In 2010 Jim was fortunate enough to play in the US Open at Pebble Beach. What a wonderful experience! One of the best parts was a magnificent ladies day that was put together for the players wives/moms. Part of our ladies day was lunch and a wine tasting at the Earthbound Organic Farm. Yes, the same one that you buy your salad lettuce, baby carrots, and lots of other produce from too! It was such a neat experience. The food was tremendous as well as learning all of the background information about how the farm began. As we left, we were all given cookbooks written by the Farms creator, Myra Goodman. She is inspirational in her writing about organic farming and food consumption.
For some time now, I hadn't opened the cookbook, titled Food To Live By. But, the last few months we've been fortunate to spend a good amount of time at home and I have used that time to commit myself to enjoying the art of cooking. So far I've tried 5 of Myra's recipes. Each different and very good. Shrimp Cakes were this weekends test. They do take a bit of preparation, but all can be done the day before you plan to serve them. I didn't take a picture of mine, but they came out well and tasted even better!
Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup minced scallions, including white and 3 inches of green
3 tablespoons minced shallots
1 small red or orange bell pepper, diced
1 1/2 pounds small raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 large egg white
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons Worchestershire sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons dry white wine
1/2 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/3 cup minced fresh dill
1 cup fine, dried bread crumbs
The following you may do either 6 hours prior to serving or the night before:
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium skillet on low heat. Add the scallions, shallots, and bell pepper. Cook till the vegetables are soft, approx. 5 minutes. Let the mixture cool. Place about 1/2 pound of the shrimp in a food processor. Add the egg white and run the machine until the shrimp are pureed. Add the cream and blend. Add the Worchestershire sauce, lemon juice, mayonnaise, cayenne, and salt and blend briefly. Transfer the shrimp mixture to a medium bowl, add the scallion mixture and stir to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the remaining shrimp and cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and cook, turning the shrimp occasionally, until they are completely pink, about 2-3 minutes. Drain the shrimp in a colander and let them cool until you can handle them. Cut the shrimp into small pieces, about 1/3-inch dice. Add the diced shrimp, the parsley, and dill to the pureed shrimp mixture and stir to combine. Cover the bowl again and refrigerate until the mixture is firm, at least 6 hours or overnight.
When you intend to serve them:
Spread the bread crumbs on a plate. Form the shrimp mixture into cakes about 2 1/2 inches in diameter and 1 inch thick. Dip the cakes in the bread crumbs and coat them all over. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Work in batches so the cakes do not touch each other in the pan. Cook the shrimp cakes until the bottom is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Turn the cakes over and cook until golden brown and cooked all the way through, 3-4 minutes.
Ok, there you have it! I did use cooked, frozen shrimp and still followed this recipe exactly and found the cakes to be excellent! There is a lemon-caper aioli sauce recommended to serve with the cakes, but my family does not like capers, so we just used some fresh lemon juice. I hope you try this out and enjoy. You may substitute the shrimp for lump crab meat and make some delicious crab cakes as well. Check out the book and all of Myra's other wonderful recipes!
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