Chilean Shrimp & Cheese Empanadas

Versión en español

My childhood vacations were spent in a tiny sea town in Chile, and these Shrimp & Cheese Empanadas were a staple.

I grew up eating all kinds of fish, seaweed, and crustaceans. Almost always, the first introduction for kids to sea products is by offering an Empanada, especially if it goes with cheese. I’m planning on doing just this with my daughters. Wish me luck.

You may also like the recipe: Chilean Empanada de Pino.

Chilean Shrimp and Cheese Empanadas

• Author: Pilar Hernandez
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 6
• Category: Savory
• Method: Fried
• Cuisine: Chilean

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Description

Fantastic Chilean empanadas.

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Ingredients

• 6 empanadas dough thawed (on Latin supermarket, on the frozen aisle)
• 1 cup raw shrimp, peeled and cleaned, without the tail
• 5 washed and finely chopped scallions white and green parts(green onions)
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder or Merquén
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup of cheese coarsely grated, Havarti or Monterrey Jack are good choices
• oil for frying

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Instructions

1. Make the filling: In a medium skillet, heat one tablespoon vegetable oil over medium-low heat, add the green onions and sauté until lightly browned and tender, about 3 minutes, add salt, pepper, and Merquén, stir well and add the shrimp and cook until they are getting pink. Remove from heat and let cool, add the cheese, and mix.
2. Thawed the dough, separate carefully. Place two teaspoons of filling of shrimp and cheese. Close the empanadas, slightly wet the edge with water, and then crush with a fork to seal the border. You can also make small folds after sealing the edge, my favorite way.
3. Heat oil in a deep pot to avoid splashing, test the oil with a piece of dough leftover, get out to the surface, and brown quickly in about 1 minute per side, or  400F. Place the empanadas to be fried, 2 or 3 at a time. Allow to brown on both sides, remove to a plate with an absorbent paper towel and let drain 1 minute, serve and eat hot.

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Keywords: Shrimp empanadas, cheese empanadas, chilean cuisine