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Whip up delicious Rissóis de Camarão - Portuguese shrimp empanadas with creamy filling and soft dough. This is my family recipe - I'm thrilled to share it with you. Just 45 minutes for a batch of dumplings, and trust me, they're totally worth it!
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Every holiday season, my mom makes a big batch of Rissóis de Camarão - Portuguese shrimp empanadas with soft dough and a creamy, lemony shrimp filling.
For me, this recipe always brings back memories of laughter in the kitchen with family gathered around the table. Now, I'm proud to share this tradition with you.
If you're thinking these might be difficult to make, don't worry. Even if happen to be just starting out cooking, follow my instructions, and you can make these empanadas easily.
In just 45 minutes, you'll have warm, pillowy shrimp empanadas to enjoy for dinner or as appetizers. Let's get started!
Ingredients in Shrimp Empanadas
For the Dough
- Water
- Butter: You can use salted or unsalted butter, but if using salted, make sure to add less salt to the dough.
- Salt: Kosher salt or Maldon sea salt flakes is the best choice for this recipe.
- Lemon Peel: The secret to this amazing dish is the addition of lemon peel. It's removed from the wet dough mixture after infusing the flavor, right before adding flour.
- Flour: All-purpose flour. I have not tested this recipe with gluten-free flour.
For the Shrimp Filling
- Butter: Unsalted or salted butter both work - just be careful not to over-salt your empanadas if using salted butter.
- Shrimp: Fresh or frozen both work. If your shrimp are frozen, thaw them in the refrigerator overnight, or by sealing them tightly in a plastic bag and adding them to a cold bowl of water. Shrimp shouldn't take long to defrost.
- Lemon Juice: Use fresh! You need the peel too, so just use the juice from the lemon you're peeling.
- Pepper: Freshly cracked black pepper works best if you have it.
- Milk: I use whole milk. I have not tested this recipe with lower fat milks, and don't recommend it.
- Breadcrumbs: Make sure you don't get flavored breadcrumbs or it will change the taste of your empanadas.
- Eggs: These aren't used in the dough - they're used to help bind the breadcrumbs to the empanadas!
- Oil: Canola oil, or any other neutral vegetable oil for frying, to fill the frying pan and fry the empanadas.
FAQ
Yes, the dough can be made a day in advance and stored in the refrigerator wrapped in plastic.
No, a drinking glass or round cookie cutter works perfectly for shaping the dough!
Yes! Just make sure to thaw it and pat it dry before using frozen shrimp.
Yes! Crab or lobster makes a great filler too. You could even use mushrooms in a creamy béchamel-style base.
How to Make Shrimp Empanadas
- Season a pot of water with salt and pepper and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, add shrimp and cook for 5 minutes. Reserve the water in the pot - you will use it later!
- Peel and chop shrimp.
- In a pot, combine water, butter, salt, and the peel from 1 lemon. Bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, remove the pot from the heat. Remove the lemon peel, then add flour.
- Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon to form a ball that does not cling to the pot.
- Add the pot back to the stove and heat just enough to dry the dough. Set aside to rest.
- Melt butter in a pan and sprinkle with flour to form a roux.
- Cook until the butter melts. Add milk and some of the water reserved from the shrimp boil.
- Keep the heat on low, stirring to thicken. Once the shrimp mixture thickens, add lemon juice and cooked chopped shrimp.
- When done, the shrimp filling will have reached a thick but smooth consistency.
- Roll out your dough with a rolling pin and cut it into 4 by 6-inch strips.
- Place a Tablespoon of filling at the bottom of each strip.
- Fold the dough over the filling.
- Cut the filled dough into half-moons using the top of a glass or a pierogi cutter.
- Beat eggs in a shallow bowl. Dip the dumplings in the eggs.
- Dip the egg-coated dumplings in a bowl of breadcrumbs to coat.
- Heat canola oil in a pan. Fry the empanadas without overcrowding the pan until they reach a deep golden brown.
- Let the empanadas cool on paper towels to absorb the oil when done frying. Serve, and enjoy!
Tips for Making the Best Shrimp Empanadas
- Be sure not to overfill the dough. If you do, the empanadas might burst open.
- You can also bake these empanadas in the oven at 350°F for 20-25 minutes (time may vary), but keep in mind that they won't turn out quite the same as pan-frying.
- Don't skip adding the lemon peel! It infuses so much flavor in the dough.
Empanadas Recipes
In my house, we love making empanadas. They're easy and fun to make. Plus, there are so many different kinds of empanadas recipes to cook up! Here are my family's favorites:
- Chicken Empanadas
- Puerto Rican Beef Empanadas
- Caramel Apple Empanadas
- Pumpkin Empanadas
- And my traditional empanada dough to customize your own!
Once you try these shrimp empanadas, you will see why they've remained such a favorite in my family for generations. The soft dough and creamy shrimp filling makes them totally irresistible.
Making the dough is a lot of fun. Even better if you want to get your kids to help you make them! You can cook up the dough and the kids can help you roll it out.
Cooking empanadas together is a great way to get your family involved in the kitchen with you!
Portuguese Shrimp Empanadas (Rissóis de Camarão)
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound shrimp
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons butter - or margarine
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 lemon - juiced
- 1 lemon peel
- 1 cup flour - plus 2 Tablespoons for the roux
- 1 cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups breadcrumbs
- Canola oil to fill frying pan
Instructions
- Boil 1 pound shrimp in water seasoned with salt and pepper to taste for 5 minutes. After boiling, reserve the water from the pot.
- Peel and chop the shrimp.
- In a pot, combine 1 cup water, 1 tablespoon butter, salt to taste, and 1 lemon peel from 1 lemon.
- Bring to a boil. When it boils, remove from the heat. Remove the lemon peel and add 1 cup flour. Stir with a wooden spoon to form a ball that does not cling to the pot. Bring back to a boil only slightly, to dry the dough. Set aside to rest.
- Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a pan and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons flour. Cook until the butter melts, then add 1 cup milk and 1 cup of water reserved from the shrimp boil.
- Cook on low, stirring to thicken. Once it thickens, add the juice of 1 lemon and cooked chopped shrimp. Continue to cook until it reaches a thick but smooth consistency. This will be your empanada filling.
- Roll out your dough with a rolling pin. Cut into 4 by 6-inch strips.
- Place a full tablespoon of filling at the bottom of each strip. Fold the dough over the filling. Cut them into half-moons using the top of a glass or a pierogi cutter.
- Beat 2 eggs. Dip the dumplings in the eggs, then dip in a bowl filled with 2 cups breadcrumbs.
- Fry in a pan filled with Canola oil to fill frying pan until a deep golden brown. Let cool on paper towels to absorb the oil when done frying.
- Serve, and enjoy!
Notes
- Be sure not to overfill the dough. If you do, the empanadas might burst open.
- You can also bake these empanadas in the oven at 350°F for 20-25 minutes (time may vary), but keep in mind that they won't turn out quite the same as pan-frying.
- Use the serving size calculator in the recipe card to get the measurements for a larger batch!
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