Shrimp Cakes with Creamy Lemon-Herb Sauce

Crab cakes, salmon cakes, any kind of fish cakes—all good. But don’t leave shrimp off the table. Literally. Coarsely chopped shrimp combined with a couple binding ingredients (panko and egg yolk) and brightened with a little lemon zest and Dijon mustard are all it takes to produce sweet, beautiful, little cakes that cook up golden brown and taste just as good as they look.

But they still need a bit of dressing. I think a creamy, fresh lemon-and-herb-spiked sauce is just the thing to complement the briny shrimp. Mmmm.  

Makes 6 cakes

Ingredients

For the Sauce

• 2 tbsp low-fat mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp sour cream
• 2 tsp finely chopped dill weed
• 1 tsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp finely chopped lemon zest
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper 

For the Shrimp Cakes

• 3/4 lb peeled, deveined medium shrimp, chopped
• 1/3 cup panko (or other fine, dry breadcrumbs)
• 1 scallion, finely chopped
• 1 large egg yolk, whisked
• 1/2 tsp finely chopped lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tbsp olive oil

Chopped Shrimp

Preparation

For the Sauce

• Whisk the first 6 ingredients (through lemon zest) in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Sauce Ready to Combine

Creamy Lemon-Herb Sauce

For the Shrimp Cakes

1. Combine the shrimp and next 5 ingredients (through mustard) in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Form the mixture into 6 1-inch-thick cakes.
2. Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil, swirling to coat the entire bottom of the pan.
3. Cook the cakes until golden brown on the bottom, 3-4 minutes. Turn and cook the other side until golden brown and just cooked through, about 3 minutes longer.

Ready to Mix

Mixture Divided into 6 Portions

Formed Shrimp Cakes

Cakes Beginning to Cook

After Turning

Plate the cakes and serve with lemon-herb sauce on the side.

Shrimp Cakes with Creamy Lemon-Herb Sauce