Seriously Good Shrimp Cakes

 

Some time ago, a client waltzed into the catering kitchen with a handful of recipes and asked if we could prepare them and present a cocktail party for her guests. I'm always a bit leary of presenting recipes that I haven't given the "tried and true" stamp of approval myself, but she seemed sure that these recipes were winners. One of the recipes that she had chosen for her party was called "Shrimp Cakes with Jalapeno Tartar Sauce" and after the party, they became known in our kitchen as "Seriously Good Shrimp Cakes." For her party, we served these as an appetizer so they were silver dollar sized cakes and since there were so many, we baked them on a sheet pan instead of frying in a skillet and it worked great - see my notes at the end of the recipe. I continue to do them like that at home because I can never seem to flip the cakes without tearing them up. Captain Sturm likes nothing more than a good crab cake, but I think these shrimp cakes are running a close 2nd to his favorite. Enjoy!


* Exported from MasterCook *

Seriously Good Shrimp Cakes with Jalapeno Tartar Sauce

Serving Size : 6
Categories : Appetizers, Seafood

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
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For the tartar sauce:
1 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup gherkins -- minced
1 jalapeno chile pepper -- seeded and finely diced
salt and pepper

For the shrimp cakes:
1/2 cup bottled clam juice -- or water
1 1/2 pounds shrimp -- peeled and deveined
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 stalk celery -- finely diced
8 spring onion -- sliced
1 1/4 cups saltine cracker -- finely crushed
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
2 eggs -- well beaten
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup chives -- finely snipped
salt and pepper
3 cups fresh bread crumbs

To make the sauce, in a small bowl, combne the mayo, mustard, lemon juice, gherkins and jalapeno and stir to mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

To make the shrimp cakes, bring the clam juice or water to a boil in a frying pan. Add the shrimp, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 1 min. Uncover, stir lightly, recover and cook until the shrimp curl and are firm to the touch, about 1 min longer. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to a bowl and let cool slightly, then chop finely and reserve.

In a large frying pan over low heat, melt 2 tbls of the butter. Add the celery, cover and cook, stirring occasionally until soft, about 10 mins. Add the green onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 4 mins. Transfer to a bowl and let cool. Set the pan aside.

Add the saltines, hot pepper sauce, eggs, mayo, chives, shrimp and salt & pepper to taste to the celery mixture; mix well. If the mixture is too wet to hold its shape, add bread crumbs as needed (about 1/2 cup) to absorb the excess moisture. Shape mixture into 12 cakes, each about 2" in dia and 1/2" thick. Spread the remaining bread crumbs in a shallow bowl and dredge the cakes in them, coating evenly.

In the same frying pan over med-hi heat, melt the remaining 2 tbls butter. Add half of the shrimp cakes and saute, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, about 6 mins. Transfer to a papertowel lined plate and keep warm. Saute the remaining cakes the same way, adding more butter if needed.

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Alison's notes: recipe x 6 yielded ~150 appetizer size cakes. Melted butter on sheet pan and baked 375 until golden (about 10 mins total).