Phyllo Dough Cups with Avocado Mousse and Shrimp: The Chic and Quick Finger Fish Appetizer
Are you looking for a refined, fresh appetizer that’s ready in no time? The solution is these delicious crispy phyllo dough baskets filled with a soft avocado mousse and sautéed shrimp.
This recipe combines contrasting textures, the crispiness of the phyllo dough and the creaminess of avocado—with a fresh and light taste, perfect for impressing your guests during an aperitif, a summer dinner, or the Christmas holidays.
A Marriage of Flavors: Phyllo Dough, Avocado, and Shrimp
I love phyllo dough, it is a super versatile base that offers an elegant alternative to classic crostini or canapés. Simple to shape into small muffin molds, it transforms into golden and light wafers, the ideal frame for the filling.
The heart of the recipe is the avocado mousse: creamy, healthy, and naturally velvety. Avocado pairs perfectly with the delicate and slightly sweet flavor of the shrimp, creating a Mediterranean balance of taste that conquers at first bite.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
They look like haute cuisine preparations, but they are incredibly easy and quick to make.
The “crunch” of the phyllo dough wafer meets the softness of the mousse creating an elegant contrast of textures. Moreover, it is a light dish that does not weigh you down, ideal for summer or as a finger food welcome in your special occasions.
Follow the steps to create your perfect appetizer. You will need 3 sheets of phyllo dough, a ripe avocado, cream cheese, fresh or defrosted shrimp, a touch of lemon (or lime), and EVO oil.
The preparation is intuitive: just brush the phyllo dough with a bit of oil, layer the sheets in the molds, and bake until golden. Meanwhile, in a few minutes, you can prepare the mousse by blending the avocado, cream cheese, and lemon juice, and sautéing the shrimp for a few minutes.
Combine everything just before serving to ensure maximum freshness and crunchiness!
Here are more ideas to enrich your Christmas buffet:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 35 Minutes
- Portions: 12 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Stove, Electric Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Christmas, All seasons
Ingredients
⚠ THIS RECIPE CONTAINS ONE OR MORE AFFILIATE LINKS. The products I recommend are the same ones I use in my recipes; buying them through my blog helps support me and my work, while it won’t cost you anything extra!
- 3 sheets phyllo dough
- 1 to taste extra virgin olive oil
- 5.3 oz shrimp (already peeled)
- 1 clove garlic
- 0.7 fl oz white wine
- 1 bunch parsley
- 0.7 fl oz extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- to taste mixed peppercorns
- 3.5 oz cream cheese
- 1 avocado
- A few drops lemon juice
- to taste salt
- to taste mixed peppercorns
- A few leaves parsley
- A few lemon zest
Tools
- 1 Tweezers
- 1 Colander
- 1 Pan
- 1 Mezzaluna
- 1 Brush
- 1 Muffin Pan
- 1 Knife
- 1 Mixer
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Piping Bag
Steps
Preparing these phyllo dough cups is really easy. Start with the shrimp: wash them under running water and remove the dark intestinal vein, making a small incision with the tip of a knife along the back and gently pulling it out with a special tweezer.
In a pan, brown a clove of garlic with oil and finely chopped parsley for a couple of minutes over low heat.
Add the shrimp and let them flavor for another minute, until they turn pink. Do not overcook or they will become tough.
Add a splash of white wine. Flame over high heat until the alcoholic part has evaporated and your shrimp are caramelized. Just a few minutes will suffice. Season with salt and pepper.
Brush the first sheet of phyllo dough with oil, taking care to keep the others covered with a dry cloth to prevent them from drying out.
Overlay the second sheet on the first, brush it in the same way, and continue with the third.
Once this operation is completed, divide the sheets into squares of about 4.7×4.7 inches.
Grease a muffin pan with oil and line each cavity with three squares of phyllo dough, trying to overlap them staggered so that the points do not coincide, giving them the shape of a basket.
Bake in a static oven at 350°F for 6-7 minutes at most, or until lightly golden. Once ready, set aside and let cool.
For the filling: wash and cut the avocado in half, remove the central pit and skin.
Cut the avocado into chunks and transfer it into a mixer glass along with the cream cheese and a few drops of lemon.
Adjust salt and pepper, turn on the mixer and blend for a few seconds.
You should obtain a creamy, dense, and velvety composition.
Now you are ready to fill your baskets. Transfer the avocado mousse into a disposable piping bag as I did or use a simple teaspoon. Put it on the bottom of each basket until filled.
Garnish each basket with a few shrimp.
Decorate with lemon zest and a few whole parsley leaves.
And voilà… the phyllo dough cups with avocado mousse and shrimp are ready to be enjoyed!
Enjoy from La Cucina di FeFè!
Storage
👉Storing phyllo dough cups with avocado cream and shrimp requires attention to preserve the crispness of the pastry and the freshness of the ingredients. Already filled product: They can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 day in an airtight container. However, it is advisable to consume them within a few hours, as the moisture from the cream tends to soften the phyllo dough quickly.
Empty baskets: If not yet filled, baked baskets can be stored for up to 3 days at room temperature in a dry place protected from moisture (e.g., a tin box). Avocado cream: If prepared in advance, it should be consumed within 1 day to avoid browning (oxidation). Add lemon juice and cover with cling film in contact.
Advice, notes, variations, and suggestions
🟣You can customize and enrich the avocado mousse with lime, lemon zest, chili pepper, or herbs to taste.
🟣Instead of shrimp: for those with food allergies to shrimp and therefore to shellfish (lobster, crab, scampi, etc.), it is possible to enrich the phyllo dough cups with sturgeon or smoked salmon or monkfish pieces seared in a pan for 3′-4′ per side until they become golden and the meat is tender and juicy. If you want to prepare a vegetarian version, you can replace the fish with sun-dried tomatoes in oil or garnish with a simple pistachio crumble.
