While in the thick of yard work, I decided that I needed to use up some of our garden’s mint. Immediately, my thoughts turned to lemongrass, mint, ginger, and the spicy kick of chiles. Taking a cue from my favorite Indian kebabs, I decided to feature my creation in the form of small patties, browned until just crisp on the outside, but still tender in the middle.
Last Year: Best Food to Pack on a Roadtrip
Thai Shrimp Cakes
¼ cup chopped lemongrass, outer stem peeled away
2 tablespoons grated ginger
½ cup chopped fresh mint
½ cup shopped cilantro leaves
½ chopped green onion
2 cloves garlic
½ to 1 small hot chile—birdseye or Serrano
2 large eggs
1 cup panko or dry, unseasoned bread crumbs
1 pound raw shrimp, deveined, tails and shells removed
½ teaspoon sea salt
vegetable oil
In the bowl of a food processor, combine lemongrass, ginger, mint, cilantro, green onion, garlic, chile, and eggs. Pulse until herbs are uniformly chopped, about 6 or 7 long pulses. Add panko, shrimp, and salt, and pulse until shrimp has become chopped somewhat fine, but not ground into a paste. You should still be able to see small to medium chunks of shrimp.
In a large skillet set over medium-high heat, heat enough vegetable oil to just cover the bottom of the pan. Using about ¼ cup of shrimp mixture at a time, form mixture into rough patties, then gently place them in the hot oil, cooking each patty for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until the shrimp has cooked through, but the patties remain tender. Cook 3 to 4 patties at a time, being careful not to overload the skillet. Add just a teaspoon so more vegetable oil in between cooking each batch of patties, allowing the oil to heat up heat time.
Depending on how generously you size your patties, you should end up with about 12 shrimp cakes total.
Savory Salty Sweet 