Hors D’oeuvres | Alaskan Harvest Seafood Blog

Shrimp Cakes with Ginger and Cilantro

This is a wonderfully tasty dish that can be made a day ahead, if necessary. If you don’t have shrimp on hand, good quality lump crab meat could work, as well. It comes from a beautiful book on Indian cooking by Ruta Kahate, 5 Spices, 50 Dishes. They go great with a number of different dipping sauces.
You will need:

2-3 cups canola oil, divided
1/2 yellow onion, minced
3 small green serrano chiles, seeded and finely chopped
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1/4 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves, chopped
1/2 t cayenne
1/2 t ground turmeric
1 small sweet potato, peeled, cut into pieces, and boiled until tender (leftover mashed potatoes can be used in a pinch)
8 oz. shrimp, peeled
1 egg, beaten
salt
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs

1. Heat a teaspoon of oil in a small skillet over medium heat, and lightly saute the onions, chiles, and ginger until the onion is golden. Be careful not to add too much oil - the small amount helps the cakes hold together. Add the cilantro, cayenne, and turmeric and saute another minute and then set aside to cool.

2. Mash the sweet potato.

3. Coarsely chop the shrimp and combine with the potato, onion mixture, egg, and a little salt. Make a very tiny patty and saute it in a small skillet to test the seasonings. Adjust salt or other seasonings to taste if necessary.

4. Wet your palms before forming the patties to prevent sticking. Divide the mixture into 12 balls, then flatten them into discs. They will be roughly 1 1/2 inch in diameter and 1/2 inch thick. Pat the cakes in bread crumbs, coating them well on all sides. The cakes will be loose in texture - this is a good thing. It ensures they will be moist and tender.

5. Heat enough oil to come halfway up the sides of the cakes in a medium skillet. When the oil begins to shimmer, gently place in one layer of cakes. Do not crowd. Cook 3-4 minutes or until golden brown, then flip and repeat on the other side. Remove the cakes to a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat for the remaining cakes. Serve immediately.

Note: These may be formed and refrigerated a day in advance, layered on wax paper and covered with plastic wrap. Fry directly before serving.

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Super Bowl Snacks - Clam Dip!!

Filed under: Clam Recipes, Seafood Recipes — Tags: chips, chips and dip, chips n dip, clam dip, clams, dipping sauce, hors d'oeuvres, potato chips, Seafood, seafood recipe, snack, super bowl, super bowl party, super bowl party snacks, super bowl sunday —

Ah, Superbowl parties. One of America’s most time-honored excuses to eat a variety of things either creamy, spicy, mushy, or prepackaged, scooped up in loving heaps and mouthfuls by edible spoon-like shapes. Headed to a party and want to bring more than the requisite half-case of beer? This dip is quick and easy, and knocks the socks off anything you’ll find at the store.

You will need:

1 brick cream cheese
1 small container sour cream
1-2 cans baby clams (in juice);
3-4 cloves fresh garlic
zest and juice of one lemon
Worcestershire sauce
Tabasco
salt and pepper
optional: chili powder, chipotle powder, cajun seasoning

1. Unwrap the cream cheese and drop it into a bowl. If you have a microwave, it’s a good idea to zap it for a few seconds to soften it up. Scoop out the sour cream and cream the two together with a fork until the consistency is even.

2. Using a garlic press, crush the garlic into the creamy mixture, making sure to get all the juice and to add the pulp from the press. Mix well.

3. Add the clams and some of the clam juice, Worcestershire sauce, lemon zest, some of the lemon juice, salt, pepper, and a few shakes of Tabasco. Mix until it reaches the desired consistency; if you need more liquid, add either clam juice or lemon juice as suits your tastes.

4. You can really kick up the spice by adding chili or chipotle powder or cajun seasoning, but it tastes great on its own, too. Serve with potato chips.