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Jalapeño Shrimp Cakes

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These shrimp cakes are light and delicious, made with jalapenos, scallions, and cilantro then topped with a little fresh lime juice and a few slices of avocado.

These shrimp cakes are light and delicious, made with jalapenos, scallions, and cilantro then topped with a little fresh lime juice and a few slices of avocado. Serve this over a bed of greens for a quick, light summer meal.Jalapeño Shrimp Cakes

You might also like Aloha Teriyaki Shrimp Burgers, Baked Corn and Crab Cakes, or Salmon Cakes.

It’s really starting to feel like summer around here, temperatures are expected to hit 90 today. I can actually smell summer in the air, which gets me sooo excited!! After a long weekend of going to BBQ’s and too many glasses of sangria, this week I am keeping it low carb and light. I love shrimp, it’s naturally lean and cooks in minutes, which makes it perfect for a quick weeknight meal.

I’ve attempted shrimp cakes in the past, but always had issues with them holding together well. This time I decided to pulse the raw shrimp in the food processor and that worked out perfect. I left some of the seeds from the jalapeno to give it a little heat but you can leave them out if you don’t like spicy food. My plan was to grill them but the patties were a bit delicate. I decided to saute them on the pan instead, which worked out perfect. Topped with fresh lime juice and a few thin slices of avocado on top, this was flavorful and light.

These shrimp cakes are light and delicious, made with jalapenos, scallions, and cilantro then topped with a little fresh lime juice and a few slices of avocado. Serve this over a bed of greens for a quick, light summer meal.

These shrimp cakes are light and delicious, made with jalapenos, scallions, and cilantro then topped with a little fresh lime juice and a few slices of avocado.

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Jalapeño Shrimp Cakes

4.41 from 5 votes
1
Cals:173
Protein:24
Carbs:5
Fat:5
These shrimp cakes are light and delicious, made with jalapenos, scallions, and cilantro then topped with a little fresh lime juice and a few slices of avocado. Serve this over a bed of greens for a quick, light summer meal.
Course: Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine: American
These shrimp cakes are light and delicious, made with jalapenos, scallions, and cilantro then topped with a little fresh lime juice and a few slices of avocado.
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 8 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Serving Size: 1 shrimp cake w/ avocado

Ingredients

  • 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined (weight after peeled)
  • 1 large jalapeño, seeded and minced (for spicy, leave the seeds)
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 3 medium scallions, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons panko, use GF crumbs for gluten free
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

For topping:

  • 4 lime wedges
  • 1/2 medium avocado, sliced thin

Instructions

  • Dry shrimp well with a paper towel then place the shrimp in the food processor along with jalapeño and garlic then pulse a few times until almost pasty.
  • Combine the shrimp in a large bowl with remaining ingredients and mix well to combine.
  • Using rubber gloves (easier with gloves), form shrimp into 4 patties.
  • Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat and spray with oil.
  • Add the shrimp cakes to the heated grill and cook 4 minutes without disturbing, then gently flip and cook an additional 4 minutes.
  • Serve with fresh lime juice and top with thin slices of avocado.

Last Step:

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Notes

Makes 4.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 shrimp cake w/ avocado, Calories: 173 kcal, Carbohydrates: 5 g, Protein: 24 g, Fat: 5 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 172 mg, Sodium: 321 mg, Fiber: 2 g, Sugar: 1 g

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80 comments on “Jalapeño Shrimp Cakes”

  1. While the flavor was great, we did not care for the texture of these and ended up throwing the leftovers away. 

  2. These are delicious! I love to freeze them and cook later for a quick but healthy and yummy meal later!

  3. AMAZING! So easy and incredibly delish.

    I doubled the cilantro (bc I LOVE it) and made them smaller (could make about 6 with this recipe).
    Added a smidge of chipotle mayo ontop.

  4. Gina, I made these tonight for dinner. They are so delicious! Thanks for posting this recipe! 🙂

  5. Pingback: 17 Easy Low-Carb Dinners | To Be Stronger

  6. Even though my husband and I are counting w/w points, I used 1/4 cup panko and a beaten egg…also, Louisiana hot sauce, generous dash and Old Bay. Yummy and instead of 3 pts, I called it 5 pts.

  7. Avatar photo
    Marian Harwood

    2 questions: is it OK with you that I copied this into weight watcher's recipe builder? I put skinnytaste.com in both the title and notes. I will take it out if you want
    Also= when I did the above, it said 2 points for a serving (4 servings total) but you say 3. Did you count the avocado?
    I didn't.

  8. I've been making shrimp cakes for years and they are my most loved recipe by all my friends and family. A great addition to these guys is to saute a clove or 2 of garlic and some finely diced red bell pepper for about 3 mins. Then mix this in with the raw shrimp. I also serve them with an avocado relish- diced avocado, red onion, corn, cilantro and lime juice!

  9. Yum! I served these over arugula that had been dressed with a fish sauce vinaigrette. It sounds weird but is really good. Use a very light hand with the vinaigrette because it is POTENT.

    Momofuku Fish Sauce Vinaigrette:

    2 Tablespoons fish sauce
    1 Tablespoon water
    1/2 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar
    1/4 lime, juiced
    1 teaspoon sugar
    A pinch of garlic powder

  10. I made these and they were DELICIOUS! I'm making them again for an Accessory Swap party but as mini shrimp cakes.

  11. Hi Skinnytaste! Unfortunately, I'm allergic to avocado so I won't be able to include them in the recipe. May I know what the calorie content would be if I eat these without the avocado slices? Thanks!

  12. Avatar photo
    Empress Jade Vintage

    Made these last night with frozen defrosted prawns (dried off well). I kept some back and hand chopped to leave some bigger chunks. They firmed up enough after a couple of hours in the fridge that I cooked them in my Optigrill on the fish setting and they turned out perfectly. One of the best recipes I've made from your site so far!

  13. I made these for New Years Eve and they were a HUGE hit! Instead of full size cakes, I made mini ones (1/8 cup each) and I doubled the recipe. Everyone loved them. I can't wait to make these again!

  14. I didn't feel like cleaning a pan, so I put tin foil on a baking sheet and sprayed it with cooking spray. I then baked them for 10 minutes at 400. Then all I did was throw away the foil. Perfection! 🙂

  15. i have never tasted anything as nice as this!! love love love love love this!!! flavours are incredible! i want to host a dinner party now just so i can show this off to my friends!! was this recipie your own or from a book?

  16. I want to make the full recipe (4 cakes) but since its only me and a friend we will probably only eat one each. Do you think the extras could be frozen and eaten at another time?

  17. Avatar photo
    Tessa Darling

    I made these for the 3rd time last night! Served them at a pool party a few weeks ago for those that don't like red meat–I have never been so popular!

  18. Avatar photo
    Bridget Miles

    I made these last night Paleo style – used a teaspoon of Coconut Flour instead of breadcrumbs – they were DELICIOUS! I'll definitely be making these over and over again (and ps – it was totally worth peeling about 75 uncooked shrimp)!!

  19. Omg! Sooooo good! I made these tonight; I just used seasoned breadcrumbs instead of Panko as that was what I had on hand. I also was always going to leave the avocado off, but then I FORGOT to squeeze the lime on it. Still amazing. You can't mess this one up. Also, I did it without gloves – super sticky but doable.

  20. Amazing! I served these with your Summer Pasta Salad with Baby Greens – a terrific and satisfying summer meal. I'm not much of a spicy food person, so I left the seeds out but I think next time I will leave some of them in. Also thought I might add some lime zest to brighten up the lime flavor. But frankly, they are delicious just as the recipe is written.

  21. Can't wait to make these! My husbands travels a lot so I like to have go to dinners ready in my freezer. Do you think I could freeze the leftovers patties? If so, would you freeze them raw or cook them first? Thank you!

  22. Made these last night, SO good! For lunch today chopped one up over a bed of arugula and some lime juice for a quick salad. They're just as good cold!!

  23. These were DELICIOUS! No jalapenos in my supermarket here in the UK so I subbed with regular red chilli instead. The 3 of us (including an 8yo) loved them 🙂

  24. Made these for dinner tonight and they were amazing! I wasn't sure it would be enough, but I served with some pineapple, green beans, and wild rice. Perfect meal. This is a make again!!

  25. Delicious. I normally don't do anything to change your recipes, but in this case, I wanted to grill them and I was concerned they would fall apart – so I added an egg (with a double recipe) for binding and froze them before grilling. They held up perfectly on the grill! Everyone loved them. I only added some of the jalapeno seeds, next time they are all going in.

    1. Avatar photo
      Skinnytaste Gina

      Wonderful idea. Yes, I like the extra kick from the seeds, or if you life it very spicy use a serrano pepper.

  26. Avatar photo
    Peg Theobald

    Hi Gina! These looks so tasty. I have some crab meat already in the fridge….do you think I could exchange the crab for the shrimp? Love you site as always and I'm always spreading the word to friends that I HAVE to check out Skinnytaste!

    1. Avatar photo
      Skinnytaste Gina

      Maybe, but not sure if it will hold. I have 2 recipes on my site for crab cakes, I would use that as a base.

  27. Avatar photo
    Peg Theobald

    Hi Gina! These looks so tasty. I have some crab meat already in the fridge….do you think I could exchange the crab for the shrimp? Love you site as always and I'm always spreading the word to friends that I HAVE to check out Skinnytaste!

  28. This is why we rarely eat out anymore… food with flavor! Served over a bed of lemon basil pasta with scallions and zucchini… yumm! Next time I think we'll go Asian with a ginger soy sauce over cellophane noodles. Thanks Gina…you really nailed this one!

  29. What fish would you recommend for this instead of shrimp? would tuna work do you think, and just prepare the same way? Thanks!

  30. Avatar photo
    Robin Sellars

    We just chopped the shrimp very fine with a knife (well, actually first I tried the meat grinder – that was a big fail). The chopped shrimp worked perfectly and this was DELICIOUS. Served with cilantro lime rice and grilled corn.

  31. I chopped everything (no food processor) and added a couple of eggs. I scooped the patties with a spoon – they turned out amazing! Thank you for the idea!

  32. Avatar photo
    unihomemaker.com

    These look delicious –love shrimp! Your photos are beautiful. Thanks for sharing your lovely recipe.

    Anne ~ Uni Homemaker

  33. Avatar photo
    Georgia | The Comfort of Cooking

    These would be amazing with a scoop of tropical salsa, too! Great recipe, Gina!

  34. These look so delicious!! Can't wait to try them. Since my food processor is out of commission, was wondering if using a blender would work? Thanks for posting this recipe.

  35. I tried these last night. For the readers who asked about using frozen shrimp, frozen/thawed raw shrimp worked just fine for me; make sure you really squeeze them dry, though. I really liked the simplicity of the recipe. I didn't add any of the jalapeno seeds, which I think was a mistake because the cakes ended up a little bland for my tastes. Maybe I'll also add some cumin and chili powder next time. I think these would be really good chopped up inside of a taco with some fun toppings. I am eating one of the leftover patties cold, chopped up over a salad, for lunch.

    Thanks!

  36. I want this for dinner! With plenty of Avocado! You'll be at BlogHerFood next week, right? Can't wait to see you again!

  37. I am allergic to shell fish(,but my husband, son and grandsons will love them I am sure. Might make the chicken for me and my daughter in law.
    Thank you!

  38. Avatar photo
    Angela @ Eat Spin Run Repeat

    These sound amazing Gina!! I loooove seafood and fish, and have also been experimenting with various cakes/patties lately. Great photos!

  39. Avatar photo
    chezcateylou.com

    I have never made shrimp cakes! These look so delicious – I definitely want to try them out!

  40. Avatar photo
    Michelle Plain

    I would even leave maybe 1/4 to 1/2 of the shrimp roughly chopped rather than put all of it in a paste. That way there's a little more texture!

  41. Avatar photo
    Cookin' Canuck

    These look so good, Gina! It's been a long time I've made shrimp cakes, but using the food processor was always the most effective method for me, too.

  42. You could definitely use frozen shrimp, just completely thaw and try to squeeze as much water out as possible.

  43. These look tasty! This may be a silly question, but can you use frozen (I think already-cooked) shrimp? I have a pound in my freezer. Thanks for this recipe!

    1. Avatar photo
      Skinnytaste Gina

      No, they should be raw. Frozen is ok as long as you thaw them, but cooked won't hold together well.