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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
  • â…› 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

  • Is this 1.5lbs shrimp AFTER peeling?

    • — Marjory on April 14, 2024
    • Reply
    • Hi Marjory, it’s before peeling. 😊

      • — Jenn on April 15, 2024
      • Reply
  • I would love to make these but I don’t know how many pounds? of shrimp to use. I noticethis on all of your recipes, no amounts.

    • — Shirley Gallagher on February 19, 2024
    • Reply
    • Hi Shirley, It sounds like you are just looking at the portion of the page that has the pictures with some instructions above. If you scroll down a bit to under the pictures, you’ll find the full recipe. Alternatively, at the very top of the page, to the right of the recipe name, you’ll see an orange/red button that says Jump to Recipe – if you click on that, it will take you directly to the recipe. Hope that clarifies!

      • — Jenn on February 19, 2024
      • Reply
  • These were absolutely delicious and so easy to make. I am ATK subscriber and must’ve missed this recipe. Thank you for sharing it!

    • — Danette Harlow on January 24, 2024
    • Reply
  • I saw your email and scrolled down and saw shrimp burgers. Thus I made them for the game tonight and they were a huge hit. I ended up making them a bit smaller and got 6 out of the recipe, but used your tartar sauce recipe as well, served them on whole wheat buns with the bib lettuce. So easy to make and so delicious, the simplicity of the recipe made them even better. The whole crowd loved em.

    • — Neil on January 21, 2024
    • Reply
  • Cannot wait to try these, and Thank you for the recipes.

    • — Mary MILLER on January 21, 2024
    • Reply
  • 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
  • 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
  • Hi Jen!
    Well this recipe was different! We can’t quite decide if we liked it or not! It’s a texture issue. Very spongy! I did appreciate how quick and easy it was to put together. And what made it was absolutely your tartar sauce – wow! That sauce is amazing! I did have to make these GF, so I used crushed corn tortillas. I think I have to crisp up the patties a little more next time – that could perhaps help. Curious what other people thought. Not 100% sure if I should try these again! But the tartar sauce is my new best find! You are my go-to chef, so perhaps it is because this was not YOUR recipe per say 🙂 Loved trying it though, and it did make for an original dinner! Thank you as usual!

    • — Karine on September 5, 2023
    • Reply
  • What kind of bun did you use? Thanks!

    • — Renee on September 4, 2023
    • Reply
    • Hi Renee, I just used store-bought hamburger buns. 😊

      • — Jenn on September 4, 2023
      • Reply
  • This looks delicious so I will give it 5 stars before even trying it, based on your other recipes I’ve made 🙂

    Question: Could this be baked in the oven instead of sautéing on the stove? I have a big family and if scaling up the recipe, baking on a cookie sheet would be so much easier.

    • — Grace on September 1, 2023
    • Reply
    • Hi Grace, glad you like the recipes! I think these are best if pan-fried, but I think you can bake them. I’d bake them in a 350-degree oven on a lightly greased baking sheet for about twenty minutes, or until cooked through (and it’s not necessary to flip them), then slide them under the broiler for about a minute to get them golden brown on top. Enjoy!

      • — Jenn on September 4, 2023
      • Reply
  • Amazing burgers!! And the tartar sauce was perfect. Thanks for yet another great dinner idea.

    • — Judi on September 1, 2023
    • Reply
  • This recipe is absolutely super easy and incredibly tasty. Well done team!! Instead of going out for takeaway why not make it at home for a fraction of the price and you know it’s fresh and has been prepared the right way. Keep up the great work team! You rock!!!

    • — Cinzia Stavrevski on September 1, 2023
    • Reply
  • Hi Jenn, Thanks for this wonderful recipe. There are only two of us and one is quite filling and delicious so we saved two patties for tomorrow. Can’t wait to gobble them up.

    Tim Timberlake

    • — Tim Timberlake on August 31, 2023
    • Reply
  • Hi Jenn,
    Looks great! Could I bake in the oven instead of frying?

    Thanks,
    Lynda

    • — Lynda on August 31, 2023
    • Reply
    • Hi Lynda, I think these are best if pan-fried, but I think you can bake them. I’d bake them in a 350-degree oven on a lightly greased baking sheet for about twenty minutes, or until cooked through (and it’s not necessary to flip them), then slide them under the broiler for about a minute to get them golden brown on top. Enjoy!

      • — Jenn on September 1, 2023
      • Reply
  • hi Jenn, first of all thank you for all your amazing recipes and cook books. Most – if not all – of our best recipes come from you – so you have been part of the family for years :). a little question: would this recipe work with salmon? thank you. Renata

    • — renata novak on August 31, 2023
    • Reply
    • Hi Renata, Thanks for your very sweet words about the recipes and support of the cookbooks! Instead of making this with salmon, I’d recommend this recipe instead. Hope you enjoy if you make them!

      • — Jenn on August 31, 2023
      • Reply
    • Jen your recipes are amazing! There’s just my hubby and me, could I freeze two of the shrimp burgers. Should I freeze before or after cooking? Many thanks

      • — Fiona Stephan on August 31, 2023
      • Reply
      • Hi Fiona, Thanks for your nice words about the recipes — so glad you like them! I’ve never frozen them, but I think it should work. I’d freeze them before cooking. 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). Hope you both enjoy!

        • — Jenn on September 1, 2023
        • Reply
  • Hello Jenn, can these be frozen after they are cooked. My college daughter is asking since she always winds up with leftovers. We are going to give them a try tomorrow. Looking forward to making them, they look so good! I love your recipes, thanks so much for sharing.

    • — Fran Elia on August 31, 2023
    • Reply
    • Hi Fran, I’ve never frozen them, but if you want to give it a try, I’d freeze them prior to cooking. When your daughter’s ready to cook them, she should thaw them overnight in the fridge (and she’ll want to ensure that they are completely thawed in the center prior to cooking). Hope you both enjoy!

      • — Jenn on September 1, 2023
      • Reply
  • I’ve been making this recipe for years. It’s a keeper for sure! My teenage son can eat 3 in one sitting.

    • — Erika on August 31, 2023
    • Reply
    • So can mine!

      • — Jenn on September 2, 2023
      • Reply

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