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 😉
These were fantastic! I think next time I will chop the shrimp a little more fine (more pea sized as suggested vs. somewhat larger) so that I can make bite-sized cakes that can be an easy appetizer. The taste is delicious – but could it potentially benefit from the addition of a little zing – like tabasco or red pepper?
Thank you for your feedback, Cindi! I bet this may work well with tabasco; if you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
These came out fantastic! put them in the fridge 30 minutes and rolled them in panko just like the other reviewer mentioned below, yummmyyyy!!!
Hi Francis! That’s great. So glad you loved them.
Trying soon..Question, I have a similar recipe but it has more stuff (veg) in it. First time I made it the shrimp still looked grey. Yours looks amazing. What would I have done wrong (before I mess up again) LOL
Hi Mimi! I hope you love this recipe. Read through the full recipe notes and tips for the best results.
Generally, if your shrimp still have a tinge of gray or translucency to them, chances are they are not done cooking or they have spoiled/gone bad.
Made these for years, and they are my kid’s favorite meal. Tricks I’ve learned… After combining all ingredients, refrigerate for about 30 min. This helps everything stick together while frying. They haven’t fallen apart on me once, since I started doing that. Also, I mix old bay and panko together and roll the scoops around in that before frying. And a few drops of Siracha on the aioli totally takes them up a notch.
Yum! Thank you for sharing that with us!
Have made this several times. My family loves them. Made them as an app for a party. Huge hit
That’s great, Cathleen! So glad they were enjoyed.
I make these all the time now! LOVE THEM. I do dip mine in crushed cracker crust, or panko, or a mix of both and then fry them. YUMMO!
Hi Jeni! Thank you for sharing, I’m glad you love this recipe.
absolutely fabulous, easy recipe,sauce was a must.thank you for the recipe.🌹
You’re so welcome! Glad you loved it.
Excellent recipe. I’ve made this dish a number of times as the recipe calls (except substituted Greek yogurt for mayo, because that’s what I had). It turned out great. I’ve also made it with cod instead of shrimp, because my wife can’t eat shrimp. That too turned out great. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
You are welcome! Glad you enjoyed this and I hope you’ll love all the ther recipes that you will try.
You are welcome! Glad you enjoyed this and I hope you’ll love all the other recipes that you will try.
Enjoyed these tremendously! I switched it up a little by adding garlic and green onions. Also used some panko crumbs for frying. It’s a keeper! Thank you!
That’s great, Linda! Thanks for sharing.
OMG! What a treat! These were delightful! We added diced onion and diced celery, but that is our preference. Saved this one for the future.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Terri!
I added chili powder and garlic to my mixture and used oat flour. They turned out great!
Great to hear, Meka!
It looks like you’re using block mozzarella cheese what about using fresh and put it freezer for a few minutes before grading …..thanks ted
Hi Ted, I haven’t tried that myself, but I bet that could work! If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
Gotta love Natashas simple healthy recipe! Two thumbs way up. S
Thank you!
This looks so yummy and reminds me of your shrimp fritters recipe with dill sauce. Is that recipe still available and if so, could you direct me to it? I was unable to locate it as usual. It has been a family favorite for several years. Thank you!
Hi Susan, you can check out my Shrimp Recipes here.
I would like to make these ahead and take them to a dinner party. Can they be warmed in an oven?
Hi Brenda, it is best eaten fresh but making it ahead should be alright. I haven’t tried freezing these shrimp cakes, but if I did, I would probably freeze them already cooked, or they may not stay together well. If you experiment, let me know how it goes!
Can I serve these at room temp?I’d like to make ahead and set out while we swim. So they may not be hot when we get around to eating?
Hi Melissa, yes that will work! It is best eaten fresh but making it ahead should be alright. I hope it becomes a hit!
Many thanks!! Can’t wait to service them! Of course I had to try one “quality control” LOL. Simply YUMMY!!!
You’re very welcome! Enjoy. 🙂
Made the shrimp cakes tonight and they were great. Would possibly add a hot sauce to the aioli to kick it up a notch. Definitely a keeper!
I’m so glad it was a hit, Karen!
Saw the recipe yesterday, made it today! EXCELLENT, especially the sauce. Thank you for the recipe, Natasha.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Mercy!
These are absolutely delicious. We made them as an appetizer and could not stop eating them. Would highly recommend!
These make a great appetizer! So glad you enjoyed them.
Can u use thawed cooked shrimp, I always worry that shrimp or chicken or pork doesn’t get done enough,and always afraid its not cooked long enough inside because outside browns fast
Hi Abby, I have had some people report good results using pre-cooked shrimp in this recipe, but it depends on the recipe. I always suggest using what is recommended in a recipe before modifying it.