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These shrimp empanadas use a simple homemade dough and are filled with fresh shrimp and a little chorizo for an extra kick of flavor.
I love trying new creations when it comes to sharing recipes on this blog - from Salvadoran pupusas to Brazilian cheese bread.
And while I've eaten my share of empanadas, I've never made my own. The dough is very similar to a pie crust, so if you've made that you can make some empanada dough. Then you fill it and either bake or fry it.
Instead of just one with the usual beef filling, I decided to use an old favorite combo of shrimp and chorizo. And it couldn't have been tastier.
You get that seafood taste that is complemented by the spices of the chorizo. It's hard to stop at one or two or three... So if you're looking for upping your cooking game, give these shrimp empanadas a try. Or if you love cheese, you can never go wrong with cheese empanadas.! Or you could always go vegetarian with these vegetarian empanadas.
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Recipe Ingredients
- All-purpose flour - has the right gluten for the dough.
- Unsalted butter – adds flakiness to dough as it cooks.
- Egg – helps bind the dough.
- Olive oil - used to cook the veggies and protein.
- Onion and garlic - added flavor to the filling.
- Chicken stock - can also use seafood stock.
- Shrimp - fresh is best.
- Chorizo - dried works great as it is already cooked.
- Lemon - the zest enhances the flavor of the shrimp.
- Chili pepper, salt, black pepper - enhances the flavor.
- Cilantro - adds flavor to crema sauce.
- Scallions - mild onion flavor for crema sauce.
- Greek yogurt - thickens crema. Can also use sour cream.
- Lime - fresh lime juice is best.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Using a food processor, pulse together the flour and salt until combined. Add butter and pulse until mixture becomes coarse meal, about 15 pulses.
- In a small bowl, combine egg and water. Add the egg mixture to food processor and pulse until it starts to clump together. DO NOT pulse until ball is formed. It should be crumbly with large clumps of dough.
- Turn dough only a lightly floured surface and form into a ball. Cut in half and flatten each ball slightly to form a disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap and put in fridge for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.
- Pulse the shrimp and chorizo until chopped up in a food processor and set aside. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add onion and cook for about 5 minutes or until translucent. Add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Add stock, shrimp and chorizo and cook until shrimp are pink, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and mix in lemon zest, chili powder, salt and black pepper to taste. Place in bowl and chill in fridge for at least 1 hour before using.
- When ready to make empanadas, preheat oven to 375°F. Roll out dough to ⅛ inch thickness. Cut into circles about 5 inches in diameter using a ring cutter or small bowl.
- Put about 2 tablespoons filling in the center of each circle. Put some water around the entire edge, so once folded it will stick together.
- Wrap dough around filling to form empanada, pressing edges together. Crimp with a fork. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Whisk together the egg and water to make the egg wash. Brush each empanada with the egg wash.
- Blend the cilantro, scallions, yogurt, water, lime juice and salt in a blender until smooth and set aside.
- Bake the shrimp empanadas for 30-35 minutes or until they are golden brown.
Best Side Dish Options
Empanadas are one of those meals that work great as an appetizer or main course. There are quite a few recipes that work great with these shrimp empanadas including:
Bake vs Fried
I personally like baking these empanadas as they are a little healthier and you don't have to deal with the oil, but you can also fry them.
Add oil to a deep pan or pot so that it reaches 1 inch in depth. Heat oil to between 365°F. Fry in batches, 3 at a time, 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown.
FAQs
Empanadas mean "to wrap in bread" in Spanish. It is a type of baked or fried turnover consisting of pastry and filling. It can be sweet or savory, but is typically savory.
While the dough is easy enough to make if you're short on time you can use a pre-rolled pie crust. Canned biscuits or crescent rolls pressed and rolled thin also work.
If you use fresh chorizo, cook it for about 5 minutes first before adding the shrimp to the skillet.
If you've never peeled and deveined shrimp I suggest watching this video from Epicurious.
Yes. You can make the dough and filling and store in the fridge for up to 1 day. You can also assemble the unbaked shrimp empanadas and cover in plastic in the fridge for up to 2 days before baking.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Add the shrimp empanadas to baking sheet and reheat for 10-15 minutes or until the filling is warmed through. If they are starting to brown, just cover with aluminum foil
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Use wild shrimp when possible. It is healthier for you and just tastes better. Frozen shrimp works fine too but just make sure they're thawed before cooking.
- Use an empanada dough press to make life easier when filling and folding.
- If the dough is becoming a little warm due to being out too long when adding the filling, just place the filled empanadas back in the fridge for 30 minutes before baking.
- Use an egg wash on the outside of the dough to get the empanadas golden brown.
- Leftover shrimp empanadas can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Other Shrimp Recipes
- Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp
- Cajun Shrimp and Grits
- Blackened Shrimp
- Spicy Shrimp Tacos
- Shrimp Crostini
- Lemon Garlic Butter Shrimp
- Sheet Pan Shrimp Boil
If you’ve tried these shrimp empanadas or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.
Shrimp Empanadas
Ingredients
Empanada Dough
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup ice cold water
Filling
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ cup low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 lb shrimp, chopped
- 3 oz dried chorizo
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- salt and black pepper
Egg Wash
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
Cilantro Crema
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro
- 4 scallions, chopped
- ¼ cup greek yogurt
- ¼ cup water
- 1 lime, juiced
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Using a food processor, pulse together the flour and salt until combined. Add butter and pulse until mixture becomes coarse meal, about 15 pulses.
- In a small bowl, combine egg and water. Add the egg mixture to food processor and pulse until it starts to clump together. DO NOT pulse until ball is formed. It should be crumbly with large clumps of dough.
- Turn dough only a lightly floured surface and form into a ball. Cut in half and flatten each ball slightly to form a disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap and put in fridge for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.
- In a food processor, pulse the shrimp and chorizo until chopped up. Set aside.
- In large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook for about 5 minutes or until translucent. Add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Add stock, shrimp and chorizo and cook until shrimp are pink, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and mix in lemon zest, chili powder, salt and black pepper to taste. Place in bowl and chill in fridge for at least 1 hour before using.
- When ready to make empanadas, preheat oven to 375°F. Roll out dough to ⅛ inch thickness. Cut into circles about 5 inches in diameter using a ring cutter or small bowl.
- Put about 2 tablespoons filling in the center of each circle. Put some water around the entire edge, so once folded it will stick together. Wrap dough around filling to form empanada, pressing edges together. Crimp with a fork. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Whisk together the egg and water to make the egg wash. Brush each empanada with the egg wash.
- While empanadas are baking, place the cilantro, scallions, yogurt, water, lime juice and salt in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Use for dipping.
Notes
- Use wild shrimp when possible. It is healthier for you and just tastes better. Frozen shrimp works fine too but just make sure they're thawed before cooking.
- If you use fresh chorizo, cook it for about 5 minutes first before adding the shrimp to the skillet.
- Use an empanada dough press to make life easier when filling and folding.
- If the dough is becoming a little warm due to being out too long when adding the filling, just place the filled empanadas back in the fridge for 30 minutes before baking.
- Use an egg wash on the outside of the dough to get the empanadas golden brown.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
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