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, to our 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 mayonnaise
- 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 😉



Hey Natasha,
Thinking ofntrying this delicious recipe this Sunday for my housewarming!
I am from United Arab Emirates btw!!
I wanted to know if any part of the process can be made a night ahead? Maybe the shrimp mixture and aioli and i could fry it just before serving??
Let me knowwww i cant wait to try it!
Hi Maryam, We normally have them fresh and haven’t really had a chance to experiment with storing them in the fridge. If you try that let us know how you like them! I believe the aioli can be made ahead just fine. Make sure you refrigerate it.
I have made the mixture the night before and then fryed it the next day, they are still excellent! I have made this many times, usually right away, but just wanted to comment that it can be made ahead as well.
Thank you for sharing your experience with us, Adrijana! Our readers will find that helpful!
That was such a delicious meal and the sauce was like icing on the shrimp cake! My husband kept raving about how good it was while he was eating. This will be heavy rotation per the hubby. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for your wonderful review MJ! I’m happy to hear that this recipe has become an all-time favorite.
Made this for dinner today, Hubby highly approved. He tasted the shrimp cakes prior to dipping them into the lemon aoli and thought them very tasty. I made them smaller for ease of turning and speed of cooking. Added more lemon juice, zest and some drops of Frank’s Hot sauce for added zing to the aioli. Thanks for posting this recipe!
You’re welcome, RC! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
These were easy to make. Cut the shrimp small as indicated, make the cakes about 2 inches in size and cook in a non-stick skillet. Don’t over turn the cakes while cooking. I did add 1 tsp. of Old Bay Seasoning for more seafood flavor. Love the way the cheese melts away and they crisp up for great flavor. I cooked these for Super Bowl LIV along with Natashas’s potato wedges which were a great combo together. The sauce works great for both dishes! Yummy!!!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
Your site is really great. Lots of great recipes to cook if you are a “foodie” and enjoy cooking.
Thank you for that compliment, Brenda!
I just made this for Super Bowl! Of course they didn’t last until the game started. They are so delicious!
Thank you
Oh wow haha they loved it! Thanks for your feedback and I’m glad it was such a hit.
These were good but they fell apart and therefore were a fail for my dinner. Took a lot of time but just fell apart.. disappointed.
Hi Erin, I’m so sorry to hear that, some of our readers noticed the cakes falling apart when they chopped the shrimp too big. Try making the shrimp cuts slightly smaller and that should help!
Super tasty and easy to make! I cooked the shrimp a little more cause it adds a crispy taste in the end. I made the aioli too and the boyfriend likes it but it’s also good to just add lemon juice to the cake!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing that with me!
These were so delicious and such a fun way to eat shrimp! I used my food processor to grate the mozzarella and then added the rest of the ingredients and just pulsed a few times. Such a quick and easy recipe and so full of flavor. We served ours on a simple green salad and our toddler enjoyed them plain. Love all your recipes!
That’s so awesome, Sky! Thank you so much for sharing that with me!
OMGosh!!!!! I tried this recipe for my daughter’s last dinner before returning to college and it was a BIG hit!!! I didn’t have fresh parsley which I will have the next time I make it!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Gretchen! Thank you for the wonderful review!
These were so yummy and easy to make with simple ingredients. Will certainly be making these again. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
You’re welcome, Nancy! Thank you for that great review.
Made these tonight! Thank you for something new & delicious to do with shrimp! Easy and quick! This will be added to my dinner rotation!
That’s so great! Sounds like you found a new favorite.
I just made these, and they are awesome!!! I will definitely make these again. And omg the sauce, sooo yummy!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
I luckily just happened upon this recipe and made them to take to a dinner party as I was requested to take an appetizer. I hate doing appetizers. These will definitely be my “go to” from now on. They are absolutely delicious, easy to make and got rave reviews. Everyone requested the recipe. I made them quite small to be a one or two bite appetizer. Thanks so much for the great recipe!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Patricia!
Do you think I could add bread crumbs instead of flour it sounds better to me what do you think?
Hi Mary, I haven’t tried that but I think it would taste good to coat the outside in panko. The batter is too loose though to form into a patty with your hands so it would be difficult to dip the patties in bread crumbs. I hope this helps
Could you make these ahead of time? How would they be microwaved to heat up or served cold?
Hi Michele, yes you definitely can reheat these! Our readers have reported reheating them in the oven is much better than the microwave If you re-cook them in the microwave on too high of heat, the shrimp will get tough.
Can’t wait to try this. Your recipes are amazing.
I hope you love this recipe, Pat!
Love this
I just made these and they are FIRE. My boys were disappointed when they ate them all. Thanks for this quick and easy recipe.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new family favorite, Ray!
I clicked on the Chicken version and got the recipe for the Shrimp. How much Chicken do I substitute for the Shrimp?
Also the best way to reheat anything is actually on top of the stove in a skillet. Learned that a long time ago. Start on a low temp and cover and uncover as needed
Hi Amy, I’m sorry about that! We had the wrong link in the facebook post. Thanks for letting me know so I could change that. Here are the chicken fritters.
I dont have fresh parsley, could I use cilantro? How do think that would work?
Hi Dani, I haven’t tried with cilantro but I think that should work fine.
I love these and I have made them many times before. I will need to make them early this year, is there a way to do that?? Prep, cook and warm up or???
Hi Christy, yes you definitely can reheat these! Our readers have reported reheating them in the oven is much better than the microwave If you re-cook them in the microwave on too high of heat, the shrimp will get tough.
Thank you!
Could the shrimp cakes be made ahead of time and reheated? Dying to make it!
Hi Michele, yes you definitely can reheat them! Our readers have reported reheating them in the oven is much better than the microwave If you re-cook them in the microwave on too high of heat, the shrimp will get tough.
Just made these for dinner for my wife and son. My son went away to college and has since become pescatarian, so I knew this was something he would eat. He has also taken up cooking and has become quite skilled, knowledgable and along with that, a bit of a foody. These shrimp cakes were a huge hit that he will be making back at school. Thanks!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Glenn!
Made this over the weekend and followed recipe exactly. They were amazing and the lemon aioli sauce is a must do! I’ve made shrimp cakes in the past, but these ones were so much better. I think it has a lot to do with the mozzarella cheese and simple ingredients.
They were so good I’m making them again tonight!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review, Joe!