Rissóis de Camarão or Shrimp Rissoles are typical Portuguese deep-fried pastries filled with a creamy shrimp filling. You will find these delicious half-moon pastries everywhere in Portugal, from local cafés to fancier restaurants. They are usually enjoyed as a snack but can also be paired with other Portuguese rice dishes for a more filling meal, such as Tomato Rice or Bean Rice. Keep reading to learn how to make these authentic and delicious Portuguese Shrimp Rissoles!
Authentic Portuguese Rissoles
The Portuguese rissoles are made with a dough consisting of a mix of butter, flour, vegetable or chicken stock, and milk. The dough is malleable enough to be stretched and cut into circles that are stuffed and sealed forming a half moon shape. The most classic fillings are meat (rissóis de carne) and shrimp (rissóis de camarão), but you will also find versions containing ham and cheese, suckling pig, and even crab. Rissóis de Camarão are my absolute favourite, the contrast between the creamy shrimp filling with the crispy outer shell are simply delicious!
Inside the Classic Portuguese Rissóis de Camarão
To me what makes or breaks a shrimp rissole is the filling. It should be creamy and contain actual pieces of shrimp. There’s nothing worse than stingy rissoles that may taste like shrimp but have no shrimp inside.
There are several ways of preparing the filling, that should be creamy but stable enough to be contained by the pastry dough. My favourite way is to sauté the shrimp with some olive oil, diced onions, and garlic, then add a little bit tomato concentrate, prawn stock and milk, and let it reduce. To make it more stable I add a little bit of flour and refrigerate the filling overnight. You can season it with chopped fresh parsley, paprika powder, chilli powder, ground nutmeg, salt and pepper.
What Shrimp Should You Use
When I’m making shrimp rissoles, I like to buy frozen whole shrimp that I thaw, clean, and devein myself. That’s because most ‘fresh’ shrimp available in Portuguese supermarkets are pre-cooked, that’s why they have that orange colour. If you can find fresh shrimp, that’s even better. I do recommend buying them whole, since the heads and shells can be employed in a shrimp stock that will be used both in the dough and in the filling.
A Note on Homemade Shrimp Stock
Making shrimp stock from scratch is quite simple, and only requires a handful of ingredients. All you need is the heads and shells of shrimp, carrots, onions, garlic, fresh herbs, salt, pepper, and water. You just have to combine the ingredients in a pan and let it reduce. If you want to take it to a next level, you can first sauté the shrimp heads and shells with some olive oil before adding in the remaining ingredients. In my Portuguese Shrimp Rice Recipe you will find the step-by-step of how to make Shrimp Stock.
How to Make Portuguese Shrimp Rissoles
This recipe makes around 22 evenly sized shrimp rissoles, allow 3-4 per person as a side dish!
How to Make Authentic Portuguese Shrimp Rissoles
22
servings1
hour30
minutes30
minutes275
kcalRissóis de Camarão or Shrimp Rissoles are typical Portuguese deep-fried pastries filled with a creamy shrimp filling.
Ingredients
3 cups All Purpose Flour (360g)
1.5 cups Shrimp Stock (375ml)
1.5 cups Whole Milk (375ml)
3 tbsp Salted Butter (45g)
1.5 tsp Salt
- Shrimp Filling Ingredients
600 g Shrimp – cleaned and deveined
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tbsp Butter
2 Small Onions – diced
3 Garlic Cloves – Minced
3/4 cup Shrimp Stock (180ml)
1/2 cup Whole Milk
1.5 tbsp Tomato Concentrate
3 tbsp All Purpose Flour
1 tsp Smoked Paprika Powder
1/2 tsp Chilli Flakes
1/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg
1.5 tsp Salt
Black Pepper
3 tbsp Finely Chopped Parsley
- Ingredients for Breading and Frying
1.5 cups Breadcrumbs (150g)
2/3 cup Whole Milk (150ml)
2 Eggs
Salt
Black Pepper
1 l Vegetable Oil
Directions – Making the Dough
- Add the stock, milk, butter, and salt to a pan, place it over high heat, bring it to a light boil.
- Add in the flour (sifted), mixing it non-stop with a wooden spoon or spatula until it pulls away from the sides forming a stiff ball.
- Reduce the heat to medium, continue to work the dough until it becomes smoother and slightly golden. At this point a light film should also form on the sides of the pan.
- Transfer the dough from the pan onto a clean surface, knead it for about 5 minutes or until it becomes slightly elastic. If the dough feels too hot to handle, you can use a rolling pin to work the dough until it feels less hot.
- Cover with cling a clean cloth, let it rest for 30 minutes.
- Making the Shrimp Filling
- Place a frying pan over medium heat, once hot, add in the extra virgin olive oil, the diced onions, and minced garlic. Sauté for about 3 minutes.
- Tip in the raw shrimp, if they are too big, you can chop them into smaller chunks. Cook for another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the flour and the butter, let it cook for about 2 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium low, add in the tomato concentrate, season with the paprika, chilli powder, nutmeg, salt, and a scrunch of black pepper. Stir well to combine, let it cook for a minute before adding the stock and the milk. Bring it to a simmer.
- Cook for another 7 minutes stirring regularly until it thickens. Add in the chopped fresh parsley. Let it cool down completely and store it in an airtight container in the fridge overnight.
- Assembling the Rissoles
- Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough on a clean surface until it reaches about 2mm of thickness.
- Use a cookie cutter or the rim of a glass to cut circles of about 8-10 cm of diameter leaving some space between them. Gather the off cuts and roll them again to cut out more circles.
- Place a dollop of shrimp filling in the centre of a circle, wet the tip of your finger, use it to brush the edges of the circle. Carefully fold it in half, forming a half moon shape, press the edges together tightly to close the rissoles. Repeat the process until you ran out of dough and filling.
- To bread the rissoles, set aside two different bowls, in one of them combine the eggs and milk, season with a sprinkle of salt and black pepper, and give it a good whisk.
- In the other bowl, add the breadcrumbs, again season with a little salt and black pepper, stir to combine.
- Dip the rissoles first into the milk, shake it gently, then coat it with the breadcrumbs. Repeat the process with the remaining rissoles.
- Deep Frying the Rissoles
- Place a pan that’s suitable for deep frying over low to medium heat and pour in the vegetable oi. Let it heat up slowly until it reaches about 180 °C. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can stick a wooden spoon handle tip into the hot oil. If lots of gentle bubbles form around it, the oil is good to go.
- Gently drop the rissoles into the hot oil, and fry until golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a plate lined with absorbent paper. Enjoy them while still warm with a squeeze of lemon!
Tips
- The shrimp filling needs to be refrigerated overnight so it’s stable enough to be used. Make sure to prepare it in advance.
- Both the dough and the filling can be prepared in advance and stored in the fridge for the next day.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan while deep frying your rissoles. We don’t want the oil temperature to reduce.
Have you tried this recipe? Let me know in the comments! I would love to hear from you!