Forget Beef And Give Your Loaded Nachos A Seafood Twist

There is hardly an occasion when nachos are not a welcome addition to the party. Between game days, live sporting events, a trip to the movie theater, and just your average, casual weekday night, nachos just make sense. Curiously enough, you can put cheese (be sure to melt it perfectly) and almost any savory topping on a pile of tortilla chips and it tastes good. From jarred cheese with pickled jalapenos to your leftover pulled pork, the dish is incredibly versatile. What you don't see a ton of, though, is seafood on nachos, and it's time to change that.

Think about it: if you can put fish and shrimp in a taco, there's no reason you shouldn't put them on a plate of nachos. And you don't have to stop at these two ingredients; crab and sweet lobster may sound a bit extravagant, but make unforgettable seafood nachos. Be careful, imitation crab meat is, indeed, imitation. You can certainly simply replace your beef with your choice of seafood and keep the rest of your ingredients the same (cheese, lettuce, salsa, etc.), but with special nachos like these, you want the flavor of the delicate seafood to shine, so don't overwhelm your dish with ingredients. With this in mind, keep the seafood in larger chunks so you get nice, meaty bites; leave shrimp whole or, if they're large, cut them into bite sized pieces. Jumbo lump crabmeat is ideal, and try to use larger chunks of lobster meat. If you're using fish, a white, flaky fish is best, like halibut or cod. 

Like other types of nachos, there really are no set rules to building seafood nachos. Of course, there are certain things you can do to maximize the flavor of your ingredients. Obviously, use the best chips you can find. Grilling shrimp will give them a nice smoky flavor, which tastes excellent on traditional style nachos. If you're doing a mix of shrimp and crabmeat, consider tossing the two seafoods in a creamy base first, like sour cream or cream cheese. When spread on top of chips and baked in the oven, the seafood will get warm and bubbly and adhere to the chips so you'll get hefty bites of fish with every bite. 

Mild, creamy cheeses are best for seafood nachos, like Monterey Jack (Pepper Jack is also great if you want a little heat) and queso blanco. Green onion gives nachos a little spice without an overwhelming onion flavor, and cilantro gives a wonderful freshness. Instead of plain sour cream on top, try an avocado cream sauce or chipotle lime cream sauce drizzled over the top. With sweet crabmeat and even shrimp, consider tangy, sweet accompaniments, like diced pineapple and mango. And for some spice on top, classic pickled jalapenos taste great with all kinds of seafood. 

If you're using whitefish as your protein, use the classic fish taco as your inspiration. Drizzle the nachos with a basic white sauce made with sour cream, lime juice, and mayonnaise; top with diced, sweet onion, shredded cabbage, and cilantro, and serve with extra slices of lime.