Portuguese Shrimp Turnovers – Rissóis de Camarão
These Portuguese Rissóis de Camarão or Portuguese Shrimp Turnovers are one of my favorite make ahead party appetizer recipes.
Being Portuguese the food at my family gatherings is a little different. We have amazing recipes like Portuguese chouriço (chorizo) and Portuguese Rice Pudding (Arroz Doce) but my ultimate favorite Portuguese appetizer are these Portuguese shrimp turnovers. Portuguese Rissóis de Camarão take a little time to make so they aren’t at every family gathering but when there is a big event either my mom or my aunt are sure to be in the kitchen rolling out the dough and stuffing it full of a delicious shrimp mixture. Walking in the front door to the smell of them frying brings back so many childhood memories. This year I got into the kitchen with them and my mom showed me how to make them from start to finish and she was nice enough to let me snap some photos so I could share it with you guys. Like I said, it’s a bit of a process so I’m going to break Portuguese shrimp turnovers down into steps for you.
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Dough:
You start by making the dough. Add the water, whole milk, butter, olive oil and salt into a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Slowly stir in flour and stir quickly with a wooden spoon to form a big dough ball. Remove dough and loosely wrap with a dish towel until it reaches room temperature.
Shrimp Filling:
First you cook the shrimp boiling it, with heads attached, until they are fully cooked. Next peel the cooked shrimp and remove the heads. Set the heads aside and finely chop the peeled shrimp. Add shrimp heads and water to a sauce pan and bring to a boil for about 5 minutes. This is key to getting that amazing shrimp flavor. You will not be consuming the shrimp heads, they are just for flavor. Once it is done you can strain the heads from the broth and pour the broth back into the pan.
In a skillet over medium heat add oil, minced onions and 1/4 stick of butter and cook until transparent. Add milk until scalded (bringing it almost to a boil), then add minced parsley. Beat 2 eggs and slowly add them to skillet. Add 2 cups of the shrimp head broth and slowly add flour to thicken. Add chopped shrimp to mixture and slowly mix together.
Assembly:
Roll out dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Add about a teaspoon of shrimp mixture onto dough in one corner leaving enough dough to flip over. Flip the end of the dough up and over the shrimp mixture (refer to picture above). Use a cup or round cutter to cut into half moon shape turnovers. Re-roll dough and start assembly process over until you run out of dough. You should have about 80 turnovers. If you are making them ahead of time you can freeze them before frying. Line a sheet pan with plastic wrap and line the turnovers down in a single layer without touching. Cover well with plastic wrap, removing as much air as possible, then freeze. They will keep for up to a month.
Frying:
Dip the turnovers in a beaten egg, then quickly into breadcrumbs, shaking off any excess crumbs. Set aside. In a skillet bring 2 cups of oil to 350°F. Gently place turnovers in sizzling oil. Fry until golden brown. Remove onto paper towel lined plate to remove some of the grease.
If you’ve never had these you NEED to give them a try. They are an amazing, authentic Portuguese appetizer recipe that is sure to impress your guests. Make a lot because they will be coming back for seconds and thirds! Once you try these Portuguese Shrimp Turnovers (Rissóis de Camarão) you will be craving them at every party.
Portuguese Shrimp Turnovers - Rissóis de Camarão
Ingredients
Dough
- 6 cups Flour
- 4 cups Water
- 2 cups Whole milk
- 1/2 cup Butter, 1 stick
- 1/4 cup Olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Salt
Filling
- 2 pounds Shrimp with heads
- 2 tablespoons Butter
- 1/2 Onion, minced
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Parsley, minced
- 2 Eggs, beaten
- 1/2 cup Whole milk
- 1 cup Flour
- 2 cups Water
Frying
- 2 cups Oil
- 2 cups Bread crumbs
- 2 Egg, beaten
Instructions
Dough
- Bring water, milk, butter, oil and salt to a boil in a large sauce pan.
- Slowly add flour and stir with a wooden spoon until a dough ball is formed.
- Remove the ball from the pan and loosely wrap dough in a dish cloth until it cools to room temperature.
Filling
- Boil the shrimp, leaving heads attached, until fully cooked.
- Remove the heads and then peel the shrimp, finely chop, and set aside.
- In a skillet over medium heat add oil, minced onions and 1/4 stick of butter and cook until transparent.
- Add milk to the onions and cook until scalded. Add minced parsley.
- Beat 2 eggs and slowly add them to skillet stirring constantly.
- Add 2 cups of the shrimp head broth and slowly add flour to thicken.
- Add chopped shrimp to mixture and slowly mix together.
Assembly
- Roll out dough to 1/8 inch thickness.
- Place a teaspoon of shrimp mixture slightly up from the bottom edge of the dough then flip the end of the dough up and over it.
- Using a round cutter 3 1/2 to 4 inches in diameter (or a drinking cup flipped upside down if you're fancy like me!) to cut a half circle out of the dough creating a shrimp turnover with shrimp mixture sealed inside.
- Continue until all the dough has been used. You can re-roll dough as needed.
Frying
- Dip turnovers in beaten eggs, then bread crumbs. Shake off excess crumbs.
- Heat oil in skillet to 350°F.
- Fry turnovers until golden brown.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
Bon Appetit!
how do you make half of the portuguese shrimp turnover instead of 80 make 40 or 30 turnovers
Try cutting the recipe in half.
Can you freeze these? thank you
From what I am told, you can freeze before frying them and after frying also.
78 now always collecting seafood recipes worldwide . Must try this Shrimp turnover . Mebbe use raw Shrimp to give very tender filling . Crabmeat , whitefish etc lotsa possibilities . Thank you
I would not recommend using raw shrimp. You are not frying it long enough to cook the shrimp to the proper temp.
This recipe looks very similar to that of my Portuguese grandmother’s. I am going to try this one this week.
Fatima, let me know how they turn out.
My family is Portuguese as well, but sadly do not make these – have had to rely on the local Portuguese bakeries. So I am going to try my hand at these this weekend! Question – am I able to make ahead, but not freeze them? I am thinking of preparing them on Friday night, putting them in the fridge, and frying on Saturday morning. Also, any tips for frying? (i.e. fry while cold, right out of the fridge, or allow to come to room temperature first?).
Thanks! (and wish me luck!)
You can definitely make them the night before and fry the next morning. Store them in the fridge covered. Start off frying only one at a time until you get the hang of it. Test your first few to see what you have to adjust. This also gives you reason to eat them 🙂 Loosely covered after frying or they will not be crispy. Let me know how they turn out!
They turned out out sooo good! I could’ve passed them off as store-bought. Very authentic, just like the ones I was munching on in Portugal. I did add a bit of salt and pepper to the filling, but overall a great recipe – definitely a keeper. I’ve already been commissioned to make them for Christmas haha.
Thanks for the tips! Doing it over 2 days was very helpful.
Do I need to eggs and bread them before freezing or can I freeze prior to breading?
Either way will work 🙂
I’m going to try these for my family Christmas Eve dinner. These were my favourite growing up and am going to finally attempt them myself!
I had these when I was in Portugal and loved them. I made these and they taste the same. Served them Sunday as an appetizer to friends and they were amazed. Couldn’t.t believe I made them from scratch. Thank you. I have been looking for a recipe since 1988.
Can you fry these in an air fryer instead? Can’t wait to try, I have only had these with bacalhau growing up. Thanks!
I’m sure you can try it but frying them in oil will always taste better LOL
First tried a similar recipe in 1983 in Portugal at my friend’s mom’s home, loved them,
brought the recipe home and lost it!! Thanks for your step by step version. I made them, rolled the dough to 1/8″, they looked great, but the dough seems a little raw, tips? Also your recommendation to keep them crisp to serve an hour or so after they are made? Thank you!
Hi Tonya,
Try raising the temp of the oil or cooking slightly longer. They taste the best and are the most crisp same day they are made. Eaten soon after they have cooled.
With this amount of ingredients how many do they make?
This recipes makes 40.
I see this is an old question but it makes 40 servings not 40 turnovers correct? I see you mention 2 turnovers per serving.
This recipe makes 80 turnovers and we calculated 2 turnovers per serving for a total of 40 servings.
Can I prepare the shrimp filling for the Portuguese shrimp turnovers the night before and make the dough the next day, to save time.
Yes you can make it ahead. Let it sit out while making the dough so it comes to room temperature.