Briouats are small Moroccan pastries which are stuffed with a variety of fillings and then fried. In this version, crisp, paper-thin Moroccan pastry called warqa encloses a spicy seafood filling made from shrimp and rice vermicelli. Phyllo (fillo) dough or spring roll wrappers can be substituted for the warqa.
Seafood briouats are usually served as a finger food or appetizer, but they can also be served as an entrée.
How to Fold Briouats will show you how to enclose the filling and fold the briouats into a triangular shape.
Also try Seafood Bastilla.
Prep Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 kg (2 lbs. 3 oz.) fresh medium or small shrimp (yields 1/2 kg shelled and cleaned)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- handful dried black mushrooms
- 125 g (4 1/2 ounces) uncooked Chinese rice vermicelli
- 2 large fresh tomatoes, grated (discard skin)
- 3 cloves garlic, pressed or chopped very fine
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons chopped, fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (divided)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper (divided)
- 1/2 cup grated Edam or other variety cheese (optional)
- 1/2 kg (about 1 1lb.) warqa, fillo dough or large spring roll wrappers
- 1 egg yolk , slightly beaten (for folding the briouats)
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted (for folding the briouats)
- vegetable oil (for frying the briouats)
Preparation:
Peel and clean the shrimp.
In separate bowls of water, soak the black mushrooms and rice vermicelli. Set aside for at least 15 minutes.
Cook the shrimp. In a skillet over medium-high heat, melt one tablespoon of butter. Add the shrimp, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Sauté for a few minutes, stirring often, just until the shrimp is no longer transparent. Drain the shrimp and reserve the liquids to cook the vermicelli.
Make the tomato sauce. In a small pan, combine the grated tomatoes, garlic, vegetable oil, one teaspoon salt and one teaspoon pepper. Simmer uncovered over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes. Mix in the parsley and hot sauce, and set aside.
Meanwhile, cook the vermicelli. Drain the rice vermicelli and transfer it to a pot. Add the reserved liquids from the shrimp, the tomato sauce, and the soy sauce. Stir to mix. Simmer the vermicelli uncovered over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until the vermicelli is tender and the liquids are mostly absorbed. Remove the vermicelli to a cutting board, and coarsely chop it into two- to three-inch strands.
Make the filling. Drain the mushrooms and chop coarsely. Combine them with the vermicelli and shrimp, add the cheese if using, and stir to mix well.
Fold the briouats. See How to Fold Briouats. With scissors, cut the pastry dough into strips about two-and-a-half inches wide. Place a single strip of warqa or spring roll wrapper – or two layered strips of phyllo dough – on your work surface. (If the strip of warqa is less than 10 inches long, use two layers.) Lightly brush butter on the bottom two-thirds of the dough. Place a large tablespoon of filling towards the bottom of the strip, and fold the bottom up to enclose the filling.
Fold the bottom left corner of the enclosed dough upwards to the right, aligning it with the right edge of the strip. Then flip the bottom right corner upwards to the left, aligning it with the left edge of the dough. You should see a triangle take shape. Continue folding the triangle, flipping right and then left in this manner, until you reach the end of the dough.
Trim any excess length off the edge of the dough, dab it with a little egg yolk, and tuck the end of the dough into the "pocket" formed by the open edge of dough on the briouat. You can use the tip of a butter knife or your scissors to help tuck in the flap of dough.
Cook or freeze the briouats. Deep fry the briouats in hot oil until light golden brown. Drain and serve. Briouats stay warm for a long time, but if frying them well in advance of serving, you can reheat them in a 350 degree oven for five to 10 minutes.
Uncooked briouats can be refrigerated for one day or frozen for up to two months in a freezer bag or plastic storage container. They can be fried directly from the freezer, or allowed to thaw for 30 minutes to one hour before frying.
