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These easy shrimp cakes are loaded with veggies and herbs and pan seared to golden brown perfection. A simple and easy meal option that the whole family is sure to love!
Shrimp Cakes
Crab cakes are a classic dish that never goes out of style, but have you ever experienced shrimp cakes? They’re so easy to make and a great way to showcase fresh shrimp. Once you try them, you’ll be hooked! Other shrimp recipes that are hard to resist are our crunchy coconut shrimp and easy garlic butter shrimp boil.
The first step to making shrimp cakes is to finely chop raw shrimp meat. I find that a food processor works best for this part. Be sure not to over process your shrimp – you want small chunks, but you don’t want to grind it into a paste.
The shrimp is mixed with panko breadcrumbs, finely chopped red bell pepper, lemon zest, eggs and chives to form a batter. The batter will be on the wet side, but don’t let this deter you – the shrimp cakes will have the perfect texture when they’re cooked!
The final step is to cook the shrimp cakes. I use olive oil and I sear the shrimp cakes on both sides until they’re browned, crispy and cooked through.
I like to garnish my shrimp cakes with more fresh chives and a dollop of sour cream. They’re great served over rice with a green veggie on the side as a hearty yet elegant meal.
What I love about this recipe is it’s so versatile – you can change out the flavor combinations, or make different sized shrimp cakes to fit your needs. I like to make bite sized shrimp cakes for a fun and unique party appetizer, and sometimes I make my shrimp cakes on the larger side and put them between a bun to eat like a burger.
If you’re a shrimp fan, you’ll definitely need to give these tender and flavorful patties a try. You’ll also love these recipes for honey garlic shrimp and shrimp chow mein!
You might also love these Crispy Broccoli Parmesan Fritters and these Cheesy Mashed Sweet Potato Cakes!
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Shrimp Cakes
Ingredients
- 1 pound raw shrimp peeled and deveined
- 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup red bell pepper finely diced
- 3 tablespoons chives sliced, plus more for garnish
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Place the shrimp in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until coarsely chopped - do not grind into a paste.
- Transfer the shrimp to a large bowl and add the panko breadcrumbs, red bell pepper, chives, salt, pepper, eggs, and lemon zest. Stir gently to combine.
- Form the shrimp mixture into 6 patties.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add the shrimp patties in a single layer and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
- Serve immediately, topped with additional chives and sour cream if desired. Garnish with lemon wedges if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thank you for a great recipe, this is a keeper! I made these for a guest at our bed and breakfast. I sat the shrimp cake on bed of sauteed baby spinach and topped them with a perfectly poached egg and sprinkling of grated Gruyère cheese . I subbed garden fresh green onion for the chives as that’s what was available. I always hand chop the shrimp, They were deliciously sweet and tender! . I am making them again for our guest’s breakfast tomorrow.This time I have to leave out any form of onion (our guest has dietary restrictions) and will add in a bit more red pepper. Hoping for the same perfect results!
We caught our shrimp and looking for new recipes. I came across this recipe and made it since we had a friend over for dinner. We had your shrimp cakes, fried fish and fried shrimp along with a couple of sides. It was the bomb and
thank you so much and many Blessings
I didn’t have chives for flavor so I added old bay seasoning. They were tender and absolutely delicious. Very easy to make as well.
Made these for my wife for Mother’s Day. Awsome!!!
Unbelievable , they was so easy to make and easier to eat . I never made them before until I saw your recipe
Made this for a party last night. Used ingredients I had on hand–parsley instead of chives, regular bread crumbs. And instead of adding pepper to the cakes, I served it with a spicy mayo. It was very successful! Easy, flexible, and fancy enough for parties! Thanks for the recipe!
Shrimp cakes
Made half a recipe to try. Outstanding, extremely flavorful. Enjoyed so much made a full recipe the next day. Thank you
can i use different breadcrumbs or Zatarain’s shrimp fry instead of panko? I ran out
The advantage to expensive panko bread crumbs is the crusty effect they give as an outer coating….such as is important for Japanese tempura. In a recipe like this, where the crumbs help bind a patty mixture together with the egg, they add nothing to the taste or texture. You could use any crumb, even cracker crumbs or matzo meal and it will make little difference. Wasting money on more expensive panko for this recipe is as foolish as using gourmet salt to season pasta cooking water.
These were absolutely delicious! Can they be prepared and frozen to cook later? Has anybody tried it?
Yes I freeze them, when I take them out I immediately place in a egg wash, batter and fry while frozen.