Thai-Inspired Shrimp Cakes

These are very tasty little appetizers! Serve them alongside some sweet Thai chili sauce for dipping. They're delicious hot or at room temperature. Keep the size fairly small and flat so that they cook through quickly!

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 15 mins
• Total Time: 30 mins
• Calories: 180 Calories

Ingredients

• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• ¼ teaspoon white sugar
• 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 large egg white
• 1 teaspoon hoisin sauce
• ½ teaspoon fish sauce
• 1 pound frozen medium shrimp - thawed, shelled, and deveined
• 1 small carrot, peeled
• 5 drained, canned water chestnuts, diced
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro, or more to taste
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil, or as needed

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Smash and mince the shrimp (don't mince too finely, you'll want some slightly larger pieces for texture).

Step 2

Dice the carrot lengthwise. Bring a small pot of water to a boil and par-boil the carrot until just barely tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Allow to cool enough to handle, and then mince the carrot.

Step 3

Add minced shrimp, carrot, minced water chestnuts, cilantro, egg white, rice wine vinegar, cornstarch, hoisin, sesame oil, ginger, fish sauce, sugar, salt, and pepper to the bowl of an electric stand mixer. With the flat paddle attached, set speed to medium and blend until the mixture really comes together and forms a sticky paste, about 5 minutes.

Step 4

Heat cooking oil in a large nonstick skillet. Form small flat patties with lightly oiled spoons or hands and fry in small batches (don't overcrowd the pan). Cook until golden brown and cooked all the way through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Repeat until all of the shrimp mixture has been used. Serve warm or at room temperature.