Rissois with Shrimp Filling (Rissois de Camarão)

Rissois de camarão are Portuguese fried turnovers with creamy shrimp filling in the center! They’re dipped in breadcrumbs and fried until golden brown. Rissois make the perfect finger food or snack!

Have you tried my recipe for tuna rissois? Same crispy outer-shell and a zestier cream-filling that melts right in your mouth! Flip a coin if you have to, you’ll love both versions!

This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill. I highly recommend Bob’s Red Mill Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour for these shrimp rissois! It’s a premium, organic flour milled from the highest quality wheat. I get perfect results with this product every time!

What are rissois?

‘Rissois‘ is Portuguese for ‘rissoles‘, which are breaded, deep-fried pastries with creamy seafood in the center. This version of rissois originated in Portugal but have become a part of Cape Verdean cuisine.

Portuguese rissois differ from other ‘rissoles’ eaten in England, Australia and France. The non-Portuguese versions are usually made from minced meat and some versions leave out the pastry shell and are just rolled in breadcrumbs.

Why you’ll love this recipe

These rissois have creamy almost, whipped-like centers that are mildly sweet. The outer shell-pastry is crispy, yet still delicate.

I love serving rissois because you can keep them in a warm oven before you’re ready to serve them, or you can fry them up very quickly right before serving! They hold up very well when kept warm or when reheated.

And yes, this recipe has a lot of steps, but it’s easy to develop a rhythm once you get started!

Ingredients you’ll need

Here’s a list of all the ingredients you’ll need. Refer to the recipe card below for measurements and quantities.

• Cooked shrimp – you’ll need about 34 medium-sized shrimp. Look for the package that says 41-50 shrimp per pound. Also make sure the package says ‘cooked shrimp’.
• Other filling ingredients – diced onions, crushed garlic, massa de pimentão (crushed red chilis) or hot sauce, heavy cream, flour, nutmeg, fresh cilantro, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper
• Dough ingredients – unsalted butter, olive oil, all-purpose flour, water and salt
• Egg wash: 2 eggs + 2 teaspoons of water
• Bread crumbs – Seasoned or Italian style
• Canola or vegetable oil for frying

How to make shrimp rissois

Because there are so many steps, I’ve divided them into groups. Read through the steps before starting the recipe so you don’t miss anything!

Making the filling

1. Pat the shrimp dry with a paper towel and squeeze out any excess moisture. Using a sharp kitchen knife, chop the shrimp into tiny pieces.
2. Whisk together the flour and heavy cream in a small bowl or measuring cup. Set the mixture aside.
3. Heat the olive oil in a 3-quart saucepan. Add the onions and cook them until they’re translucent. Add the crushed garlic, hot sauce and dry seasonings. Cook until fragrant.
4. Add the heavy cream/flour mixture and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring until it’s bubbly and thick. Cut the flame, stir in the fresh cilantro and cooked shrimp, then cover the pan and set aside.

Making the dough

1. In a 4.5 quart pot, bring the water, olive oil, salt and butter to a boil. 
2. Turn the heat down to the lowest setting and add the flour little by little, stirring quickly with a rubber spatula. As the dough forms, switch to bigger strokes and use the spatula to smooth the dough as it forms. It’s ok if the dough has some lumps.
3. Cut the flame and transfer the dough to a stand-mixer bowl. Use the dough-hook attachment to knead the dough on medium speed, until a ball forms. To do this by hand, let the dough cool and knead it on a well-floured surface.
4. Flour your hands and form the kneaded dough into a ball. Use a pastry cutter to divide the dough into 2 portions. Wrap one of the halves in plastic-wrap and set aside.

Assembling the rissois

1. Roll out the unwrapped dough into a ¼″ sheet on a well-floured surface. Don’t forget to also flour the rolling pin. 
2. Uncover the shrimp filling and mix with a rubber spatula. Place 2-3 scoops (1 measured teaspoon each) of filling near the center of the dough. Leave about 2-3 inches between each scoop.
3. Lift the bottom edge of the dough and fold it over the filling. The filling should touch the fold. Firmly stamp out the rissois using a small glass or cup. Leave some space between the filling and the glass’s edge, don’t let the filling touch the seam.
4. Seal the rissois by gently pinching the edges – there’s no need to moisten them. Set the finished rissois on a plate, it’s ok to place them on top of each other.
5. Once you’ve stamped out the rissois, form the remaining dough into a ball and roll it out again. Repeat the same process of scooping the filling and forming the crescents until you’ve used up all the dough and filling. You’ll end up with roughly two dozen rissois.

Breading and frying

1. In a bowl, make an egg wash by whisking 2 eggs with 2 teaspoons of water. Pour the breadcrumbs on a separate plate or shallow bowl.
2. Dip each of the rissois in egg and coat both sides with bread crumbs. Shake off any excess breadcrumbs  gently. Set the rissois on a plate while you bread the rest.
3. Heat the oil to 325°F in a dutch oven or pot with deep sides. Working in batches of 4 or 5, deep-fry the rissois for about 1 minute on each side. Watch closely, as they brown quickly. 
4. Once deep-golden brown, remove the rissois from the oil using a fry basket or slotted metal spoon. Transfer to a cooling rack or tray lined with paper towels. Let the rissois cool slightly and serve.

Serving suggestions

Serve the rissois on a platter or plate, and garnish with fresh cilantro leaves. You can keep them in warm oven (heated to 170°F) until you’re ready to serve them.

Substitutions

Missing something from the list? Here are some substitutions you can make:

• Milk or half and half instead of heavy cream work fine as long as you mix it with flour, per the recipe steps!
• Fresh parsley can be used in place of cilantro.
• Unseasoned bread crumbs – if you don’t have the seasoned kind, you can use plain and season them on your own with salt, pepper, garlic powder and dried cilantro (coriander) or parsley.

Variations

Here are some alternative fillings you can use in place of shrimp:

• Chicken – if seafood isn’t your thing, minced or shredded chicken is a great substitute.
• Canned tuna – check out my recipe for rissois de atum!
• Bacalhau (cod fish) – is another common filling for rissois.
• Non-spicy – this recipe is not spicy in my opinion, but you can omit the chili paste/hot sauce if you want to be on the safe side.

Tools and Equipment

Here are some basic tools that will make this recipe a whole lot easier!

• Deep-fry thermometer – I like to keep a close eye on the temperature of the oil. If it gets too hot, the outsides of the rissois will brown too quickly and the inside will be doughy.
• I like to use cast iron for all my deep frying – check out this cast-iron dutch oven.
• Wire basket (strainer) for frying
• A stand mixer with a dough-hook attachment, saves your hands from kneading hot dough! Highly recommended.

Storage

Store leftover rissois in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat in the oven at 375°F for about 10 minutes or until the outsides are crispy again.

Rissois can be assembled, dipped in breadcrumbs and frozen for later use. Fry the frozen rissois in oil at 325° – until they’re golden and crispy. No need to thaw them.

Top tips

I sprinkled some tips and tricks throughout the post – here they are in one place:

• Use pre-cooked shrimp for the filling! Liquid is released from shrimp as it cooks and will make the filling runny.
• For best results, knead the dough while it’s hot. This is why I recommend using a stand mixer.
• Use plenty of flour when dusting the kneading surface, otherwise the dough will stick to your surface and be hard to work with.
• Don’t overstuff the rissois and press down firmly when stamping them out.
• Change out the breadcrumbs with fresh ones if they start to clump together while you’re breading the rissois.
• Watch the temperature of the oil closely so the breadcrumbs don’t burn.

Rissois with Shrimp Filling (Rissois de Camarão)

Crystal DaCruz

Rissois de camarão are Portuguese fried turnovers with creamy shrimp filling in the center! They're dipped in breadcrumbs and fried until golden brown. Rissois make the perfect finger food or snack!

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 45 mins

Cook Time 25 mins

Total Time 1 hr 10 mins

Course Appetizers

Cuisine Portuguese/Cape Verdean

Servings 24 rissois

Calories 127 kcal

Ingredients

  

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Filling ingredients

• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
• ▢ ¼ cup onions minced
• ▢ 1 tablespoon garlic crushed
• ▢ 10 ounces shrimp cooked, about 36 medium-sized shrimp
• ▢ 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ▢ 1 teaspoon hot sauce or red chili paste
• ▢ 1 cup heavy cream
• ▢ 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ▢ pinch salt and pepper
• ▢ 1-2 teaspoons fresh chopped cilantro

Pastry ingredients

• ▢ 2 cups water
• ▢ 2 tablespoons salted butter
• ▢ 1 teaspoon olive oil extra virgin
• ▢ 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• ▢ 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• ▢ 2 eggs
• ▢ 3-4 cups canola oil for frying

Instructions

 

Filling instructions:

• Pat shrimp dry with a paper towel, squeeze out any excess moisture. Using a sharp kitchen knife, chop the shrimp into tiny pieces.
• Whisk together 3 tablespoons of flour and 1 cup of whole-milk in a small bowl or measuring cup. Set aside.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a 3-quart saucepan. Add onions and cook until they're translucent. Add the garlic, hot sauce and dry seasonings. Cook until fragrant.
• Add the heavy cream/flour mixture and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring until it's bubbly and thick. Cut the flame, stir in the fresh cilantro and shrimp, then cover the pan and set aside.

Dough instructions:

• In a 4.5 quart pot, bring 2 cups of water, 1 teaspoon of olive oil, 2 teaspoons of salt and 2 tablespoons of butter to a boil. 
• Turn the heat down to the lowest setting and add the flour little by little, while stirring quickly with a rubber spatula. As the dough forms, switch to bigger strokes and use the spatula to smooth the dough as it forms. The dough will be sticky, lumps are ok.
• Cut the flame and transfer dough to a stand-mixer bowl. Use the dough-hook attachment to knead the dough on medium speed, until a ball forms. If you're not using a mixer, you'll need to let the dough cool and knead it by hand on a well-floured surface.
• Flour your hands and form the kneaded dough into a ball. Use a pastry cutter to divide the dough into 2 portions. Wrap one of the halves in plastic wrap and set aside.

Assemble the rissois 

• Roll out the unwrapped dough into a ¼" sheet on a well-floured surface using a floured rolling pin. 
• Uncover the shrimp filling and mix with a rubber spatula. Place 2-3 scoops (1 measured teaspoon each) of filling near the center of the dough. Leave about 2-3 inches between each scoop.
• Lift the bottom edge of the dough and fold it over the filling. The filling should touch the fold. Firmly stamp out the rissois using a small glass or cup. Leave some space between the filling and the glass's edge, don't let the filling touch the seam.
• Seal the rissois by gently pinching the edges - there's no need to moisten them. Set the finished rissois on a plate, it's ok to place them on top of each other.
• Once you've stamped out the rissois, form the remaining dough into a ball and roll it out again. Repeat the same process of scooping the filling and forming the crescents until you've used up all the dough and filling. You'll end up with roughly two dozen rissois.
• In a bowl, make an egg wash by whisking 2 eggs with 2 teaspoons of water. Pour the bread crumbs on a separate plate or shallow bowl.
• Dip each of the rissois in egg and coat both sides with bread crumbs. Shake off any excess bread crumbs  gently. Set the rissois on a plate while you bread the rest.

Fry and serve

• Heat the oil to 325°F in a dutch oven or pot with deep sides. Working in batches of 4 or 5, deep-fry the rissois for about 1 minute on each side. Watch closely, as they brown quickly. 
• Once deep-golden brown, remove the rissois from the oil using a fry basket or slotted metal spoon. Transfer to a cooling rack or tray lined with paper towels. Let the rissois cool slightly before serving.

Notes

• Use pre-cooked shrimp for the filling! Liquid released from shrimp as it cooks makes the filling runny.
• Change out the breadcrumbs if they start to get clumpy while you're breading the rissois.
• For best results, knead the dough while it's hot. This is why I recommend a stand mixer.
• Use plenty of  flour when dusting the kneading surface, otherwise the dough will be hard to work with.
• Don't overstuff the rissois and press down firmly when stamping them out.
• Watch the temperature of the oil closely so the breadcrumbs don't burn.
• The assembled rissois can be frozen for a later date. No need to thaw before frying them.
• Leftover rissois can be refrigerated and reheated in the oven at 375°F for 10 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1pieceCalories: 127kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 5gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.04gCholesterol: 46mgSodium: 296mgPotassium: 64mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 205IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 35mgIron: 1mg

Tried this Recipe?Let us know how it was!

Food safety

Here are a few safety tips:

• Don’t leave the rissois sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave the rissois frying unattended
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.