Empanadas are a much-loved Galician regional speciality. The word empanada comes from the verb ‘empanar’ meaning ‘to bread’ and Galician empanadas are distinguished by their shape, their dough and their fillings, which typically contain tinned fish or seafood, leafy vegetables or meat. They differ from Latin American empanadas, as while the latter are formed as individual hand pies, a Galician empanada is made as one large pie, cut into smaller pieces to serve.

While many people associate empanadas with Latin America, their origins lie in Galicia. They first appeared in Mediaeval Iberia, and are themselves thought to derive from Arabic samosas. It was Spanish colonists who then introduced the empanada to Latin America.

The empanada has strong associations with pilgrimages and festivals, where the enticing scent of baking dough was said to fill the streets, and it is such an iconic food for the region that it can be found carved in stone on the ornate Romanesque Portico de la Gloria of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. 

Most Galician empanadas are made with an un-yeasted wheat dough (a notable exception to this rule is empanadas from Rías Baixas, where they are traditionally made with corn dough). However, some modern versions have been adapted to include yeast, which adds a little more lift to the outer casing. 

Once the dough is ready, it’s divided into two equal parts. Each is rolled out (one to form the base and one to form the lid), usually in a circular shape, although modern versions may be rectangular. The filling is spread over the base and the top piece added, before, traditionally, the edges are crimped together using a technique called repulge, which looks a little like a twisted rope. Today, however, many simply pinch the dough together to seal it. The dough is generally forgiving and easy to work with. 

The final empanada has a crisp, shiny crust thanks to an egg wash, a slightly flaky interior and a robustness that means it can be picked up and eaten easily with the hands. Follow our Galician dough recipe below, for perfect results every time. You'll find our recipe for a cockle empanada at the end of this article, or you can experiment with your own fillings. 

The Galician people were early adopters of canning technology, which they put to good use by preserving the abundance of world class seafood available in this coastal region. The filling for most empanadas begins in the same way - with onions and peppers softened gently in olive oil. The filling may then be flavoured with tinned seafood such as mussels, cockles, octopus or fish such as sardines; leafy green vegetables or meat such as ground beef. The filling mix is usually flavoured with garlic and pimenton - from La Vera in the southern Extremadura region - or a fresh herb, such as parsley.

Empanadas were designed to be portable - perfect for working people who would spend their days outside of the home, typically performing labour intensive tasks, which required something sustaining and convenient when lunchtime came around. 

Empanadas will keep well, refrigerated for up to 3 days. To reheat, slice a portion and place on a baking tray. Transfer to a 180ºC/Gas mark 4 oven and cook for 10 minutes or so, ensuring the empanada is piping hot throughout before serving.

While these empanadas have retained many of their original features, there are now some chefs adding their own, modern touches. For example, Anna Portals of Solleiros restaurant in Santiago is making a corn empanada filled with cockles. 

As cockles are widely loved and readily available in the UK, we have also developed an empanada recipe using them. While the recipe uses cockles packed in brine, we have successfully made it with cockles pickled in vinegar, so use whichever you can find. We serve our Galician empanada with a pot of wobbly, golden allioli on the side, for dipping the crusts.