Thai Shrimp Cakes with Sriracha-Lime Remoulade

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Springy, deeply shrimp-flavored Thai cakes built the smart way: half the shrimp is pulsed to a sticky paste that binds everything, the other half is hand-chopped so you still bite into actual pieces of shrimp. A stint in the freezer firms the patties so they bread cleanly and hold their shape in a shallow skillet of oil — no deep-fryer, no quart of wasted oil. A Gulf-Coast-style remoulade spiked with sriracha and lime bridges the Louisiana seafood-shack version and the Bangkok street original.

Ingredients

• 1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (thawed if frozen)
• 2 tbsp red curry paste
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 large egg white
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tsp finely grated lime zest
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup green beans, very thinly sliced crosswise
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves and tender stems, chopped
• 6 makrut lime leaves, center rib removed, sliced into hairs (optional)
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

• 1 1/4 cups panko breadcrumbs
• 1 cup neutral oil, such as canola or peanut

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp Creole or whole-grain mustard
• 1 tbsp sriracha
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 tbsp finely chopped dill pickle or cornichon
• 1 tsp ketchup
• 1/2 tsp fish sauce
• 1 small garlic clove, grated
• 1 tbsp chopped cilantro

• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• 1/2 English cucumber, thinly sliced
• Flaky salt

Instructions

1. Stir all remoulade ingredients together in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate — it improves as it sits, and you want it cold against the hot cakes.
2. Pat the shrimp very dry with paper towels; excess water makes soft cakes. Divide the shrimp into two roughly equal piles by weight (about 8 oz each).
3. Put the first pile in a food processor with the red curry paste, fish sauce, sugar, egg white, cornstarch, lime zest, and kosher salt. Pulse 15 to 20 times, scraping down once, until you have a thick, sticky, mostly smooth paste. Do not run it continuously into a puree — a little texture is good.
4. Hand-chop the second pile of shrimp into rough 1/4-inch pieces. This is the part that makes the cakes taste like shrimp rather than mousse, so keep the pieces visible.
5. Scrape the paste into a bowl and fold in the chopped shrimp, scallions, green beans, cilantro, and makrut lime leaves if using. Mix with a rubber spatula for 30 to 60 seconds, pressing and folding, until the mixture feels tacky and cohesive and pulls away from the bowl in one mass.
6. Line a sheet pan with parchment. With lightly oiled hands, form the mixture into 12 patties about 2 1/2 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick, setting them on the pan. Freeze, uncovered, for 20 minutes (or refrigerate 1 hour) until firm and cold to the touch.
7. Spread the panko in a shallow dish. Press each chilled patty into the panko, flip, press again, and pat the crumbs onto the edges. Return the breaded cakes to the pan. Do not skip the chill — warm patties smear instead of breading.
8. Pour the oil into a 12-inch skillet to a depth of about 1/3 inch and heat over medium to 340 to 350°F. A pinch of panko dropped in should sizzle steadily and turn golden in about 20 seconds.
9. Fry the cakes in two batches, 5 or 6 at a time so they aren't touching, for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes per side, until deep golden and firm. The center should read 145°F on an instant-read thermometer. Adjust the burner to keep the oil bubbling gently rather than furiously.
10. Transfer to a wire rack (not paper towels — the crust stays crisper) and sprinkle immediately with flaky salt. Let the oil come back to temperature before the second batch.
11. Serve hot, piled on cucumber slices with lime wedges and a bowl of the cold sriracha-lime remoulade for dipping.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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