Irresistible Shrimp Pies

Pies are the ultimate comfort food, whether it is aloo pies, fish pies, or these shrimp pies. These shrimp pies were so insanely delicious that my daughter, who is not a fan of shrimp, devoured three. When she was on her fourth, she asked when I was making them again.

To save on time, you can make the filling and knead the dough the day before. I also suggest purchasing pre-cleaned shrimp (wild-caught, shelled, and deveined). I always have a bag or two of frozen shrimp in my deep freezer for those days I need to make something quick, like a shrimp fried rice, cajun shrimp pasta, this summertime pasta with veggies,  shrimp lo mein, shrimp wontons, or curried shrimp. This shrimp pasta with parsley is also quick and outstanding.

They are irresistible served hot with homemade hot sauce, mango, or tamarind chutney for an authentic taste of the Caribbean.

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Irresistible Shrimp Pies

Pies are the ultimate comfort food whether it is aloo pies, fish pies or these shrimp pies. These were so perfectly delicious that my daughter who is not a fan of shrimp devoured 3. When she was on her fourth she asked when I am making them again. Since they were so popular, I plan to make them again for Father’s day. They are perfect served hot with homemade hot sauce, mango or tamarind chutney for an authentic taste of the Caribbean.

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Course: Appetizer, Breakfast, dinner, lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Caribbean, Trinidadian

Keyword: bang bang shrimp, pies, shrimp pies

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 12

Calories: 535kcal

Ingredients

Prepare Shrimp

• 2 lbs shrimp peeled, deveined
• 4-6 tbs green seasoning
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp all-purpose seasoning optional
• 1 tsp adobo optional

To fry

• 2-3 cups oil for frying

To Knead Dough

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tbs baking powder
• 1 tsp Himalayan salt
• 1 tbs brown sugar optional
• 1 cup water About 1 cup plus 1 tbs lukewarm
• 2 tbs butter or oil

Green Seasoning on Video

• 1 bunch culantro
• 6 cloves garlic
• 4 pimento peppers
• bunch thyme

Instructions

• 1 Make Green Seasoning if you do not have any on hand. Place all ingredients into a food process or blender and pulse until smooth (but not too fine).
• 2 Knead flour: In a bowl combine flour, salt, sugar and baking powder. Gradually add water and knead to form a soft, smooth dough. The key to a soft dough is not folding over the flour too often (once all the water has been added, just press gently with the knuckles to smoothen, turn over, repeat). Cover with a kitchen towel and allow it to rest for a minimum of 20 mins.
• 3 Clean and rinse shrimp with cold water and the juice of a lemon; removing shells and other undesirables. Drain and place in a bowl. I usually buy pre-cleaned shrimp to save on time.
• 4 Season shrimp with green seasoning(pre made), salt, black pepper, all-purpose seasoning and adobo, if using. Marinate for a minimum of 30 mins or overnight covered in the refrigerator.
• 5 Cook Shrimp: When ready to cook, remove the seasoned shrimp from the refrigerator and bring to room temp. Heat oil in a frying pan over high heat. Add chopped onion and hot pepper(this step is optional and ingredients are not listed) and place the shrimp in the hot oil. Cook until golden brown on both sides. Should take 3-4 mins per side on medium heat.
• 6 Mince Filling: Once the shrimp is cool, place 3/4 in the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times to coarsely chop. Alternately, you can chop the shrimp by hand using a chopper or sharp knife. Return the shrimp back to the bowl with the whole shrimp, add additional green seasoning if desired and mix well to combine.
• 7 Make Balls(loyahs)- Using your hand, squeeze off pieces of flour between thumb and forefinger to make 12 small balls. (I make three large loyahs(balls) and then divide each into 4). This way you don’t have to reshape after separating the dough.
• 8 Fill Dough: Lightly flour surface. Using your fingers, flatten each ball into a 5-6 inch disc. Place a handful of the shrimp mixture (about 3 heaping tablespoons) onto one half and fold with the other half to create a semi-circle. Pinch the edges together to seal all the way around, then twist all around to seal. Place the completed filled dough on a floured surface and cover with a kitchen or paper towel until ready to fry. Quickly repeat the steps with the remaining balls of dough.
• 9 To fry: Once all the dough are filled—or several, heat about 3 cups of oil (use more if your pot is wider) in a wide Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot. Add a small pinch of dough. The oil is ready when it floats and darkens.
• 10 Gently place filled dough into the hot oil, two or three at a time if the pot is large enough. Using a spoon, continuously pour hot oil over the dough. When the bottom is golden brown, flip and cook the other side until golden brown as well. Drain on the side of the pot and place in a single layer, on a paper towel or parchment paper lined tray. Repeat the frying with the remaining filled dough.
• Serve hot with hot sauce, mango or tamarind chutney.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 535kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Monounsaturated Fat: 24g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 127mg | Sodium: 762mg | Potassium: 364mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 156IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 105mg | Iron: 2mg