Rissóis de Camarão in the Air FryerShrimp Turnovers

Rissóis de camarão are on the table at every Portuguese birthday, christening and wedding: half-moons of soft dough filled with a creamy shrimp sauce, breaded and fried golden. They take some time, but you can make a big batch and freeze them.

The air fryer version is less greasy and still very crisp, thanks to the breadcrumb coating.

The recipe

Rissóis de Camarão in the Air FryerShrimp Turnovers

Half-moon pastries filled with creamy shrimp, breaded and crisped in the air fryer. The party snack every Portuguese aunt makes, with a step-by-step dough.

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Prep60 min

Cook12 min

Total72 min

Serves24 rissóis

Ingredients

MetricUS

Makes

24

rissóis

½×1×2×3×

• For the dough: 250 ml water, 250 ml milk, 30 g butter, 1 tsp salt, 250 g plain flour
• For the filling: 300 g raw peeled shrimp, chopped
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 30 g butter
• 3 tbsp plain flour
• 300 ml milk (or half milk, half shrimp stock)
• A pinch of nutmeg, 1 tbsp chopped parsley, a squeeze of lemon
• To coat: 2 eggs, beaten, and 150 g fine breadcrumbs
• Olive oil for spraying

Method

1. Make the filling: soften the onion in the butter, stir in the flour, then whisk in the milk until thick. Add the shrimp and cook for 2 minutes. Season with nutmeg, salt, lemon and parsley. Cool completely.
2. Make the dough: bring the water, milk, butter and salt to the boil. Tip in all the flour at once and stir hard over low heat for 2–3 minutes, until the dough comes away from the pan in a ball.
3. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead briefly while still warm, until smooth. Cover and let it cool slightly.
4. Roll the dough thinly (about 2 mm). Put teaspoons of filling in a row, 3 cm from the edge, fold the dough over and cut half-moons with a glass or cutter. Press the edges to seal.
5. Dip each rissol in egg, then in breadcrumbs.
6. Spray with oil and air fry at 190 °C for 10–12 minutes, turning halfway, until golden.

Notes

Clear ticks

Tap ingredients and steps to tick them off. Scaling changes the quantities at the start of each line; check the rest by eye.

Shortcuts that still taste right

Short on time? Use ready-rolled shortcrust or empanada dough. The texture is different (flakier, less soft), but the filling is what people remember.

From the shop

What you’ll need

Links go to Amazon, where you can check today’s price. If you buy, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Amazon best seller

Cosori TurboBlaze 6 Qt Air Fryer

One of Amazon's best-selling air fryers. The 6 Qt basket fits a batch of pastéis de bacalhau or chicken thighs for four, and the ceramic coating is PFAS-free.

Tip: Size is what matters for Portuguese cooking: 5.5–6 Qt feeds 2–4 people in one batch.

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Amazon best seller

Air fryer parchment liners, 125 pack

Stops wet mixtures like pastéis and croquetes from sticking to the basket.

Tip: Never preheat the air fryer with an empty liner inside.

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Portuguese

Little Portugal by Lauren Covas

Bold Portuguese home cooking from a New Jersey kitchen, with a modern twist on the classics.

Tip: Hardback with lots of photos.

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