa.

Read more: Dinner in 20: Chorizo Quesadillas With Radish and Fennel Salsa

  • Yield:Serves 4
  • Active time: 20 minutes
  • Total time:20 minutes
  • Rated: 5

Ingredients

  • For the Salsa:
  • 5 radishes, diced
  • 1/2 fennel bulb, diced (plus some fronds, if you have them)
  • 2 scallions, white and pale-green parts only, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup (20g) cilantro leaves and tender stems, chopped
  • 1/2 jalapeño pepper, seeds removed if desired, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) fresh juice from 1 lime
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • For the Quesadillas:
  • 1 tablespoon (15ml) extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more as needed
  • 8 ounces (225g) Spanish-style chorizo sausage (cured, not fresh), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 4 (8-inch) flour tortillas
  • 2 cups mixed grated cheddar and pepper Jack cheeses (8 ounces; 225g), divided (see note)
  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced

Directions

  1. 1.

    For the Salsa: In a medium bowl, toss together radishes, fennel (plus fronds, if using), scallions, cilantro, jalapeño, and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

  2. 2.

    For the Quesadillas: In a large cast iron skillet or on the flat side of a cast iron griddle, heat 1/2 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat until lightly smoking. Add chorizo and cook until browned, turning once, about 3 minutes. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel–lined plate. 

  3. 3.

    Set out 4 tortillas on a work surface and sprinkle approximately 1 ounce (28g) cheese over half of each tortilla. Scatter chorizo and scallions on top of cheese, then top with remaining cheese. Fold tortillas in half over filling to form a half-moon shape.

  4. 4.

    Add remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil to skillet or griddle and heat over medium-high heat until lightly smoking.

  5. 5.

    Add quesadillas to skillet or griddle in a single layer, working in batches if necessary. Cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Flip quesadillas and cook until second side is crisp and cheese is fully melted, about 3 minutes. Add more oil as needed if working in batches. While cooking any remaining batches, keep finished quesadillas warm by arranging them on a baking sheet in a single layer and holding them in a 250°F oven.

  6. 6.

    Cut quesadillas into wedges and serve with radish and fennel salsa.

This Recipe Appears In
Dinner in 20: Chorizo Quesadillas With Radish and Fennel Salsa

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Emily and Matt Clifton

Emily's culinary adventures began on the gritty streets of 1970s Manhattan, where she ate Pernil and kimchi more often than peanut butter and jelly. Now she lives in upstate NY and develops recipes that combine locally-sourced ingredients into simple but delicious recipes. When she’s not cooking, writing or taking photographs, she’s probably hard at work editing a movie or television show, which she’s done professionally for the last twenty years. Matt grew up in Kent, England, and his upbringing involved a suspiciously large proportion of tinned goods. Many of those tins contained sticky toffee pudding, though, so it really wasn’t all that bad. When he’s not thinking about food, he’s running an IT consultancy in the Hudson Valley and/or scheduling a marathon of early Doctor Who episodes. Almost more than anything else, he enjoys swearing at his vegetable garden. At the very moment you’re reading this, there’s a good chance he’s chasing one or all of his chickens back into the yard. Check out more of Matt and Emily's nerdy ramblings at Nerds with Knives.

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