Shrimp in Filo with Tomato Chutney

The other day I picked up a package of phyllo/filo pastry as it’s been a very long time since I had a recipe that called for it. After surfing the web, I found this recipe from a Canadian company called, Produits de Pâtisserie Orientale. Phyllo, Filo or Fillo dough is paper-thin sheets of raw, unleavened flour dough used for making pastries. A popular dessert using filo pastry is baklava but there are oodles of other sweet and savory dishes out there using filo pastry. Whatever filo recipe you use, the end result will be a crispy and flaky pastry that will melt in your mouth.

Makes 12 (appetizer)
recipe from Produits de Pâtisserie Orientale

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger
2 teaspoons finely chopped shallot
¾ cup finely chopped tomatoes
1½ teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro/coriander
¼ teaspoon salt
10 hazelnuts shelled
4 fillo dough sheets
12 medium raw shrimp, shelled and deveined

Preheat oven to 375F. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add ginger and shallots and sauté for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, sugar, lime juice, cilantro, and salt and cook until sauce is thickened, stirring frequently. Taste the chutney and add more lime juice or salt if desired. (may be made 2 days in advance)

Heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add hazelnuts and cook, shaking pan
continuously, until they look and smell toasted, 5 minutes. Use a kitchen towel to
gently rub skins off. Finely chop nuts when cooled. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Roll out a sheet of filo onto a clean counter and brush with half of the melted butter. Keep the unused filo covered with a damp tea towel to prevent it from drying out. Sprinkle with half the ground nuts. Place second filo sheet squarely over first. Brush with butter, saving a bit to be used later, and sprinkle with remaining hazelnuts.

Cut filo stack crosswise into 12 equal strips. Place a shrimp at the end of a strip and roll it up, changing the direction as necessary to totally wrap the shrimp. Repeat with remaining shrimp, and place rolls seam side down on a lightly greased baking sheet. Brush with butter and bake until golden brown 8 to 10 minutes. Serve with chutney on the side.

The Culinary Chase’s Note: Don’t worry too much about broken or torn sheets as they may still be used between complete sheets. I wasn’t sure I’d like the texture of the chopped hazelnuts but I have to admit it did add more flavor. The tomato chutney was delicious and I didn’t use ginger as I forget to buy it so instead I used lemongrass (finely chopped) and the flavors were delish!