We vacationed in the western North Carolina mountains last week but had to go into a town to purchase some new waders - my old pair were leaking! After picking up the new waders we ran across a restaurant that let us eat outside with Jasper (now, the Mountain Dog) and on their menu was "Crispy Shrimp Cakes" and I have to admit, they were the best thing we ate the whole week. When we returned I emailed them and asked for the recipe but I never heard back. Their menu gave a few ingredients so I went on-line and "googled" it and WAH-LA, here was a recipe that had all the right ingredients! This one was found on Delish.com..
Crispy Shrimp Cakes with Lemony Tartar Sauce
Ingredients
Shrimp Cakes:
- 2 cup panko breadcrumbs (I had a 8oz can on reserve)
- 1 lb fresh peeled, deveined, chopped shrimp
- 1/2 cup light mayonaise
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
- 1/2 cup chopped green onions
- 2 tsp garlic paste
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard (I'd double this the next tip I make it)
- 1/4 tsp cayenned pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 3/4 cup jarred tartar sauce
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
1) Place 1 1/2 cups of the breadcrumbs on a flat plate
2) In a large bowl mix shrimp, mayonnaise, eggs, bell pepper, green onions, garlic paste, mustard, cayenned pepper, salt and 1/2 cup of the breadcrumbs until thoroughly mixed. Us a 1/3 cup measure to scoop the shrimp mixture (mixture will be wet -don't worry!). Turn out cup of mixture on to plate of breadcrumbs; coat completely with your hands. Transfer with a metal spatula to a baking sheet lined with wax paper, then flatten cakes slightly to a 3 1/2-inch circumference. Continue making 7 more cakes. Refrigerate for 1- hour. They'll firm up!
3) To make lemony tartar sauce, in a medium bowl, combine all ingredients, stirring to blend.
4) In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat. Add 4 cakes and cook, about 4 minutes per side, until crisp and browned. Transfer to a plate; loosely cover with foil to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and 4 cakes. Serve shrimp cakes with lemony tartar sauce.
