You’re right. If you’re a regular reader, you might say this looks more like FRIDAY FISH (my 7-week Lenten posts) than August but August it is. Where is the summer going?! After over a month away from the blog (scroll down to LIFE GOES ON) getting ready for, celebrating, and taking a family trip for our 50th wedding anniversary, it’s feeling just plain old good to be home and to share a new –to me–dinner with you.
As always, when I arrive back home, I’m focused on making big over our 10-year-old flat coated labradoodle, Rosie; getting the unpacking/laundry going; stocking up at the grocery store; reading the mail and email; and enjoying my own coffee pot and bed. This time, as fall approaches (school starts in one district here today), I also did a good check of the freezer to see what needed to be used before its yearly defrosting and readying for fall cooking–think soup, of course. A big bag of partially used shrimp stuck out, oddly placed on the top shelf with baked treats and baguette. Time to do something fun with it before it turned all icy-crusty, as shrimp will do. There are a lot of shrimp recipes on this blog but right off, a quick burger came to mind as summer will soon be tapering off and burgers often feel like summer to me. I read through my blogs for Pepperjack Cheese Fish Burgers and Crab Burgers, as well as the one for Caprese Salmon Burgers to find a quick path to dinner. A run to the store for buns and some produce for the Fennel-Cilantro Coleslaw and I soon had dinner on the table. Both dishes, for speed, depend on the food processor but can also be done by hand if that’s your druthers.
I cooked the shrimp burgers in a large, heavy skillet on the stove top though they could easily be done on the grill, a la plancha (flat grill plate) — to keep the rather tender patties together– on a gas or charcoal grill if that sounds better when you try this:
Shrimp Burgers
Ingredients
- 14 Ritz Crackers (about 1/2 cup after pulsing/crushing)
- 1¼ pound (20 ounces) thawed frozen shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 3 scallions, chopped into 2" pieces, white and green parts. (Mince if not using the food processor.)
- 1 teaspoon dry dill or 2 teaspoons fresh minced dill
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley. (Mince if not using food processor.)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt fresh ground pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- Pinch crushed red pepper
- 1 tablespoon each butter and olive oil
- 4 toasted hamburger buns
- Sriracha-Dijon Tartar Sauce (see notes)
- Hamburger dill pickles
Instructions
- MAKE THE SHRIMP MIXTURE: Place the Ritz crackers in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse several times until crackers are in coarse crumbs. Add the shrimp, mayonnaise, scallions, dill, parsley, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to the bowl. Pulse just until mixture comes together, scraping down the sides as needed. (Alternately, crush the crackers in a sealed gallon bag with a rolling pin or wine bottle. Chop the shrimp finely and mix with the crushed crackers and other ingredients as above.)
- FORM THE PATTIES/FREEZE 10 MIN: Form shrimp mixture first into 4 balls, patting together, and then into patties. Freeze 10 minutes.
- COOK THE SHRIMP PATTIES: Heat butter and oil over medium-high heat in a large, heavy skillet. Carefully place patties in pan. Fry on one side 3-5 minutes until very brown; gently turn over and cook other side another few minutes until it, too, is well-browned. An instant read thermometer should register at least 145 F when inserted at the center of a completely cooked patty.
- SERVE HOT on toasted buns with the Sriracha Dijon Tartar Sauce (see notes below) and hamburger dill pickles or as desired. Store leftovers tightly covered for a day or two in the refrigerator. While you could probably freeze the cooked patties, I wouldn't do it as this shrimp has already been frozen.
Notes
CHANGE IT UP: No Ritz in your cabinet? Use saltines, fresh bread crumbs or crushed Panko bread crumbs. Don’t like mayo? Sub a whole beaten egg. Watching carbs? Wrap the burgers in a lettuce bun instead of a wheat hamburger bun or serve on top of a salad. Feeling cheesy? Add a slice or two of your favorite cheese for the last two minutes of cooking. Need breakfast? Add the shrimp burger to half a toasted English muffin, top with a poached egg, and garnish with grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese. Serve with grilled tomatoes and a Bellini–a mimosa made with peach nectar. Like that Sriracha-Dijon Tartar Sauce? Simpler version: just mayo and sriracha. Nice as a dressing on ripe summer tomatoes or for dipping hot fries.
NEED A SIDE? Try my Fennel-Cilantro Coleslaw:
Fennel-Cilantro Coleslaw
Ingredients
- 1/2 large head cabbage- outer leaves removed, cored and thinly sliced
- Small fennel bulb, cored and thinly sliced (can sub 2 stalks celery)
- 1 cup chopped cilantro leaves
- 1 small carrot, trimmed and thinly sliced
- 4 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
- Zest of one lime
- Juice of one lime
- ½ cup each: light sour cream and light mayonnaise
- ¼ teaspoon each: kosher salt and freshly ground pepper or more to taste
- Pinch crushed red pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir together the cabbage, fennel, cilantro, carrot, and scallions. Sprinkle with the lime zest and squeeze the lime juice on top. Stir in the sour cream, mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and pinch of crushed red pepper and mix well. Taste and adjust seasonings. Store in the refrigerator well-covered for 3-5 days.
Notes
WINE: I’d go for a NZ Sauvignon Blanc full of citrus and herby notes to compliment not only the shrimp but the cilantro and fennel in the slaw. Read up on pairing shrimp here. No wine for you? Go for a Mexican beer like Dos Equis.
DESSERT: Despite the bread involved, this is not a heavy-feeling meal. You could go in several directions for dessert–even big and cakey if you wanted. But since it’s summer why not go with something like grilled pineapple and vanilla ice cream? If you’re really into making dessert, make homemade ice cream.
You might also like to try my:
LIFE GOES ON:
We celebrated our 50th Anniversary! YAY, US!!
We began in late June with our wine group here in our own house:
July 13, we gathered a few family and friends for a more formal celebration at the Garden of the Gods Resort:
Next, we car tripped to Lake Superior with our kids and grands:
On the way home, we stopped in St. Paul to celebrate once more with our besties there:
We’ll do just one more celebration for the year when we reach our Florida family in late November. Then it’s on to number 51!
Make some shrimp burgers, friends, and have a great August,
Alyce