to start: shrimp cakes — Talk Of Tomatoes

May 31

May 31 to start: shrimp cakes

What to do with a pile of shrimp? Remember the movie Forrest Gump? Bubba recommended:

"Anyway, like I was sayin', shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That- that's about it."

I guess I have my work cut out for me. Though I doubt I will get through that list of shrimp-options with my current stock of shrimp, I can certainly get a jump start. First up: shrimp cakes.

Shrimp Cakes 1 LB large shrimp, peeled and deveined, patted dry 1 large egg 2 green onions 2 T fresh lemon juice 1 T dijon mustard 1 T minced cilantro 1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce 1/2 tsp salt pinch black pepper 2 cups (plus) bread crumbs*

Oil/butter for sauteeing

Coarsely chop shrimp, add egg, onions, lemon juice, mustard, cilantro, hot sauce, S&P. Stir to blend. Add 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs, and up to 2 cups, depending on desired consistency. Form into shrimp cakes, 2-3 inches in diameter, coat both sides with remaining bread crumbs and refrigerate 10-30 minutes (up to 4 hours ahead). Saute in oil (maybe a pinch of butter too) on medium high, approx 2-3 minutes per side. Serve with an aioli sauce.

*I made fresh, airy bread crumbs as they had nice moisture and 'loft' for the cakes. Process fresh bread in food processor; I used hamburger buns.

**I didn't love the sauce I attempted as an accompaniment. I will try more in the near future. But no doubt there are a good number of aioli recipes already out there. Here are a few I am excited to try:

From Epicurious: Aioli and Spicy Lemon & Paprika Aioli
From the Inadvertant Gardner (whose tagline I adore, by the way: "It's amazing what I will do for a good tomato"): Lemon Basil Aoili
New York Times recipe for Aioli