Crispy Potato Shrimp Cakes With Spicy Aioli Food

SHRIMP CAKES WITH SPICY AIOLI SAUCE

Steps:

• To make aioli sauce, combine first 5 ingredients. Refrigerate, covered, until serving., For shrimp cakes, combine the next 8 ingredients; add 1/2 cup bread crumbs. Stir in shrimp. Form by 1/4 cupfuls into fifteen 2-inch thick patties. Arrange in a single layer, cover and chill 2 hours. , Preheat oven to 400° Place remaining bread crumbs in a shallow bowl. Gently coat patties on both sides. Place on 2 baking sheets lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Lightly spray tops of cakes. , Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Keep warm. Serve with spicy aioli sauce. Garnish with thinly sliced green onions if desired.

CRISPY POTATO CAKE

Steps:

• Clarify the butter: Melt the butter in a small saucepan and bring it to a gentle simmer.
• Shut off the heat and allow it to sit a minute on the stove. The milk solids should start to sink to the bottom. Slowly pour the butter into a bowl, keeping as much of the white milky liquid as possible in the saucepan. Discard the milk solids. These are prone to burning and by clarifying the butter, the potato cake will be less likely to overbrown. Keep the butter warm on the stove.
• Prepare the potatoes: Using a mandoline slicer or a sharp knife, cut the potatoes into thin 1/8-inch-thick slices. Transfer them to a bowl, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and black pepper, cover with all but 2 tablespoons of the melted butter and toss to coat.
• Pour the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in the bottom of an 8-inch nonstick skillet and swirl it around to coat the bottom and sides. Add the thyme and a pinch of salt. It will start to crackle a little. Cook until it is no longer crackling, about 5 minutes, then remove the thyme from the butter and let cool slightly, about 1 minute. Strip half of the thyme leaves from the stems into the bowl with the potatoes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Assemble: Remember that the bottom layer will be the top when you unmold this cake so it should be done with extra care. Beginning in the center of the skillet, layer the potatoes in an overlapping circle following the edge of the skillet. Continue with the remaining potatoes, switching the direction and adding some salt and add a few spoonfuls of the potato liquid in between each layer. Gently press down on the potatoes as you're layering to make sure they stick together and form a cake. Pour any remaining potato liquid on top.
• Cook: Place the skillet on high heat and cook until the water starts to release itself from the potatoes and you can see the edges browning, 10 to 12 minutes. Place the skillet on a baking sheet, transfer the baking sheet to the oven and cook, undisturbed, for 15 minutes.
• Remove the baking sheet from the oven and carefully pour off any excess butter from the skillet into a bowl; save. Carefully line the hot baking sheet with parchment paper, then flip the skillet onto the sheet in one deft motion. Lift off the skillet and pour the reserved butter over the cake. Return the baking sheet to the oven to cook until the top of the cake is golden brown and crispy and the potatoes feel completely tender in the center when pierced with the tip of a knife, about 15 minutes.
• Serve: Carefully transfer the cake to a cutting board, season with salt and cut into wedges like a pie. Serve with roe or creme fraiche if desired.

SHRIMP AND POTATO CAKES

Steps:

• Lemon aioli or Thousand Island dressing, for serving
• Peel and grate the potatoes into a large bowl. Add all the other ingredients, except the flour and oil, and combine well. Cook's Note: be careful when you add the blackening spice, if you like more or less, adjust accordingly. Refrigerate for 15 minutes for the flavors to meld.
• Remove from refrigerator and slowly add the flour, mixing well.
• Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Add tablespoons of the potato mixture to the hot oil, gently pressing down to form cakes. Cook for approximately 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Remove to paper towels to absorb the excess oil. Continue this method until all the potato mixture is used.
• Transfer to a serving platter and serve immediately while hot. Serve with lemon aioli or Thousand Island dressing on the side.

CRISPY POTATO-SHRIMP CAKES WITH SPICY AIOLI

Steps:

• Combine the mashed potatoes with the shrimp, egg whites, green onions and red bell pepper, blending well. Season as desired with salt and black pepper; reserve.
• To make Spicy Aioli, blend mayonnaise, cocktail sauce, white wine vinegar and garlic; reserve in refrigerator.
• Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spoon about 1/2 cup of the potato mixture into the skillet to form each cake. (Several may be cooked at once, depending upon the size of the skillet - do not crowd.) Cook for 3-5 minutes, or until golden brown, then turn to brown the other side. Remove to several thicknesses of paper towels, keeping warm in a 250 degree oven. Continue until all cakes are cooked.
• Serve over baby spinach leaves with Spicy Aioli. Yield: 4 to 5 main dish servings. May also be used as appetizers (I usually make them into smaller cakes for appetizers.) If used as an appetizer, this recipe makes about 8 to 10 appetizer servings.
• Note - I have also used leftover cooked salmon, flaked and chopped, for the shrimp in this incredible dish - equally tasty.

SWEET POTATO SHRIMP CAKES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the soy sauce and the fish sauce, then add in the shrimp. Cover the bowl and allow to marinate, in the refrigerator, while preparing sweet potatoes.
• Peel and grate sweet potatoes. With hands, squeeze excess moisture from potato if necessary. In a large bowl, combine the sweet potatoes and the remaining ingredients, except the flour, mixing well. Stir in the flour and mix to combine.
• Remove the shrimp from the marinade to a cutting board, then chop and fold into the sweet potato mixture.
• In a large heavy bottomed skillet, over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons of the peanut oil. Form cakes, as flat as possible and carefully add first batch to pan. Fry for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on the first side and 1 minute on the second side. Remove to a serving platter and season with salt. Add remaining oil to the pan and cook the second batch. Serve immediately.

CRISPY SHRIMP CAKES WITH CHILE-LIME MAYO

Steps:

• In the bowl of the food processor (or you can use a blender), add the rice cakes and pulse until you get 1 1/4 cups rice cake crumbs. Return 1/4 cup crumbs to the food processor, reserving the remaining 1 cup for coating the cakes.
• Add shrimp, shallot, 4 tablespoons each of the cilantro and basil, and 2 tablespoons jalapeño to the crumbs. Add 2 teaspoons fish sauce, and a pinch each salt and pepper. Pulse until the mixture forms a coarse, chunky paste. (Be careful not to overprocess; if using a blender, scrape down the sides frequently.) Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate while you make the sauce (at least 15 minutes and up to 24 hours).
• In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, remaining cilantro, basil, jalapeño and fish sauce. Zest the lime into the bowl, then cut the naked lime into wedges and squeeze in some juice. Salt to taste. Reserve extra lime wedges for serving.
• Spread remaining 1 cup rice cake crumbs out onto a plate or sheet pan. With wet hands to keep shrimp paste from sticking, form 2 tablespoons of shrimp mixture into a 1/2-inch-thick patty and put it on top of the crumbs. Repeat with remaining shrimp mixture, re-wetting your hands as necessary. Turn the patties over in the crumbs to coat both sides.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Fry patties in batches until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Serve shrimp cakes topped with more basil leaves, with chile-lime sauce for dunking and lime wedges on the side for squeezing.