If rissóis de carne are the workhorses of the Portuguese party table, rissóis de camarão are the aristocrats: the same tender cooked dough and golden breadcrumb shell, but filled with shrimp folded into a silky béchamel. At any celebration, they are the first platter to empty.
The creamy filling is the whole point — a proper roux, warm milk whisked in slowly, chopped shrimp and parsley, and the optional whisper of nutmeg that Portuguese cooks add to anything béchamel-adjacent.
Like their meat cousins (recipe also on the site), they are built for batch production: shape and bread a small army, freeze them, and fry on demand. Future you will be grateful at every gathering.
Rissóis de Camarão Recipe
Prep time: 40 minutes · Cook time: 10 minutes · Total: 50 minutes · Servings: 8 · Calories: ~188 per serving
Ingredients
- For the dough:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- For the filling:
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole milk, warmed
- 1 cup cooked shrimp, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Pinch of nutmeg (optional)
- For coating and frying:
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- Vegetable oil, for frying
Instructions
- Make the dough: bring the water, butter and salt to a boil, lower the heat and stir in the flour vigorously until a smooth ball pulls from the pan. Knead gently on a floured surface and let cool.
- Make the filling: soften the onion in the butter, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and cook 1 to 2 minutes into a roux.
- Whisk in the warm milk gradually and simmer until thick. Stir in the shrimp, parsley, seasoning and nutmeg, and cool completely.
- Roll the dough to ⅛ inch and cut 3- to 4-inch circles.
- Fill each with a small spoonful, fold into half-moons, press to seal and crimp with a fork.
- Dip in beaten egg, then breadcrumbs.
- Fry at 350°F in batches until golden, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Drain and serve warm.
Recipe Notes
- The filling must be fully cold before shaping — warm béchamel tears the dough.
- They freeze beautifully breaded and uncooked; fry from frozen with an extra minute or two.
- A squeeze of lemon over the hot rissóis is a quiet upgrade nobody regrets.
