Rissois de Camarao

Method

In a cold saucepan, add 450mls of milk and 4 tablespoons butter and bring it to a simmer until the butter has melted

Add the flour to the milk/butter, up the heat and stir the flour until it forms a dough. Remove this from the heat and let it cool slightly as you'll need to work with it

On a lightly floured surface, turn out the dough and begin to knead it for about 5 minutes before setting it to one side

Melt the remaining 2 Tablespoons of butter in a clean saucepan over a medium heat and then add the onion and cook until well browned

If using the shells for added flavour, in a cool sauce pan, add the remaining 225 mls milk and the prawn/shrimp shells (if using) and bring the milk to a simmer. Take off the heat and sieve the milk to remove the shells. Pour the sieved liquid into the onion pan and bring back to a simmer whilst adding the parsley and seasoning

If you haven't used the shells in the cooking, reduce the heat of the pan with the onions and pour in the remaining 225 mls milk as well as parsley and seasoning and bring back to a simmer

Slack the corn starch with the 2 tablespoons of water and add to the saucepan with milk and onions, stirring constantly until it thickens

Once thickened, stir in the chopped shrimp and heat through for 1 minute before removing from heat and allowing to cool

Back to the dough now and on a lightly floured surface roll the dough out thinly and use a cutter to cut out your dough, lightly dusting both sides of each cut with flour.

In the middle of the cut dough, add 1 teaspoon of the shrimp filling and then fold the dough over to form a half circle, pressing the edges together while making sure most air is removed. Pop the sealed dough parcel to the side and keep going until all the filling is used up

In a small bowl, add the eggs and beat until frothy. In another bowl, add the dried breadcrumbs

Take one of the filled dough parcels and dip first into the beaten egg and then into the dried bread crumbs. Place the finished article on a plate. Repeat this with the remainder and when done, keep in the fridge for a half hour

Using a large frying pan or fryer, get the oil to a high heat (180 C) and fry the croquettes until golden brown. You'll likely have to do this in batches to retain the oil temperature

Remove the croquettes from the oil with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels to absorb any excess oil

These are best served piping hot with a glass of chilled wine or beer