You can make a burger out of anything, as most home cooks know; the challenge is in choosing a central element that delivers superior flavor and texture.
Thus one can argue that a burger of half-pork and half-beef is tops in the meat world, better than the standard all-beef version because of its enhanced taste and “chew.” In the fish world, nothing is better than a shrimp burger.
Shrimp contain a high amount of natural gelatin, which allows you to incorporate a considerable amount of flavorings without worrying about the burger falling apart.
In fact, if you puree all the shrimp, you end up with a dense, rubbery sponge not unlike the dense Thai fish cakes known as tod mun. But if you puree just a portion of them, leaving the rest–along with the flavorings–just roughly chopped, you produce a good-textured burger with powerful flavor (and, I might add, very little fat).
I choose an Asian route here, with ginger, chili (many people will want to use more than I suggest, some will want less), and cilantro, adding a little bell pepper for color. But as with any burgers, these can be seasoned pretty much according to your whim. Try a small amount of an herb like tarragon and omit the chili and ginger and you will have a different, more subtle result. Chili or curry powders are other good additions.
Though good grilled, these are also excellent cooked in a pan, whether in clarified butter or peanut or olive oil. In either case, they are best served with typical burger trimmings, especially a couple of slices of a good tomato.
Shrimp burgers
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 9 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
1 1/2 pounds uncooked shrimp, peeled, deveined
1 clove garlic
1 dried or fresh chili, stemmed, seeded, deveined, or more to taste
1 piece (1-inch long) ginger, peeled, roughly chopped
1/2 cup cilantro leaves or to taste
1/4 cup roughly chopped each: shallots, green onions, red or yellow bell pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
4 hamburger buns
Lime wedges or ketchup
1. Prepare a grill for medium-high heat. Combine one-third of the shrimp, garlic, chili and ginger in a food processor; puree. Add remaining shrimp along with cilantro, shallots, onions, bell pepper, salt and pepper, pulsing as many times as necessary to coarsely chop shrimp. Shape mixture into 4 patties.
2. Brush grill lightly with oil; transfer patties to grill. Cook, undisturbed, until a dark crust appears on bottom and they release fairly easily with a spatula, about 5 minutes. Turn; cook 3-4 minutes. Serve on buns, toasted if desired, with lime juice or ketchup.
Nutrition information per serving:
264 calories, 12% of calories from fat, 3 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 252 mg cholesterol, 25 g carbohydrates, 32 g protein, 792 mg sodium, 2 g fiber
