Shrimp Burgers
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Crispy, golden patties with all the coastal flavor you crave—these Southern-style shrimp burgers with tartar sauce make a quick and easy dinner that’s packed with delicious flavor.
Photo by America’s Test Kitchen
A Southern coastal favorite, this best ever shrimp burger is 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 shrimp patties are coated in panko coating and then sautéed until golden and crisp.
This dish is straight from one of my favorite cookbooks, Foolproof Fish, by the ever-reliable America’s Test Kitchen. I’ve made it countless times, and with tartar sauce on the side, it’s one of my favorite shrimp recipes.
The best part? You can whip up this shrimp burger recipe in under 30 minutes—perfect for 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.
If you love Southern flavors, there’s plenty more to explore! Try my classic shrimp and grits, gumbo with andouille sausage and shrimp, or fried chicken sandwiches—crispy and juicy beyond compare!
“These are just delicious! Everyone loved them.”
Shrimp Burger ingredients
- Panko bread crumbs: A Japanese-style bread crumb that’s larger much crunchier than standard bread crumbs. It gives the shrimp burger patties a crispy, golden crunch.
- Large shrimp: The base for the burgers. Unless you live near the coast, I recommend buying frozen shrimp for convenience and quality—just thaw them before using!
- Mayonnaise: Adds moisture and richness to the shrimp mixture, helping bind everything together. Always use good-quality mayo, like Hellmann’s or Duke’s.
- Cayenne pepper and fresh scallions: The cayenne adds a subtle kick of heat to balance the flavors while the scallions contribute a mild fresh onion flavor.
- Vegetable oil: Used for sautéing the patties and getting them crispy and golden.
- Tartar sauce: A tangy, creamy topping for the burgers. You can use store-bought or make homemade tartar sauce depending on your preference.
- Hamburger buns: Serve as the base and top for the shrimp burgers. I highly recommend toasting them for added texture. If you want to take things up a notch, use brioche burgers for their tasty buttery sweet flavor.
- Bibb lettuce: A fresh, crisp topping to add crunch and balance the richness of the shrimp burgers. You can swap it out with type of lettuce you have on hand.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How to Make shrimp burgers
Step 1: Pulse the Panko. Add the panko to your food processor and pulse until it’s finely ground. Transfer to a shallow dish.
Step 2: Chop the Shrimp. Add one-third of the shrimp, the mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and cayenne to the now-empty food processor. Pulse about 8 times until the shrimp are finely chopped.
Step 3: Finish Chopping. Add the rest of the shrimp and pulse 4 times just to coarsely chop. Don’t forget to scrape down the sides as needed.
Step 4: Make the Shrimp Patty Mixture. Transfer the chopped shrimp to a bowl and stir in the scallions.
Step 5: Shape the Burgers. Lightly moisten your hands and divide the mixture into 4 equal portions. Gently shape each into a ¾-inch-thick patty.
Step 6: Coat the Burgers. Dredge each patty in the crushed panko one at a time. Flip it over to completely coat both sides and the edges.
⭐️ Hint: Once the shrimp burgers are breaded, they can be wrapped and stored in the fridge for up to 24 hours or frozen for longer storage. If freezing, place them on a parchment lined baking sheet and flash freeze. Once frozen, transfer the homemade shrimp burgers to a container or freezer bag and store for up to 3 months.
Step 7: Cook. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until it’s shimmering. Add the patties and cook for 3-5 minutes.
Step 8: Flip and Finish. Flip the patties over and cook another 3 to 5 minutes, until they’re golden brown and reach 140°F. Transfer the cooked shrimp burgers to a paper towel-lined plate to drain for about 30 seconds on each side.
Step 9: Assemble and Serve. Spread the tartar sauce evenly among the bun bottoms, add the burgers and the lettuce on top. Cover with the bun tops and serve.
jenn’s tips for the best Shrimp burgers
- Don’t Over Process the Shrimp. Follow my technique for chopping. This ensures the shrimp patty has a bit of texture.
- Experiment With Shrimp Burger Toppings. Keep it classic with the Bibb lettuce and tartar sauce or get creative with your favorites. You can swap the tartar for cocktail sauce, green sauce, or even a spicy mayo, and add picked red onions or citrus slaw.
- Other Ways to Enjoy. If you want to skip the bun, these shrimp burgers work great as a shrimp patty on its own, added to a lettuce wrap, or served atop a salad or bowl. Shape them into bite-size portions and use mini buns for shrimp sliders, or skip the bun for a tasty appetizer or finger food.
More shrimp recipes you’ll love
Shrimp Burgers
Quick, flavorful, and perfect for weeknights—these shrimp burgers come together fast and taste like something you’d order at a seaside shack.
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
- 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.
- Using your lightly moistened hands, divide shrimp mixture into 4 equal portions, then gently shape each portion into ¾-inch-thick patty.
- Working with 1 patty at a time, dredge in panko, pressing lightly to adhere; transfer to plate.
- Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering.
- 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.
- Note: Nutritional information does not include tartar sauce.
- To make these shrimp burgers ahead of time, shape the patties and refrigerate them overnight. If you want to freeze them, place the patties on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze until solid, 1 to 2 hours. Then transfer them to a resealable plastic bag or airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to cook, thaw the frozen patties in the fridge overnight and follow the cooking instructions.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- 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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this recipe is a ‘keeper’ for sure, but not if I can’t find a way to keep the patties from completely falling apart before they even reach the crumb coating dish. I stayed to your recipe exactly, but I had to re-form the patties in the crumb dish and then again in the fry pan. ??? Any suggestions?
Hi David, I’m sorry you had a problem with these holding together! Did you use raw shrimp?
Might help if shrimps are half frozen. Your hands will get cold but helps retain shape better
Did this slightly different. Skipped the bread crumbs and the oil. Forgot to get scallions and used sweet onion instead. After following the directions to make the patties, set them on a parchment paper lined tray that was sprayed with olive oil in refrigerator for over an hour, then cooked them on our charcoal grill. Served with slice of tomato and Lemon Herb Aioli on toasted rolls. Fantastic!
I’ve had very dodgy outcomes with shrimp burgers in the past so didn’t have the highest expectations of this recipe but it was a triumph 😀. The texture is amazing; previous efforts have always fallen apart but this hold together perfectly. I was worried that it would be under seasoned but apart from adding a finely diced rib of celery to the shrimp and a couple of tablespoons of grated Parmesan to the breadcrumbs I followed the recipe faithfully and it was absolutely delicious. This will be part of my summer rotation from now on👍
Is this 1.5lbs shrimp AFTER peeling?
Hi Marjory, it’s before peeling. 😊
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.
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!
These were absolutely delicious and so easy to make. I am ATK subscriber and must’ve missed this recipe. Thank you for sharing it!
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.
Cannot wait to try these, and Thank you for the recipes.