Langostino and Andouille sausage empanadas
Recipe for langostino and Andouille sausage empanadas inspired by the flavors of Louisiana. These spicy empanadas can also be made with crawfish or shrimp, and are served with an avocado cilantro dipping sauce.
Servings 15 -20 empanadas
Ingredients
For the langostino (or crawfish) and Andouille sausage filling:
- 2 tablespoons of butter or oil
- 1 medium white onion diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 2 celery stalks finely diced
- 2 teaspoons of smoked paprika
- ~1 tablespoon of Tabasco Garlic Pepper sauce or regular Tabasco adjust to taste
- 12 ounces of fully cooked Andouille sausages diced (can use chorizo or any spicy sausage)
- 1 lb fully cooked crawfish or langostino or shrimp, diced
- 1-2 green onions or scallions diced
- 2 tablespoon of finely chopped cilantro
- Salt to taste
For frying:
- Oil as needed
If baking the empanadas:
- 1 egg whisked to be used as egg wash
- ~1tsp of Tabasco sauce – optional for a spicy glaze
To serve:
Instructions
For the filling:
- Heat the butter or oil in a medium sized pan, add the diced onions, bell peppers and celery. Cook for about 8-10 minutes or until the ingredients are soft.
- Add the paprika and ½ tablespoon of Garlic Tabasco, mix well.
- Add the diced Andouille sausage and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add the crawfish or langostino meat, mix well and cook for 2 minutes. Taste and add the additional Garlic Tabasco (if needed) and salt to taste. Let the mix cool down. Stir in the green onions and cilantro. Save the filling until ready to use.
To assemble the empanadas:
- Place a generous spoonful of the langostino or crawfish filling on the center of each empanada disc.
- Fold the empanada discs and gently seal the edges with your fingers. Twist and fold the edges of the empanadas with your fingers. For extra sealing you can use a fork to press down on the edges.
- Chill the empanadas for at least an hour, this will help them seal better and prevent them for leaking.
To fry the empanadas:
- You can fry the empanadas in a deep fryer or in a deep frying pan. If using a frying pan, make sure to add enough oil to cover at least half of the empanada. Let the oil get very hot and fry each empanada until they are golden on each side, about 1-2 minutes per side. Place the empanadas on paper towels to drain any excess grease.
To bake the empanadas:
- Pre-heat the oven to 375F – 400F.
- Brush the empanadas with the egg wash right before baking to give them a nice golden glow.
- Bake the empanadas for 18-20 minutes or until golden on top.
- Serve the empanadas as is or with your choice of dipping sauce.