Portuguese Rissois (Savory meat hand pies) are a beloved Portuguese snack, perfect for any occasion. Filled with meat or seafood of your choice, and encased in a golden, crispy dough, these delicious pastries are a comforting treat that can be made ahead and frozen for easy entertaining.
Rissois are savory fried hand pies that are a beloved comfort food and an essential part of Portuguese culinary tradition. While these savory pastries are often made with shrimp, the chicken version is just as popular, offering a rich, creamy filling with a spicy kick from hot pepper sauce. Rissois are commonly served as appetizers or snacks and are a staple at family gatherings, festive celebrations, or special occasions across Portugal.
The origins of rissois can be traced back to Portuguese culinary influences and techniques that blend French and Mediterranean flavors. This dish reflects the country’s long history of creating rich, flavorful fillings encased in delicate pastry. Portuguese rissois are similar to croquettes but are unique for their distinct texture and preparation method.
The crispy exterior, combined with the soft, savory filling, provides the perfect balance of flavor and texture.
Portuguese Rissois
This particular recipe comes from Authentic Portuguese Cooking by Ana Patuleia Ortins, and provides plenty of options for a protein rich filling. The filling can be made from your choice of cooked meat (shrimp, chicken, beef, etc), vegetables, and spices, all thickened with cornstarch to give it a velvety consistency.
Once cooled, the filling is encased in a simple yet wonderfully tender dough, then coated in breadcrumbs and fried until golden brown.
The result is a delicious, indulgent snack that is both flavorful and satisfying. As the recipe suggests, rissois are versatile—you can easily substitute chicken with other proteins like shrimp, rabbit, or even poached salt cod, making it a dish that can be adapted to whatever you have on hand.
These hand pies are perfect for freezing in advance and can be fried fresh whenever you’re in the mood for a taste of Portugal.
Ingredients for Portuguese Rissois
To make these Portuguese hand pies, you will need two main components: a poultry, seafood or beef based filling and a simple pastry dough. For the filling, ingredients include a pre cooked meat base, vegetables like onions and celery, milk, spices such as nutmeg and pepper, and cornstarch to thicken the mixture.
The pastry dough is made from milk, butter, salt, and flour, forming a smooth dough that will encase the savory filling. For frying, you’ll need an egg wash, breadcrumbs, and oil of choice.
Types of Rissois
When made with chicken, these savory hand pies are called Rissois de Galinha (chicken rissois) in Portuguese. The name “rissois” generally refers to any type of filled pastry in Portuguese cuisine, and depending on the filling, the name changes.
For seafood lovers, Rissois de Camarão (shrimp rissois) is another popular variation, where the filling is made with plump, juicy shrimp, often seasoned with garlic, herbs, and a bit of spice. Another beloved alternative is Rissois de Bacalhau, which features shredded, poached salt cod, a classic ingredient in Portuguese cuisine that adds a rich, briny flavor to the filling.
You may also encounter Rissois de Coelho (rabbit rissois) or Rissois de Carne (beef rissois), where the filling is made with finely shredded meat or pulled pork, adding hearty and savory flavors.
Each version of rissois maintains the same basic technique of encasing a flavorful filling in a soft, doughy pastry shell, breading it, and frying it to crispy perfection.
How to Make Portuguese Rissois
Making these savory meat hand pies has a few different steps, as you’ll need to make the filling and pastry, then assemble and fry the hand pies.
Making the Filling
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and sauté the onion and celery until golden, about 4 to 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the milk, warming it until it’s very hot but not boiling. Stir in the cilantro, hot pepper sauce, salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and continue stirring.
In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water to create a slurry, then stir it into the milk mixture. Continue cooking over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the chopped protein of your choice (shrimp, chicken, beef, pork or salt cod), heat through, and remove from the heat. Let the filling cool completely. This will make about 2 cups (475 ml) of filling.
Making the Savory Wrapper
In a saucepan, combine the milk, butter, and salt. Warm over medium heat until the milk is scalded, about 2 minutes. Add the flour all at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until it forms a dough, about 1 minute. The dough will pull away from the sides of the pan and form a ball. Remove the pan from the heat and turn the dough onto a lightly buttered surface. Knead gently until smooth, being careful not to overwork the dough. Divide it into two equal parts, cover, and keep warm.
Assembling Rissois
Make sure the dough and your work surface are warm. Place half of the dough on a warm, lightly dampened cutting board. Shape the dough into a log and roll out a portion into a 5-inch (12.5 cm) long piece, rolling it to about ⅛-inch (3 mm) thick.
Place about 1 tablespoon of the filling in the center of the dough.
Next, fold the dough over to form a half-moon shape.
Press the edges together to seal, then use a 3-inch (7.5 cm) cutter to trim the edges and shape the rissole. Set aside on a plastic-wrap lined tray. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
Frying Rissois
Dip each rissole in the egg wash, then coat in bread crumbs, shaking off any excess.
Fry the rissoles in hot oil, two or three at a time, until golden and crispy.
Frying Portuguese Rissois
Serve hot or at room temperature. Or, freeze them for later.
To freeze the rissoles, place them in a single layer on a tray after breading, making sure they don’t overlap. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and freeze. Fry from frozen or let them sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before frying.
Reprinted with permission from Authentic Portuguese Cooking by Ana Patuleia Ortins. Page Street Publishing Co. 2018. Photo Credit: Ted Axelrod.
Portuguese Rissois
Ingredients
FOR THE FILLING
- 2 Tbsp butter
- ¼ cup onion finely chopped
- ¼ cup celery finely chopped
- 1 cup milk
- ½ Tbsp cilantro or parsley finely chopped
- 1 to 2 Tbsp hot pepper sauce or to taste
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp white pepper
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 2 Tbsp water
- ½ lb Cooked protein of your choice 1 1/2 cups cooked, finely diced or shreaded chicken, rabbit, beef, pork, shrimp or salt cod.
FOR THE PASTRY
- 2 cups milk
- 4 Tbsp butter
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups flour
FOR FRYING
- Egg wash of 3 beaten eggs mixed with 3 tablespoons/ 45 ml of water
- Fine plain bread crumbs
- Olive oil or corn oil for frying
Instructions
FOR THE FILLING
- Melt the butter in a 1-quart/1-L saucepan. Add the onion and celery and sauté over medium-high heat until lightly golden, about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low, pour in the milk, and heat to really hot but not boiling. Add the cilantro, hot pepper sauce, salt, pepper and nutmeg and stir to combine.
- Make a slurry by combining the cornstarch with the water. Stir into the milk and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring continuously, until it thickens, about 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the chopped or shredded meat, heat through for 1 minute, and remove from the heat. Set aside to cool completely. Makes about 2 cups/ 475 ml filling.
FOR THE PASTRY
- Combine the milk, butter and salt in a 2-quart/ 2-L saucepan. Warm over medium heat until the milk is scalded, about 2 minutes.
- Add the flour and as fast as you can, using a wooden spoon, incorporate the flour into the hot milk. Keep stirring fast until it forms a dough, about 1 minute. When the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan and forms a ball, remove the pan from the stove.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly buttered workspace (not stone). With a light touch, use a wooden spatula and your fingers to turn the warm dough onto itself and knead briefly until smooth. Don’t overwork the dough. Divide the dough in half, forming two balls, and cover and keep warm.
FOR THE ASSEMBLY
- It is important that the dough and work surface are warm for this method. Use a wooden board or other non-stone surface. Wipe it with a warm, barely damp cloth.
- Use a warm wooden or nylon cutting board. Take half of the dough and shape it into a 4- to 6-inch/ 10-to 15-cm diameter log. Turn it so the short end is facing you. With your rolling pin, without separating the dough from the cylinder, roll out toward you some of the short end, about 5 inches/ 12.5 cm, to about ⅛ inch/ 3 mm thick.
- Place 1 scant tablespoon/ 15 g of filling in the middle.
- Fold the rolled dough away from you and over the filling, pressing the edges of the far side together to seal, forming a half circle. The fold should be facing you.
- Using a 3-inch/ 7.5-cm diameter cutter, place it over the pressed side but not catching the folded edge and cut out the half-moon shape. Set aside on a plastic wrap–lined sheet pan or tray.
- Repeat with the remaining dough until all the filling is used. The amount you get will depend on the size you make them and how thick you roll the dough.
FOR FRYING
- Dip the rissoles in the beaten egg wash, then quickly into the plain bread crumbs, making sure to shake off any excess bread crumbs, and set back on the tray. Repeat with all the rissoles. At this point, you can cover and freeze the rissoles.
- Fry the rissoles, two or three at a time, in hot oil until golden. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Nutrition
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