I found this recipe in our monthly Costco catalog and adapted it to my tastes. These Asian-inspired shrimp cakes can be served as a delicious light starter, or as a simple meal accompanied by a salad or vegetable of your choice. The original recipe called for mixing the shrimp mixture vigorously for 5-10 minutes to thicken the mixture to make shrimp balls to then flatten and fry. Being a lazy cook, I cut the mixing time in half and use a ¼ cup measuring cup to scoop the shrimp mixture onto a hot skillet and then slightly flatten each scoop. Much easier!  I highly recommend making your own Duck Sauce, but in a pinch, you can use store-bought duck sauce from your local supermarket. 

Asian Shrimp Cakes
Yield about 10 shrimp cakes 

INGREDIENTS
· 1 pound shrimp (31-40 count)
·  1 small carrot, shredded and chopped into small pieces
·  1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
·  2 teaspoons ginger (grated)
·  1 tablespoon minced scallion, white and pale green parts only. Save the healthy green stems to slice thinly for garnish.
·  2 teaspoons dry sherry
·  ½ teaspoon salt
·  1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
·  2 teaspoons oyster sauce
·  2 teaspoons sesame oil
·  2 teaspoons of jalapeño, minced
·  ¼ teaspoon sugar
·  1 teaspoon cornstarch
·  2 tablespoons plain Panko
·  1 egg
·  3 tablespoons peanut or canola oil (for pan-frying)

 INSTRUCTIONS
1. Pat the shrimp dry with a paper towel. Lay them on a cutting board and lightly “smash” them with the side of a knife or cover them with plastic wrap and pound them lightly with a rolling pin; then coarsely chop them so you have ¼ - ½  inch pieces. (If the pieces are too big, the cakes will fall apart when you turn them in the frying pan.)
2. Using a vegetable shredder/peeler, or box grater, shred and then chop a small carrot into small pieces.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine the chopped carrot, cilantro, scallion, ginger, jalapeño, sherry, salt, white pepper, oyster sauce, sesame oil, sugar, cornstarch, Panko, and egg and mix well.
4. Add the chopped shrimp and mix well. If you don’t mix enough, the mixture will be too runny making it difficult to form the shrimp cakes in the frying pan.  Refrigerate the mixture uncovered in the fridge for at least a half-hour to an hour.
5. Heat a flat-bottomed frying pan over medium-high heat (nonstick or cast-iron works well), until it starts to smoke lightly. Add 2 tablespoons of oil and turn the heat down to medium. Use a ¼ cup measuring cup to scoop out the shrimp mixture onto the frying pan. Slightly flatten each mound of shrimp mixture so you end up with patties about ¾ in thick and about 2 ½ - 3 inches in diameter. (If you flatten the patties too much they will fall apart when you flip them.) To avoid overcrowding in the skillet, you may have to repeat this step with the remainder of the shrimp mixture.
6. Fry each side for about 3 minutes, until golden brown, turning over carefully. Add the last tablespoon of oil to the skillet if needed.
7. Serve hot garnished with the reserved green parts of the scallions thinly sliced and homemade Duck Sauce on the side.

Wine pairing: Chablis, Albariño, Viognier, Vermentino, Dry Riesling; chilled Rosé

Adapted from: https://thewoksoflife.com/chinese-shrimp-cakes/#recipe