Sunday supper: Crab Burritos with Pickled Chiles and Chipotle-Avocado Sauce

Serves 4.

These burritos, from Valle de Guadalupe, are of human, not herculean, proportion, combining Baja-style crab with pickled chiles and a sauce based on one of Baja's signature chiles. From "Cali-Baja Cuisine," by Michael A. Gardiner (Rizzoli, 2023).

For the burritos:

• 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

• 1/2 medium white onion, finely chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 c. shredded Oaxaca or mozzarella cheese

• 1 lb. crabmeat (good-quality canned)

• 2 tbsp. finely chopped pickled Fresno or jalapeño chiles

• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

• 4 large flour tortillas

For the Chipotle-Avocado Sauce:

• 1 medium Hass avocado, flesh scooped out

• 1 chipotle chile (from a can of chipotles in adobo), minced, plus 2 tbsp. adobo sauce

• 1 1/2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

• Juice of 1/2 Key lime, plus more as needed

• Kosher salt

Directions

To make the burrito filling: Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is translucent, about 2 minutes. Transfer the onion and garlic to a large bowl and, in the following order, fold in the cheese, crabmeat, pickled chiles and cilantro. Combine thoroughly.

Heat a dry stainless-steel skillet over medium heat and warm the tortillas one at a time for about 30 seconds on each side. As each tortilla is warmed, wrap it in a clean dish towel or tortilla warmer.

To assemble the burritos, place about 1/2 cup of the filling on the bottom half of a tortilla. Fold the bottom of the tortilla up and over the filling and pull the filling back toward the bottom third of the tortilla. Fold in the sides and then roll up the tortilla from the bottom, using the tips of your fingers to tuck and press the tortilla into a tight cylinder, enclosing the filling. Place the burrito seam-side down on your work surface and, using the palm of your hand, press downward to create flat surfaces on the burrito.

To make the sauce: Scoop the avocado flesh into a small bowl and mash it. Transfer the mashed avocado to a food processor and add the chipotle and adobo sauce, olive oil and lime juice. Process to a smooth purée. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning with salt or additional lime juice as needed.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Place a burrito in the pan, seam-side down, and toast just until the seam seals and you can smell the flour cooking, about 1 minute. Do not let it burn. Flip the burrito and repeat, and transfer to a cutting board. Repeat with the remaining burritos.

To serve, cut the burritos in half and center on a plate. Create a swoosh of the sauce at the bottom of each plate.