Portuguese Shrimp (Rissois) Patties Recipe

Ingredients

White sauce:6 tbsp of flour3/4 stick of butter or margarine2 cups of milk1/2 tsp of salt1/4 tsp of pepper1/2 Knorr chicken bouillon cube1 egg yolk for a thicker fillingShrimp:1/4 cup of finely minced onion2 tsp of finely minced parsley1/2 chicken bouillon cube2 to 3 tbsp of olive oil1 and 1/2 pounds of peeled finely chopped raw shrimp1/4 tsp of paprika1/4 tsp of salt (if desired)1 tsp of lemon juiceDough:6 cups of water6 cups of flour1 tbsp of salt1 stick of margarine1 piece of lemon peel                                                                                                       

Directions

White sauce:

1. In heavy sauce pan on medium heat melt butter. Add the flour and stir until it dissolves into the butter. Add milk, salt pepper & bouillion cube. Stir well and cook while constantly stirring on med heat until it thickens like a pudding.
2. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Add 1 tbsp of white sauce to beaten yolk to temper, then add the egg mixture into sauce. *This is optional to create a thicker, yellowish sauce but not necessary fi your sauce is thick.
3. Taste the white sauce & add more salt or pepper if needed. Set aside to cool completely. (The filling should be very thick not runny)

Shrimp:

1. Cook the onions w/ olive oil on med heat until translucent. Add chick bouillon cube & shrimp.
2. Cook for about 2-3 minutes until shrimp is pink. Add lemon juice, paprika, and parsley and let let cool.
3. Chop shrimp into small pieces and stir into the white sauce. Season the filling with more salt & pepper to taste if needed.
4. Let the shrimp filling mixture cool completely, or overnight in refrigerator.

Dough:

1. In heavy non stick pan, place water, lemon peel, salt & butter on med heat until butter melts and the water starts to boil. Add the flour & continually stir with a sturdy spoon until a ball of dough forms. (This takes muscle power)
2. You’ll notice the bottom of the pan starts to form a crust. Keep stirring until all of flour is absorbed into the ball of dough.
3. (The batter should feel and look like bread dough). Let it cool.
4. Once both the dough and filling have completely cooled or overnight in the refrigerator, you are ready to roll out dough on floured surface.

Preparing the Turnovers:

1. This dough is called “massa tenra” because it is a very tender dough which must be handed gently.
2. Gently roll the dough to 1/8 inch thick with floured rolling pin.
3. Cut the dough into round 4-5 inch circles using a cookie cutter or a floured glass.
4. Spoon 1 teaspoon of the filing into center of dough rounds. Fold the dough over forming a moon shape.
5. Carefully pinch edges together and don’t let filling escape out of the sides.
6. Place them apart from each other on a large parchment lined cookie sheet.

Prepare for frying:

1. Beat 3 eggs with a couple tablespoons of water in large bowl. Spread a large amount (2-3 cups) of fine plain bread crumbs on a cookie sheet.
2. Use one hand dry, one hand wet method by dipping each shrimp cake into egg wash and then into the bread crumbs. Shake off excess crumbs.
3. Place them back onto parchment lined cookie sheets for storing in refrigerator until ready to fry.

Frying Turnovers:

1. Fry 6 rissois at a time in good deep fryer at med – high heat about 375 degrees until they turn very golden brown. I recommend using a stainless steel fryer rather than a plastic one since it retains heat better.
2. You’ll need to keep turning them over and saturate them with the hot oil to cook evenly.
3. Cut one open to make sure the filling and the dough is cooked through.
4. Place them on paper towels to drain any grease.

Recipe & Photo Credit: Tia Maria's Blog, portuguesediner.com/tiamaria/