These easy Shrimp Cakes are such a good weeknight meal. They’re made with shrimp and sweet potatoes mixed with garlic and other spices. Serve with tartar sauce and coleslaw!
A Favorite Family Recipe
One of our hands-down favorite recipes is this one for shrimp cakes. My father pulled the original recipe from Bon Appetit magazine years ago, which he has since changed just ever so slightly.
Dad doesn’t even like shrimp, and usually refuses to eat it, but he loves making and eating these shrimp cakes. The base is made with sweet potatoes and they are seasoned with spices, jalapeño chiles, and cilantro.
This really is one of the best recipes on this site, so if you have even an inkling for making these, do it!
A Spice Mix for Seafood
This recipe calls for making your own spice mix by toasting and grinding a few different kinds of whole black peppercorns, cumin seeds, and coriander seeds.
This makes about a half a cup of spice mix, but you’ll only need 1 1/2 teaspoons for the recipe. The rest of this spice blend can be used to season other seafood, like grilled salmon, sautéed shrimp, or seared scallops.
If you only want enough spices for one recipe and you want to use already ground spices, try the following ratio: 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander, 1/4 teaspoon sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt.
How to Serve these Shrimp Cakes
These shrimp cakes are great served with homemade tartar sauce and some coleslaw on the side. You could also serve them on top of a leafy green salad.
A Freezer-Friendly Dish
If you love these shrimp cakes, stock your freezer! Cook the cakes, allow them to cool completely, then pack them in a freezer container or bag and freeze for up to a month. Let them thaw overnight, and then reheat in a 350°F oven for about 5 minutes until warmed through.
Try These Other Seafood and Fish Cake Recipes!
Shrimp Cakes Recipe
- Prep time: 20 minutes
- Cook time: 10 minutes
- Yield: Makes 6 to 8 large cakes
If you only want enough spices for one recipe and you want to use already ground spices, try the following ratio: 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander, 1/4 teaspoon sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt.
You can also roast the sweet potatoes in the oven, if you prefer.
Ingredients
For the spice mix:
- 1/4 cup cumin seeds
- 3 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoons coriander seeds
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
For the shrimp cakes:
- 1 pound sweet potatoes
- 4 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 4 tablespoons (or more) extra virgin olive oil
- 8 ounces peeled, cooked shrimp, coarsely chopped
- 2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 2/3 cup finely ground breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped pickled or fresh jalapeños, seeds discarded
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
- Flour for dusting (1/2 to 1 cup)
Method
1 Make the spice mix: Add cumin seeds, peppercorns, and coriander to a heavy medium skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until fragrant and lightly toasted, about 8 minutes. Let cool a few minutes.
Grind spices in a blender or spice grinder (can use a coffee grinder that has been cleaned by grinding raw rice) until finely ground. Transfer to a small bowl, stir in sugar and salt.
This makes about half a cup. You’ll only need 1 1/2 teaspoons of the spice mix for one shrimp cakes recipe, so store the remainder for future use.
2 Preheat the oven to 375°F.
3 Microwave the sweet potatoes and the garlic: Pierce sweet potatoes all over with a fork. Bake in microwave for about 15 minutes until done.
Rub one tablespoon of oil over the unpeeled garlic cloves. Cook in microwave a few minutes, until soft.
Let the garlic and sweet potatoes cool enough to handle. Peel the garlic. Cut the sweet potato in half and use a spoon to scoop out the flesh. Combine the cooked sweet potato and garlic in a bowl and mash until smooth.
4 Make the shrimp mixture: Add the shrimp, cilantro, breadcrumbs, jalapeño, onion, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the spice mix to the bowl with the sweet potatoes. Mix until well blended. Season with salt.
5 Shape the patties: Use your hands to form the mixture into six patties, 3-inches in diameter.
6 Brown the patties: Lightly dust the shrimp cakes in flour. Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Working in batches, cook the shrimp cakes until nicely browned, adding more oil as needed, about 2 minutes per side.
7 Finish the shrimp cakes in the oven: Place the shrimp cakes on a baking sheet. Bake at 375°F until heated through, about 5 minutes.
8 Serve! These taste great served with lemon, tartar sauce, and coleslaw.
Links:
Adapted ever so slightly from Shrimp and Sweet Potato Cakes with Chaote Slaw and Chipotle Sauce, a Bon Appetit recipe on Epicurious.com.
