Empanadas de Camarón Seco de la Costa Chica

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Cast iron comal or heavy skillet
• •Tortilla press lined with plastic
• •Volcanic stone molcajete or food processor
• •Heavy 10-inch skillet for frying
• •Wire rack set over a sheet pan

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the masa

   In a bowl, mix the masa harina, salt, softened manteca, and warm water until a soft dough forms. Knead for three minutes. The masa should feel like a soft earlobe, not cracked and not sticky. Cover with a damp towel and let it rest 25 minutes. Resting gives the corn time to drink the water. Rush it and the empanadas crack when you fold them.

2. 2

   Rinse the shrimp

   Pick through the camarón seco and remove any hard bits of shell, heads, or legs that look too sharp. Rinse quickly under cold water, then soak in warm water for 10 minutes. Drain well and save 1/2 cup of the soaking liquid only if it tastes clean and pleasantly salty. If it tastes bitter or dusty, throw it out. Pregúntale a las señoras del mercado. Good dried shrimp smells like the sea, not like an old cupboard.

3. 3

   Toast the shrimp

   Heat a dry comal over medium. Toast the drained shrimp for three to five minutes, stirring often, until they dry back out and smell concentrated. Do not blacken them. This step wakes up the shrimp and removes that flat storage taste. Transfer to a molcajete or food processor and grind to a coarse powder with some small pieces left.

4. 4

   Toast the chiles

   On the same comal, toast the chile costeño for about 15 to 20 seconds per side. It is small and thin, so watch it. The skin should darken slightly and smell fruity, not burned. Cover with hot water and soak for 10 minutes, then drain. Burned chile makes bitter filling. There is no good speech that fixes burned chile.

   If you cannot find chile costeño, chile guajillo with one chile de arbol is a compromise. It will not taste like Costa Chica. Use chile costeño when you can find it.
5. 5

   Char the vegetables

   Place the tomatoes, onion, and unpeeled garlic on the comal. Turn them until the tomatoes blister and slump, the onion gets dark spots, and the garlic softens inside its skin. Peel the garlic. Blend the tomatoes, onion, garlic, and soaked chile costeño until you have a thick red sauce. Do not add too much liquid. This filling has to sit inside masa, not run away from it.

6. 6

   Cook the filling

   Melt 1 tablespoon manteca de cerdo in a skillet over medium heat. Add the chile-tomate sauce and fry for five minutes, stirring, until it darkens and thickens. Stir in the ground shrimp, Mexican oregano, black pepper, and chopped epazote. Add a few spoonfuls of water or clean shrimp soaking liquid only if the mixture is too dry to come together. Cook until the filling is thick, salty, and spoonable. Taste before adding salt. The shrimp usually brings enough.

7. 7

   Press the rounds

   Divide the rested masa into 14 to 16 balls, each about the size of a small lime. Line a tortilla press with plastic cut from a clean bag. Press each ball into a round about 5 inches wide and a little thicker than a tortilla. Too thin and the filling breaks through. Too thick and you get a heavy empanada. Balance, comadre. The masa tells you.

8. 8

   Fill and seal

   Place 1 heaping tablespoon of shrimp filling on one half of each masa round, leaving a clean border. Fold the plastic over to close the empanada into a half-moon. Press the edge firmly through the plastic, then crimp with your fingers or the tines of a fork. If the edge cracks, dab it with a little water and press again. Oil finds every loose seam. No me vengas con atajos.

9. 9

   Fry until crisp

   Heat the manteca de cerdo or oil in a heavy skillet to 350F. Fry the empanadas in batches, two to three minutes per side, until golden with crisp bubbled edges. Keep the heat steady. If the fat is too cool, the masa drinks it. If it is too hot, the outside browns before the center is ready. Drain on a rack or brown paper, not a stack of paper towels that traps the crust.

10. 10

    Serve with lime

    Serve warm or at room temperature with lime halves and salsa de chile costeño. These are botanas for the afternoon, for a potluck table, for eating under shade while someone argues about whose aunt folds them better. That argument is allowed. The sour cream is not. Así se hace y punto.

Chef Tips

• •Buy camarón seco at a Mexican market with turnover. The shrimp should be dry, firm, and ocean-salty, never damp or ammoniated. If the bag smells stale before you open it, leave it there.
• •Chile costeño is the regional spine of this dish. It is common in Guerrero and Oaxaca markets and harder to find outside Mexico. Look at Mexican grocers, Oaxacan markets, or online chile vendors before you substitute.
• •Fresh masa from a tortilleria is better than masa harina. Ask for masa para tortillas, not masa preparada for tamales. If using fresh masa, use about 1 3/4 pounds and knead in the salt and manteca.
• •Do not overfill the empanadas. One generous spoonful is enough. A burst empanada wastes filling and dirties the frying fat.
• •These are not sweet wheat empanadas. They are corn masa empanadas from the Costa Chica. Flour tortillas are a northern tradition, not the structure for this dish.

Advance Preparation

• •The shrimp filling can be made two days ahead and refrigerated. Let it come to room temperature before filling so it spreads without tearing the masa.
• •The masa can be mixed four hours ahead and held covered with a damp towel. Knead in a spoonful of warm water if it feels dry before pressing.
• •The formed empanadas can be held covered in the refrigerator for up to six hours before frying. Separate layers with plastic so the masa does not stick.
• •Fried empanadas hold well at room temperature for a potluck or outdoor table. Recrisp on a hot comal or in a 375F oven for eight minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 70g)