If you love shrimp recipes, these shrimp cakes are for YOU! They are juicy, tender and so flavorful. These shrimp fritters always disappear fast! P.S. DO NOT skip the lemon aioli sauce.
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This is a surprising way to use shrimp but it’s also the best way to make a pound of shrimp go a long way. Biting into juicy shrimp, fritter style, is a real treat. The cheese creates an irresistible cheese pull inside and forms a golden crust on the outside. Watch the Video tutorial and you will just know; these are GOOD!
Shrimp Calories / Shrimp Nutrition:
- Purchase wild-caught shrimp whenever possible.
- Avoid “Farm Raised Shrimp” or anything marked “Farmed,” especially coming from overseas where they may be produced in unsafe or unhealthy conditions and could lead to health problems.
- There are about 99 calories in 100 grams of cooked shrimp.
How to Devein Shrimp:
Deveining larger sized shrimp is especially important. Check out our video tutorial on how to peel and devein shrimp. You can use a small pairing knife or a deveining tool like this one from OXO.
Ingredients for Shrimp Cakes Recipe:
The ingredients here are so simple and come together quickly for an easy appetizer or side with dinner or lunch. Combining raw diced shrimp with a batter creates an irresistibly good shrimp fritter. I hesitate to call them ‘fritters’ because fritters are often deep fried but you don’t need much oil at all in this recipe. I usually use 1 to 2 Tbsp for the entire batch. Seriously though, don’t skip the lemon aioli sauce – it is everything with these shrimp cakes; dunk after dunk.
Watch How to Make Sauteed Shrimp Patties:
Watch Natasha make these cheesy shrimp cakes. You will be surprised by how easy this recipe is! If you haven’t already, click to subscribe to our Youtube Cooking Channel and click the bell icon so you’ll be the first to know when we post a new video.
Cook’s Tips: Here are our favorite measuring spoons that I bragged about in the video. Also, a trigger release ice cream scoop makes it so easy to portion and and sauté these while keeping your hands clean. Also, a non-stick pan works best to keep the patties from falling apart while cooking.
Easy Shrimp Recipes to Explore:
- Coconut Shrimp with a ridiculously good 2-ingredient dip
- Shrimp Cucumber Bites – so easy and good. They fly off the plate!
- Shrimp Ceviche Salsa – we are obsessed with this shrimp salsa
- Creamy Shrimp Pasta (with our favorite Alfredo sauce!)
Print-Friendly Sauteed Shrimp Cakes Recipe:
Shrimp Cakes with Lemon Aioli (VIDEO)
Ingredients
For the Shrimp Cakes/ Fritters:
- 1 lb large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 4 oz mozzarella cheese, (1 1/2 cups shredded)
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped, plus more to garnish
- 1/2 tsp sea salt, or to taste
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, or gluten free flour
- 2 Tbsp light olive oil, or high heat cooking oil of choice
For the Lemon Aioli Sauce:
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove, pressed or finely minced
Instructions
How to Make Shrimp Cakes:
- Pat dry shrimp with paper towels then dice into pea-sized pieces.*
- Transfer chopped shrimp to a large mixing bowl. Add 4 oz shredded mozzarella, 1 egg, 1/4 cup mayo, 2 Tbsp parsley, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp black pepper. Stir together then add 1/4 cup flour and mix until batter is creamy and well combined.
- Heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat and add 1 Tbsp olive oil. Add 1 heaping Tablespoon at a time (or a level ice cream scoop) and flatten out the tops of your fritters as you go so they are about 1/2" thick patties. Saute about 3 minutes per side or until golden brown on the edges and cooked through.
How to Make Lemon Aioli Sauce:
- In a small bowl, add mayo and stir to remove any lumps. Add 1 tsp lemon zest, 2 Tbsp lemon juice and pressed garlic clove and stir to combine.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Would YOU try these sauteed shrimp fritters? We think you will be impressed 😉
Hi Natasha, these sound yummy, what do you think of subbing motza cheese and parsley for Parmesan and coriander, would that work for the ratio. Also what would be a suggestion to serve these up for a meal , was thinking salad and home made chips with the lemon aioli. Your thoughts would welcomed.💕
Hi Tessi! I haven’t tried that combination so I can’t say, but feel free to experiment with different cheeses and spices.
These can definitely be served alongside chips, fries, salads, coleslaw, veggies. Let us know how they turn out.
I am a bit confused. 4 ounces of cheese is 1/2 cup – not 1 and 1/2 cup
Hi Frances, there are different styles of measurements. The cheese is measured by weight. It will weigh 4oz. The volume is 1 and 1/2 cups.
This was phenomenal! It was delicious, easy and plated beautifully. I’ll make it again and again!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Anne!
I only have a Mexican blend cheese. Do you think it will work for these?
Hi Tanya, we prefer it with mozzarella, but if you don’t have any on hand you can try it with Mexican cheese, I’d love to know how it turns out with that cheese.
I have made these once and Loved! Want to make for a party. How early in day could I make? Do I need to refrigerate if it is a few hours early??
Hi Judy, making them ahead will work. Some of my readers serve this at room temp. In my opinion, it is best eaten fresh but making it ahead should be alright. You can also reheat in the microwave just until warmed through if you make them way in advance and want to refrigerate them. I hope it becomes a hit!
It saddens me to ask, but would this recipe work without the mozzarella or would it not hold together? My brother is tragically dairy free.
Hi Kristin, I honestly have not tried it without the cheese. I wonder if this could be better with a little bit of bread crumbs mixed in instead of the cheese. It may just work to remove the cheese but make sure you use a non-stick skillet for easier flipping.
Absolutely love these! Has anyone tried air frying them instead of in a pan with oil – just curious.
I just realized I don’t have fresh parsley, do you think dry parsley will work?
Hi Lyuda! That should work. You may need to experiment with the amount but a general rule of conversion for using dried herbs is to use 1/3 of the original quantity of fresh herbs.
Can’t tell you how many times I’ve made this recipe! Everyone loves it! Thank you 🥰
That’s wonderful, Carol. Thanks so much for sharing!
These are so good! When the cost of crab went up so high, I decided to try these instead of crab cakes for my Christmas Eve contribution to my family’s holiday appetizer menu. Everyone raved about them. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Susan! I’m so glad they were a hit!
was wondering if you could add a small amount of crab meat with the prawns? or maybe chicken?
Hi Sharon, I haven’t tried that mix, but I imagine it will work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
I have added crabmeat and dice onions real small ad actually bake them as crab cake sandwich size! Awesome!