These bite-sized phyllo appetizers may have fancy (and wonderful!) flavors, but they are a breeze to put together! Thank you to Athens Foods for helping me to share this recipe with you.
The line-up for the healthy holiday appetizer table continues! We have everything from Mini Hummus & Roasted Pepper Phyllo Bites to Skinny Pesto Pizza Crostini and Mini Brie & Pear Quesadillas. But where are the shrimp?!
In my crustacean-loving mind, a cocktail or holiday party just isn’t complete without some sort of shrimp dish. Of course, we could do the classic shrimp and cocktail sauce hors d’oeuvres. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s even more fun to think outside of the box.
When my husband and I spent our 15th wedding anniversary at Deer Valley Resort, we had dinner at their new restaurant, The Brass Tag. While there are so many amazing dishes to choose from, one that stands out in my mind is the tarragon and white wine butter brick oven shrimp skillet. Whew, that’s a long name. But let me tell you, it earns it because the flavors are fantastic!
I decided to re-create the flavors of that dish at home, putting a healthy spin on it and turning it into a bite-sized appetizer.
I pulled out a couple of boxes of Athens Mini Fillo Shells from my freezer, which are fantastic for both hors d’oeuvres and desserts. It only takes 10 minutes for the shells to defrost at room temperature, so they were more than ready by the time I finished making the shrimp filling.
In this recipe, I served the shells at room temperature, but if you prefer that the pre-baked shells are warm, just pop them in the oven for a few minutes.
To start, I replaced the butter with a little olive oil. To me, this dish is mostly about the shrimp, sherry and tarragon, so I didn’t lose any flavor by making that substitution. Even though fat is still being added, it’s a healthy fat, rather than the saturated fats found in butter.
One trick with shrimp is to resist the urge to overcook them. Particularly when chopped, the shrimp take no more than a couple of minutes to become opaque. Say “no” to overcooked, rubbery shrimp!
Be sure to strain out the extra liquid as you are transferring the filling from the skillet to the fillo shells. The extra liquid, while good enough to drink (seriously), could cause the shells to turn soggy. The light, crisp layers of the fillo shells are so wonderful to sink your teeth into and you don’t want anything to ruin that experience!
For more details on the mini fillo shells and other Athens Foods products, be sure to follow them on Facebook, on Pinterest and Twitter.
Other light appetizer recipes:
Cookin' Canuck's Cinnamon Apple & Goat Cheese Crostini
Cookin' Canuck's Smoked Salmon & Cucumber Appetizer with Caper Yogurt
A Side of Sweet's Lightened Up Mini Twice Baked Potato Appetizers
Fit, Fun & Delish's Cilantro Jalapeño Hummus
Mini Sherry Shrimp & Tarragon Phyllo Bites Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil divided
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 1 ¼ pounds raw shrimp peeled, deveined & chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon dry sherry
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon + more for garnish
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- 30 Athens mini fillo shells 2 boxes, defrosted
Instructions
- Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add the shrimp and garlic, and sauté until the shrimp is almost cooked through, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in the sherry, tarragon, salt and pepper, and stir to coat the shrimp.
- Draining the excess liquid, scoop 2 teaspoons of the shrimp mixture into each fillo shell. Garnish with minced tarragon. Serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Athens Foods. All opinions are my own. This post contains links to my Amazon affiliate page. Any revenue made from sales through these links helps to support this blog. Thank you!
Linda
Hi Dara!
I made your mini-sherry shrimp phyllo bites last Sunday. That is the kind of easy recipe that I like! So tasty and yummy! We really enjoyed them... I have to admit that I cheat a little; I use Won Ton cups because that is what I had on hand, but the result was absolutely perfect! Thank you for that easy recipe! 🙂 I will definitely talk about it in one of my next posts ( I will let you know ).
Now, I can't wait to try your mini-mushroom & Gorgonzola bites!
Talk to you soon!
Linda
susan
Can they be pre-made and frozen. And heated up for serving?
Marla+Meridith
I'm so making these for New Year's Eve!! xoxo
Amanda+@The+Kitcheneer
These adorably decadent! Perfect for the holiday parties !
Lauren+@+Healthy+Delicious
I love tarragon, but I don't think I've ever had it with shrimp. I need to give these a try!
Kim+(Feed+Me,+Seymour)
I think the little one bite appetizers are my favorite thing you make! They always look so amazing!
Melanie
I want to throw a party just to make these. How elegant and beautiful. Perfect for New Years!
Bea
Ohhhhh, those are so beautiful, fancy, and tasty looking. Nice!
Faith (An Edible Mosaic)
What a gorgeous appetizer! I love that you lightened it up...it would be the perfect addition to my Christmas Eve spread and I know it would be a huge hit!
Kelly - A Side of Sweet
These look so delicious! Tarragon is such a genius addition! Thanks for giving my mini twice baked potatoes a shout out! 🙂
Nutmeg+Nanny
These little phyllo bites look delicious. They are packed full of flavor and I love the use of tarragon. It's such an underused herb.
Heather // girlichef
I can't begin to tell you how much I love these! Tarragon is my absolute favorite herb, and these look entirely irresistible. Those mini tart shells are adorable, too.
Irvin
Say no to overcooked! Ha! I love these. They look easy to make and awesome to serve at a party. My issue, of course, would be that I'd just continually pop them in my mouth while plating them....
foodwanderings
This is such a perfect holiday appetizer. I would be so tempted even if I don't eat seafood myself. Looks perfect!
Dhanya Samuel
This recipe is just perfect for my Christmas party!
Katie @ Mom to Mom Nutrition
I love mini phyllo shells--- and that you cut the shrimp into bite sized pieces first! YUM!
Kristi+@+Inspiration+Kitchen
What a great appetizer! I love using the mini phyllo cups and shrimp is one of my favorite things. My favorite spice - tarragon! Absolutely love it!
missymops
After your hummus phyllo shell recipe, I went out and bought some of the shells. I mixed Boursin cheese with roasted red peppers and olives and used that as a filling. My friends and family loved them!
Amanda
What a fantastic recipe!!! I need to add that dough to my grocery list!!
Lauren+Kelly+Nutrition
These are so pretty! Perfect appetizers!