Shrimp Cakes on a Lamb's Lettuce Salad

Sun, 08/30/2009 - 22:19 — Steffen

For our most recent dinner invitation, I experimented a little bit. The result is this recipe for a very nice starter salad: Shrimp cakes (same idea as crab cakes) served on lamb's lettuce with a lemongrass, ginger and garlic dressing. Definitely a keeper.

Ingredients

Salad Dressing

  • 1 stalk lemongrass (bottom third, outer layer removed)
  • 1 oz / 30 g ginger, peeled
  • 2-3 cloves garlic
  • ¼ cup / 60 ml vegetable oil (e.g. grapeseed)
  • juice of 1 lime
  • ¼ poblano pepper (use hotter peppers if desired)
  • 1 cup / 250 ml yogurt
  • a handful of fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
  • salt to taste

Shrimp Cakes

  • 9 oz / 250 g raw shrimp, coarsely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 egg yolk
  • green parts of 3 scallions, chopped
  • ½ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
  • ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 2 tbsp breadcrumbs
  • ¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
  • ¼ tsp salt (or to taste)

Salad

  • ½ lb / 250 g lamb's lettuce (or mâche)
  • 1 red bell pepper, cut into fine cubes (as garnish)

Preparation

Salad Dressing

  1. In a blender or food processor, blend together lemongrass, ginger, garlic, yogurt, poblano pepper, lime juice and salt.
  2. Slowly blend in vegetable oil.
  3. Stir in chopped cilantro.
  4. Adjust seasoning with salt.
  5. Set aside and refrigerate.

Shrimp Cakes

  1. Combine shrimp and the other ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix together. Adjust the consistency of the mixture with a bit of water or additional flour and breadcrumbs.
  2. Adjust seasoning with salt and freshly ground pepper. To check the seasoning, shape a small patty and cook it in the microwave.
  3. Refrigerate for an hour so that the mixture becomes firmer.
  4. Form 2 in / 5 cm diameter patties. You should get about 8.
  5. Set a heavy pan over medium-high heat (non-stick works best). Add a generous amount of vegetable oil. Fry the shrimp cakes on both sides until golden brown. Remove from pan, blot dry with paper towels and keep warm.

Salad

  1. Toss the mâche with the dressing.
  2. Combine mâche and shrimp cakes on plates, two shrimp cakes per plate. Sprinkle with cubed red bell pepper. Serve.

Preparation time about 1-1½ hours

Yields 4 servings (2 shrimp cakes per serving)

Seafood
Salads