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Shrimp Cakes

shrimp cake

After preparing a plethora of Valentine’s sweets, I once again have post-holiday “dessert burnout” syndrome. Thus, I now find myself constantly craving protein –for breakfast, lunch, dinner and even snacks.

I will be eating a lot of these tasty little seafood patties in this new faze of protein craze. Hence I am delighted to share one of my favorite recipes with you –this one for simple, savory shrimp cakes.

Shrimp Cakes
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 red or yellow bell pepper, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons scallions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon lime juice, freshly squeezed
1 tablespoon agave nectar
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
¼ teaspoon chipotle chile, ground
1 egg
½ cup cilantro, finely chopped
½ cup blanched almond flour
3 tablespoons grapeseed oil, for sautéing

  1. Place shrimp in food processor, pulse until finely chopped
  2. In a large bowl, combine chopped shrimp, bell pepper, garlic, scallions, lime juice, agave, salt, chipotle, egg and cilantro
  3. Form mixture into 12 (½) inch thick patties, dip each in almond flour, coating thoroughly
  4. In a large skillet, over medium heat, warm 1 tablespoon oil
  5. Add 4 patties to the skillet and cook about 5 minutes per side, until browned; remove and place on paper towel lined plate
  6. Repeat with remaining cakes

Makes 12 cakes - Serves 4

This gluten-free, high protein recipe for shrimp cakes is one of E’s favorites and also my husband’s. J won’t eat it unless under duress, preferring grilled cheese and quesadillas to just about anything I make these days. Alas, we had a good run for so many years where he was completely adventurous in his eating.

Now he is a pure carbo-holic asking me to pack him a lunch of sweetened, flavored yogurt with fruit leather. I have defied this wish of his and lunch comes home untouched day after day. Yesterday, after another virgin lunch came in the door, I asked him what was up and he said, “Mom, if you’d only pack me something good, then I would eat it!” Ok, yogurt and fruit leather, here we come. Can’t starve the boy.

As for myself? I’m sticking with the shrimp cakes.


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10 comments for the post “Shrimp Cakes

  1. Bonnie said:
    Bonnie


    Good Morning… I have just received another email. I do enjoy receiving the information and the recipes that are included. I have a couple of questions regarding the recipe that I just received (shrimp cakes). Is the shrimp to be raw and not already cooked? Can a substitute be used for the agave nectar??
    Thanks in advance…
    Bonnie


    February 18th, 2008 8:29 am
  2. Elana said:
    Elana


    Hi Bonnie-

    Thanks for your comment and questions. Yes, the shrimp is raw (you form the patties with the raw shrimp and then cook on the stove in a skillet).

    In terms of substitutes for agave, I have not tried anything else to sweeten this recipe. Are you allergic to agave or is there some other reason you do not to use it? Are you cutting out all sweeteners? If that is the case and you are trying to lower the glycemic index of the recipe then I would omit the agave, although having a sweetener in this dish really seems to add to the flavor of it –complementing the spicy and sour flavors in the recipe.

    I hope this helps to answer your questions and thanks for stopping by.

    Elana


    February 18th, 2008 2:19 pm
  3. Sally Parrott Ashbrook said:
    Sally Parrott Ashbrook


    Yum, Elana. That looks/sounds really delicious!


    February 21st, 2008 2:14 pm
  4. Elana said:
    Elana


    Sally- thanks!


    February 22nd, 2008 5:52 pm
  5. Barry Reese said:
    Barry Reese


    Hi Elana,

    Donna and I have tried this shrimp cake recipe a few times and while we find it quite delicious and simple, we are having a difficult time trying to keep each cake held together during cooking. Is there a secret you use to accomplish this or is being fragile just part of the deal?

    Thanks again for letting us share in your site. Truly wonderful and delicious recipes and fantastic photos.

    Barry


    May 5th, 2008 12:03 pm
  6. elana said:
    elana


    Barry- Great to hear from you. I hope you and Donna are doing well! In terms of the holding together issue here are couple questions we can start with to get this solved. First, is your shrimp well ground? Second, maybe pat them together more firmly. Third, maybe use a little bit extra oil in the pan. I hope these techniques will help the shrimp cakes hold together –we definitely need to remedy this situation. Let me know how it goes. xo Elana


    May 7th, 2008 10:53 am
  7. Jay Dewey said:
    Jay Dewey


    Can shredded faux crab replace the shrimp?


    July 20th, 2008 8:08 am
  8. Sharon said:
    Sharon


    Jay,
    If you’re keeping it gluten free probably not. Check the label very carefully, most faux seafoods are held together with wheat flour.


    July 21st, 2008 7:31 am
  9. Chrissy said:
    Chrissy


    Elana,
    I am making these tonight with some wild caught canned salmon from Costco. I didn’t care for it in a salmon “salad” like with mayo and stuff… so maybe this will fulfill my Southern longing for fried comfort foods! I also have some fish in the freezer… Tilapia I think… that will be used this week to make those fish sticks on your flickr stream! Yum….


    July 22nd, 2008 3:29 pm
  10. elana said:
    elana


    Jay -Good question.

    Sharon -Good answer, I agree.

    Chrissy -Nice gravatar; thanks for stopping by. Let me know how it turns out.


    July 23rd, 2008 3:59 pm

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