Weekend Cooking: Shrimp Cakes with Chili-Lime Cream Sauce

 Staying with the theme I started last week...favorites in my house...I knew the next post would have to be Shrimp Cakes with Chili-Lime Cream Sauce.  My husband will frequently come home with a look on his face and tell me it is a good day for shrimp cakes.  I guess it is his comfort food.  

The recipe originally came out of the September 2005 edition of Bon Appetit, but I found it on Epicurious.  I'm not sure how I stumbled upon it, but I first made it as an appetizer for a dinner party about six years ago.  The result?  I think we all LICKED our plates.  It is that good.  Since then, it has been promoted from an appetizer to an entree at least once a month.  The recipe below will render 6 first-course servings.  At this point, I just double the ingredients.

Shrimp Cakes

16 uncooked large shrimp (about 1 pound), peeled, deveined
1 large egg
1 green onion, sliced
2 TBL fresh lemon juice
1 TBL Dijon mustard
1 TBL minced fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce
1/2 tsp salt
Pinch of ground black pepper
2 cups panko breadcrumbs

Coursely chop shrimp in processor.  Add egg, green onion, lemon juice, mustard, cilantro, hot pepper sauce, salt, and pepper.  Blend in using on/off turns.  Add 1 cup panko and blend using on/off turns.  Form mixture into twelve 3-inch-diameter cakes.  Roll cakes in remaining 1 cup panko; transfer to waxed paper lined baking sheet.  Refrigerate 10 minutes.  (Can be made up to 4 hours ahead.  Cover and refrigerate.)

Heat 2 tablespoons peanut oil in heavy skillet over medium-high heat.  Working in batches, fry cakes until cooked through and golden brown on both sides, adding more oil as needed, about 6 minutes.

Spoon 3 tablespoons Chili-Lime Cream Sauce onto each of 6 plates.  Place 2 shrimp cakes on each and serve immediately.


Chili-Lime Cream Sauce

1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 TBL chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 TBL minced shallot
1/3 cup whipping cream
2 TBL chili-garlic sauce (found in Asian food section of most groceries)
6 TBL unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Combine first 4 ingredients in heavy small saucepan.  Boil over high heat until reduced by half, about 3 minutes.  Add cream and boil until reduced by half, about 2 minutes.  Reduce heat to low.  Mix in chili-garlic sauce.  Add butter, 1 piece at a time, whisking just until melted before adding the next piece.

Photo from Petit Chef


 

My kids can be pretty picky, and even they love this dish.  I make a few small changes when I am making this.  I do not use peanut oil, I use canola.  It is healthier.  I also add garlic to the mixture that you boil down for the sauce, and I strain the chunks before I add the cream (I don't like chunks).  I make my cakes bigger than 3 inches in diameter, and I always make way more sauce than the recipe calls for.  You could almost drink the sauce.  Yum.

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