Seafood Empanaditas

Preparation

1. Make dough:

   Step 1

   Stir salt into hot water until dissolved.

   Step 2

   Sift flour, baking powder, and sugar into a large bowl, then make a well in center and add lard and butter. Stir salted water into well with a wooden spoon, melting lard and butter, then stir flour into liquid, adding a little water if necessary, to form a soft and pliable dough. Knead dough on an unfloured surface until smooth and glossy, 3 to 5 minutes (dough will be soft and slightly sticky).

   Step 3

   Cover dough with a kitchen towel (not terry cloth).

2. Make filling:

   Step 4

   Cook clams in wine in a medium saucepan, covered, over medium-high heat until just opened wide, about 5 minutes (discard any that remain unopened). Transfer clams to a bowl with a slotted spoon, then cook mussels in same liquid, covered, stirring once or twice, until opened, 3 to 5 minutes (discard unopened ones). Add mussels to clams and strain cooking liquid through a paper-towel-lined sieve into a bowl.

   Step 5

   Coarsely chop clams and mussels (leave small ones whole).

   Step 6

   Cook onion, scallion, and garlic in butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle in flour, chile, paprika, and oregano and cook, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes. Whisk in 1 cup shellfish-cooking liquid and bring to a boil, whisking, then simmer, whisking, 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in clams, mussels, shrimp, scallops, and parsley. Cook completely. (Filling will not be fully cooked.)

3. Make empanaditas:

   Step 7

   Divide dough in half, then roll out 1 piece of dough into a 17-inch round (1/8 inch thick) on a lightly floured surface. Cut out 12 rounds with cutter and transfer to a parchment-lined large baking sheet. Gather scraps and reroll, then cut out more rounds. Repeat with remaining dough on another baking sheet.

   Step 8

   Put a heaping tablespoon filling (it will be wet) in center of 1 round, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Brush edges lightly with water and pull dough over filling to enclose, then seal edge. Crimp with a fork dipped in flour. Repeat with remaining rounds.

   Step 9

   Put a metal rack on a baking sheet in over, then preheat over to 200ºF.

   Step 10

   Heat 1 1/2 inches oil to 360ºF in a 3-quart saucepan over medium-heat, then fry empanaditas, 4 at a time, turning with a slotted spoon, until golden brown, 2 to 4 minutes per batch. Transfer to paper towels to drain briefly, then keep warm in over. Return oil to 360ºF between batches.

   Cook’s Note: Empanaditas can be formed (but not fried) up to 1 month ahead and frozen in an airtight container. Leftover filling can be stirred into hot pasta or soup.