Chilean Piure Empanadas — Homemade Empanadas de Piure de Isla Mocha Recipe

Versión en Español

Chilean empanadas de piure are fried turnovers filled with chopped piure, the red Chilean sea squirt, sauteed with onion, shallots, oregano, and aji de color, a traditional recipe from Isla Mocha. They take 45 minutes of preparation plus 30 minutes of cooking and serve 6 people.

They are a must on Isla Mocha in September for the Fiestas Patrias, Chile’s national holidays, but they are just as good at any time of year.

How to Make Chilean Piure Empanadas?

Piure empanadas blend Spanish culinary influence with a widely available local ingredient, the piure, whether white, pink, or red. You make a simple lard dough, fill discs with a pino of piure and softened onions, seal them, and fry them until golden.

Nutritional Information

Each serving of piure empanadas contains approximately 300 kcal, 45 g of carbohydrates, 10 g of fat, 8 g of protein, 3 g of fiber, 2 g of sugars, 15 mg of cholesterol, and 300 mg of sodium. These values are estimates and may vary depending on ingredients and portion sizes.

Homemade Chilean Empanadas de Piure Recipe

Preparation: 45 minutes
Cooking: 30 minutes
Servings: 6 people

Ingredients

For the dough

• 350 g (2 3/4 cups) of flour
• 250 ml (8.5 fl oz) of water
• 50 g (1.8 oz) of lard
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder

For the piure filling

• 500 g (1.1 lb) of piures
• 4 shallots
• 1 large onion
• Fresh oregano
• Aji de color (Chilean paprika seasoning)
• Fine sea salt
• Oil, for sauteing and frying

Instructions

1. Wash the piures very well in cold water, removing any impurities. Chop them finely and set aside. In a large bowl, sift the flour and add the lard, the baking powder, and the salt, then add as much water as needed to form a soft dough.

2. Roll out the dough to about 2 to 3 mm thick and cut it into discs about 20 cm (8 in) wide. Finely dice the onion and shallots, rinse and squeeze them in cold water to mellow them, bring them to a boil in water, drain, and set aside.

3. In a large frying pan, heat a little oil and saute the onion, shallots, piures, aji de color, oregano, and salt, stirring to combine, until the onion looks translucent. Place a spoonful of the piure filling in the center of each dough disc.

4. Fold the dough over the filling into a half moon and seal the edges well with your fingers or a fork. In a pot or deep frying pan, heat enough oil over medium high heat and fry the empanadas for about 5 minutes, until lightly golden on both sides. Lift them out with a slotted spoon, drain on paper towels, and serve hot.

Additional Tips

Add a splash of white wine

To intensify the sea flavor of the piure, add a tablespoon of white wine to the sofrito with the onions and let it reduce before adding the piures.

Make the filling a day ahead

Prepare the filling the day before and keep it refrigerated. The flavors come together better, and a cold filling makes the empanadas easier to assemble.

Keep the oil hot

Fry only a few empanadas at a time so the oil temperature does not drop. Hot oil seals the dough quickly and keeps the empanadas crisp instead of greasy.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. How do I choose and clean piures?

Choose fresh piures with an intense reddish color and firm texture. Rinse them thoroughly in cold water with a few drops of lemon to remove impurities. If possible, buy them already removed from the rock at specialized fish markets.

2. Can I bake them instead of frying?

Yes. Bake them, or use an air fryer, at 180 C (356 F) for 20 to 25 minutes until golden. Brush them with beaten egg first for a shiny finish, although the flavor will be a little different from the traditional fried version.

3. Why boil the onions first?

This traditional step removes excess water and softens the sharp flavor of the onions so they do not compete with the delicate taste of the piure. It also helps them cook evenly in the sofrito.

4. What other shellfish can I add?

You can add small amounts of mussels, machas, or clams for mixed seafood empanadas, but the piure should remain the star to keep the recipe authentic.

5. Can I freeze the empanadas uncooked?

Freeze the assembled empanadas on a tray for 2 hours, then store them in airtight bags for up to 3 months. Fry them straight from frozen, adding a little extra cooking time.

What Is Piure?

Piure (Pyura chilensis) is a sea squirt that grows attached to rocks along the Chilean coast. Inside its tough outer tunic is bright red flesh with an intense iodine and sea flavor, and it is especially rich in iodine, iron, and zinc.

Piure Empanadas and Isla Mocha

Isla Mocha lies off the coast of the Biobio region, and its island communities have long cooked with the shellfish and sea squirts gathered from its rocky shores. Piure empanadas are an uncommon recipe even in southern Chile, developed on the island with a clear influence from Spanish cooking.

Did You Know?

Piure has one of the strongest flavors of any Chilean seafood, which is why it divides opinion: some people love it and others cannot stand it.

Recommended

• Chilean Piure Rice Recipe
• Chilean Piure Potato Casserole Recipe
• Chilean Fried Chapes Empanadas Recipe
• Chilean Shrimp and Cheese Empanadas Recipe