Shrimp Burgers

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Bring the flavor of the coastal South to your kitchen with juicy, panko-crusted shrimp burgers – ready in just 30 minutes!

Shrimp burger on parchment paper.

Photo by America’s Test Kitchen

Straight from one of my favorite cookbooks, Foolproof Fish, by the ever-reliable America’s Test Kitchen, these shrimp burgers with tartar sauce have quickly become one of my favorite new shrimp recipes. A Southern coastal favorite, they’re made from just a few simple ingredients: chopped raw shrimp, mayonnaise, scallions, salt, pepper, and cayenne. To achieve that irresistible crunch reminiscent of fried seafood, the patties get a panko coating and are sautéed to golden, crisp perfection.

The best part? You can serve these shrimp burgers in under 30 minutes—perfect for those hectic weeknights. By the way, if burgers aren’t calling your name today, just ditch the buns—the patties make delicious shrimp cakes! Pair with corn on the cob or a fresh corn salad for a lovely dinner.

“These are just delicious! Everyone loved them.”

Rebecca

What You’ll Need To Make Shrimp Burgers

ingredients to make shrimp burgers

Step-by-Step Instructions

Pulse the panko in a food processor until finely ground, about 15 pulses; transfer to shallow dish.

ground panko in food processor

Place one-third of the shrimp (about 1 cup), mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and cayenne in the now-empty processor.

Third of shrimp in food processor with seasoning

Pulse until the shrimp are finely chopped, about 8 pulses.

shrimp and mayonnaise paste in food processor

Add the remaining shrimp.

remaining shrimp added to the shrimp paste in the food processor

Pulse until coarsely chopped, about 4 pulses, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

chopped shrimp burger mixture in food processor

Transfer to a bowl and stir in the scallions.

shrimp mixture in bowl with chopped scallions

Using your lightly moistened hands, divide the shrimp mixture into 4 equal portions, then gently shape each portion into a ¾-inch-thick patty.

forming the shrimp burger patties with moistened hands

Working with 1 patty at a time, dredge in panko, pressing lightly to adhere; transfer to a plate.

breading the patties with panko

Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering.

shrimp burgers in the skillet browning on the first side

Cook until the patties are golden brown and register 140 degrees, 3 to 5 minutes per side.

shrimp burgers in the skillet browning on the second side

Transfer the shrimp burgers to a paper towel–lined plate and let drain, about 30 seconds per side.

shrimp burger patties on paper towel-lined plate

Spread tartar sauce evenly among the bun bottoms, then place the burgers and lettuce on top. Cover with the bun tops and serve.

Shrimp burger on parchment paper.
Photo by America’s Test Kitchen

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Shrimp Burgers

Bring the flavor of the coastal South to your kitchen with juicy, panko-crusted shrimp burgers – ready in just 30 minutes!

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 10 Minutes
Total Time: 30 Minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 1½ pounds large shrimp (26 to 30 per pound), peeled, deveined, and tails removed, divided
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 3 scallions, chopped fine
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 cup tartar sauce
  • 4 hamburger buns, toasted if desired
  • 4 leaves Bibb lettuce

Instructions

  1. Pulse panko in food processor until finely ground, about 15 pulses; transfer to shallow dish. Place one-third of shrimp (about 1 cup), mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and cayenne in now-empty processor and pulse until shrimp are finely chopped, about 8 pulses. Add remaining shrimp and pulse until coarsely chopped, about 4 pulses, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Transfer to bowl and stir in scallions.
  2. Using your lightly moistened hands, divide shrimp mixture into 4 equal portions, then gently shape each portion into ¾-inch-thick patty.
  3. Working with 1 patty at a time, dredge in panko, pressing lightly to adhere; transfer to plate.
  4. Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering.
  5. Cook until patties are golden brown and register 140 degrees, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer burgers to paper towel–lined plate and let drain, about 30 seconds per side. Spread tartar sauce evenly among bun bottoms, then place burgers and lettuce on top. Cover with bun tops. Serve.
  6. Note: Nutritional information does not include tartar sauce.

Pair with

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • Per serving (4 servings)
  • Calories: 467
  • Fat: 19 g
  • Saturated fat: 2 g
  • Carbohydrates: 34 g
  • Sugar: 4 g
  • Fiber: 2 g
  • Protein: 40 g
  • Sodium: 610 mg
  • Cholesterol: 277 mg

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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Comments

  • Loved these. Very tasty and a nice alternative use of shrimp. They came together pretty quickly. I’ll add that I used regular breadcrumbs and it tasted great. I also was lazy about pulling out my food processor. The blender worked fine but the processor would have been more efficient.

    • — Tracy on October 21, 2023
    • Reply
    • These are just delicious! Everyone loved them. My boyfriends uncle bought a food processor so he can make these.. That’s how much he likes them lol! I would like to make them ahead of time for a large family party…is it possible to freeze them before cooking? Then thaw and cook?
      Thanks for all your amazing recipes!

      • — Rebecca on December 18, 2023
      • Reply
      • Hi Rebecca, so glad they’ve been such a hit – I love that your bf’s uncle bought a food processor to make these! 😊 I’ve never frozen them, but I think it should work. When you’re ready to cook them, thaw them overnight in the fridge (you’ll want to ensure that they are completely thawed in the center prior to cooking).

        • — Jenn on December 19, 2023
        • Reply
        • Jenn, isn’t the rule, ‘don’t refreeze seafood’ important? Very few cooks have access to shrimp that have not been frozen. I’ve made these and your salmon cakes many times and would really like to be able freeze the uncooked patties. Thanks.

          • — Chris on November 22, 2024
          • Reply
          • Hi Chris, while some people may not choose to refreeze seafood that has been frozen and thawed, it is OK from a food safety standpoint. To minimize quality loss, it’s best to refreeze seafood as quickly as possible and ensure it is properly sealed to avoid freezer burn. So bottom line — I think it’s worth a try!

  • I made this once and we loved it!! The tarter sauce is also great… I’m going to make it again but can only find 16-20 shrimp Besides using maybe less than 1.5lb any other suggestions for altering or should it be ok with the larger shrimp. Thanks Michelle

    • — Michelle on October 13, 2023
    • Reply
    • Hi Michelle, glad you enjoyed it! It’s fine for you to use those shrimp and I’d stick with 1.5 lbs; the only difference is it will take a few more pulses to get it to the correct size.

      • — Jenn on October 16, 2023
      • Reply
  • Loved these! Next time I will add Old Bay to mix.

    • — Henderson Karen on October 4, 2023
    • Reply
  • These were so easy and so good! Next time I might add an egg or two to help them stay together…mine fell apart. 😢

    • — Kim Rockwell on September 26, 2023
    • Reply
  • Love so many of your recipes! Q – Is it possible to sub plain greek yogurt for the mayo or would that really change taste/texture?
    Thanks.

    • — Joanna on September 17, 2023
    • Reply
    • Hi Joanna, I think it would be fine here. Please LMK how it turns out!

      • — Jenn on September 17, 2023
      • Reply
  • These were to die for! I used a 1lb package of shrimp without any other modifications to the recipe and cooked the burgers in olive oil. I can’t wait to make them again. And bonus: this week we’re having Jen’s Everyday Spice-Crusted Salmon, another family favorite, to use up the leftover tartar sauce. 🙂

    • — Debbie on September 10, 2023
    • Reply
    • Love that recipe…I used the leftover tartar sauce for my shrimp burgers!

      • — Kim Rockwell on September 26, 2023
      • Reply
  • Simple and so delicious. I love lemon and added zest and a generous fresh squeeze with some fresh parsley. Look forward to making this a lot

    • — Becky on September 9, 2023
    • Reply
  • Hi Jenn, I haven’t tried this yet but I have loved every one of your recipes. For this one do you use raw or cooked shrimp. Thank you

    Dave

    • — Dave Hugdahl on September 7, 2023
    • Reply
    • Glad you enjoy the recipes, Dave! For this recipe you need raw shrimp.

      • — Jenn on September 7, 2023
      • Reply
  • These were incredibly delicious. We had them without the buns and it was a nice light dinner. Thank you!

    • — Lynne on September 7, 2023
    • Reply
  • Love your recipes and looking forward to making this one! In your recipes you use Vegetable Oil versus Olive Oil. Is there a specific reason for this?

    • — Patricia on September 6, 2023
    • Reply
    • Hi Patricia, I actually use both oils, but when I want an oil that’s very neutral in flavor, I go with vegetable oil. (You can get away with using olive oil here.) So glad you like the recipes — hope you enjoy this one as well!

      • — Jenn on September 6, 2023
      • Reply
      • Thank you!

        • — Patricia on September 8, 2023
        • Reply

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