This post has been a long time coming. I actually made these Shrimp Cakes about a month ago and have never gotten around to posting about them. My only excuse is laziness. The recipe was based on this one from Gourmet magazine. I also apologize for the photo. It’s not that great (when in doubt, use an extreme close up). I might have had a cocktail or two by the time I got these finished and I made myself snap a photo, right on the kitchen counter, before they were devoured by my friends, who also might have had a cocktail or two. Maybe since we’re in the middle of lent, you can make them as an appetizer while you’re having Friday night cocktails with your friends. No wait you can’t because they have bacon in them. So have them on a Thursday night with cocktails. Unless you’ve given up cocktails for lent. In that case, well, these are pretty good on their own.

Shrimp Cakes

First of all the original recipe calls for WAY too many green onions. I cut the amount in half. Also, I think it’s irrelevant what size shrimp you use since you’re just going to chop them up, so don’t buy the most expensive jumbo shrimp you can find because some little bity guys will work just as well. The coating for these is supposed to be sliced almonds, but I didn’t have any so I substituted a cornflake crust mixture from the Hudson’s On the Bend cookbook. If you happen to have any leftovers (I did because I doubled the recipe), these are great served on a bed of lightly dressed greens.

1 slice of bacon  

1 slice firm white sandwich bread (I used a bolillo roll)

1 lb of shrimp (any size), peeled, deveined and patted dry

1/4 cup of milk

1/4 cup sliced green onions

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

2 teaspoons corn starch

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt (less if you have salty shrimp … they live in salt water ya know)

1/2 teaspoon sugar

Fresh ground black pepper

Slivered almonds or hot and crunchy crust for dredging 

Hudson’s on the Bend Hot and Crunchy Crust

Pulse in a food processor:

1/4 cup slivered almonds

1/4 cup sesame seeds

2 cups cornflakes

1/4 cup sugar

1-1/2 Tablespoons red chile flakes

1 Tablespoon salt

Dipping Sauce

Combine the following:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon tamari soy sauce

juice of 1/2 a lemon

a squirt of sriracha (or other hot sauce), to taste 

1. Pulse the bacon in a food processor until finely chopped. Add the shrimp and pulse until coarsely chopped.

2. Soak the bread in the milk for about five minutes. Squeeze to remove excess moisture and combine with the shrimp.

3. Add the rest of the ingredients (except the crust) to the shrimp mixture and combine well.

4. Heat a large skillet with some neutral oil. Put a generous amount of crust mixture onto a large plate. Form the shrimp mixture into patties and roll them in the crust mixture until they are well coated. Drop the cakes into the skillet a few at a time, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Cook until shrimp is done and cakes are well browned on both sides.

5. Serve with dipping sauce and lemon wedges.