Shrimp Patty Sandwiches

Small salmon, shrimp or crab cakes make excellent appetizers, but when you want a full meal, try these shrimp patty sandwiches. The thick, sturdy shape of the patties makes it easy to stack them in hamburger buns with your favorite burger toppings. They feature shrimp and flaky whitefish for big seafood flavor. Both are precooked, so you can mix the seafood with the other ingredients, fry the patties and serve them in under 30 minutes.

Three key ingredients prevent these shrimp patties from falling apart: pancake mix, cornmeal and bread crumbs. When mixed with egg, the pancake mix and cornmeal bind everything together, giving the patties a light, tender texture. The bread crumbs go on the outside for a lightly crisp, toasty surface.

Serve these shrimp sandwiches as a kids’ lunch idea the whole family will enjoy, or make them part of your best 30-minute meal lineup for busy weeknights.

Ingredients for Shrimp Patty Sandwiches

• Eggs: Eggs keep the shrimp patties from falling apart. Use room-temperature eggs so that the yolks mix in evenly.
• Canned or cooked shrimp: Medium-sized shrimp (31-40 per pound) work best in shrimp patties. If you only have large shrimp, cut them into smaller pieces.
• Cooked haddock: This mild whitefish tastes like cod but often costs less—and hasn’t been overfished, making it a sustainable seafood choice. Once cooked, haddock flakes easily into pieces small enough that the pan-fried seafood patties won’t fall apart. If you can’t find haddock, any flaky whitefish, like cod, halibut or tilapia, will do.
• Pancake mix: A generous amount of pancake mix makes the patties dense enough to shape. The best pancake mixes contain salt, sugar and baking soda or baking powder, so you don’t need to add more to the patties.
• Cornmeal: Cornmeal gives shrimp patties texture and helps them stick together. Medium-ground cornmeal has the right amount of structure without being too crunchy, but fine cornmeal also works.
• Seasonings: Dried parsley, celery salt, ground mustard and paprika lightly season these seafood patties.
• Bread crumbs: Once you shape the shrimp patties, coat them in bread crumbs for a crisp and golden exterior. Finely ground bread crumbs absorb just a bit of that oil for a dense crust that helps to hold the patties together.
• Canola oil: This neutral cooking oil is best for frying the shrimp patties until golden.
• Hamburger buns and toppings: To make sandwiches, serve shrimp patties on hamburger buns with your choice of fixings, like lettuce leaves and tomato and onion slices. Sriracha mayonnaise gives shrimp patty sandwiches a spicy creaminess.

Directions

Step 1: Mix the patty ingredients

In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add the canned or cooked shrimp, cooked haddock, pancake mix, cornmeal, dried parsley, celery salt, ground mustard and paprika. Mix the ingredients well.

Editor’s Tip: If you’re starting with raw seafood, clean the shrimp and then saute them in a hot oiled skillet for two to three minutes or until they turn pink and opaque, and curl into a C shape. Haddock is often baked or broiled, like in this haddock with lime-cilantro butter recipe.

Step 2: Shape the patties

Shape the mixture into eight patties. Coat each shrimp patty with bread crumbs.

Editor’s Tip: Place the bread crumbs into a bowl. The higher sides will prevent the bread crumbs from going everywhere when you press the shrimp patties into them.

Step 3: Cook the patties

In a large cast-iron or heavy skillet, cook the shrimp patties in the oil over medium-high heat until they’re golden brown, about two minutes on each side.

Editor’s Tip: Make sure the oil is at the right temperature before adding the patties to the pan, and cook them in batches as needed. Too-hot oil will burn the coating before the patties cook in the middle, and too-cool oil will make the bread crumbs soggy. Heat the oil until it shimmers slightly but doesn’t smoke (around 350°F).

Step 4: Serve the sandwiches

Serve the shrimp patties on hamburger buns. Top each patty with lettuce, tomato, onion and Sriracha mayonnaise as desired.

Mark Derse for Taste Recipes

Shrimp Patty Sandwiches Variations

• Change the fish: Replace the haddock with another flaky whitefish like Pacific cod, catfish, bass, flounder or sole. For an all-shellfish patty, use crabmeat instead of flaked fish fillets.
• Shift the seasonings: Replace the recipe’s seasonings with Old Bay or homemade salt-free seafood seasoning. For a spicier kick, use Cajun seasoning or this Tex-Mex seasoning mix. Mild seasoning options include fresh or dried dill, garlic powder and lemon or lime zest.
• Make sliders: Shape the shrimp mixture into smaller patties that will fit on slider buns. About 2 ounces per patty works well for sliders. Serve them between split potato rolls or sweet Hawaiian rolls.
• Skip the bun: Serve shrimp patties on a bed of mixed greens tossed with a light vinaigrette. They also nestle nicely atop a fuller salad with complementary ingredients, such as California green salad with its avocado and crumbled blue cheese, or green salad with tangy basil vinaigrette and cherry tomatoes.

How to Store Shrimp Patty Sandwiches

Store the cooked shrimp patties in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Let them cool completely, then stack them in layers as needed in the container with a piece of waxed paper or parchment between layers. Keep the buns in a bag on the counter. If you store bread in the refrigerator, it becomes crumbly.

How long do shrimp patty sandwiches last?

Leftover shrimp patties can be stored in the refrigerator for up to four days. Commercial bread products might stay fresh for two weeks, depending on the preservatives in them, but you should eat homemade hamburger buns within three days.

Can you freeze shrimp patties?

The best way to freeze shrimp patties is after you’ve shaped them—but leave off the bread crumbs. Space them on a baking sheet and freeze them for about one hour or until they’re firm. Layer the patties between sheets of parchment or wax paper in a freezer-safe container or bag, and keep them in the freezer for up to three months. To cook frozen shrimp patties, let them thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then coat them in the bread crumbs and pan-fry them for about two minutes on each side.

How do you reheat shrimp patties?

Reheat the shrimp patties in a 350° oven to prevent the bread crumb coating from burning. Spread them on a baking sheet and cover the pan with aluminum foil for 10 to 15 minutes. Then remove the foil and continue to heat the patties for another five minutes or until they’re warm to the center and slightly crispy on the outside.

Shrimp Patty Sandwiches Tips

Mark Derse for Taste Recipes

How do you keep shrimp patties from falling apart?

Mix the ingredients well and shape the shrimp patties with firm pressure to prevent them from falling apart. If the mixture is too soft to shape, refrigerate the bowl of well-mixed ingredients for about 15 minutes and then shape the patties with cool hands. To create evenly sized patties with smooth sides, press a wide-mouth canning ring or large peanut butter jar lid over each patty.

Shrimp patties cooked in oil that’s too hot or too cool are more likely to fall apart. Preheat the oil until it shimmers, add the patties in batches to avoid a big temperature drop, and let the oil heat back up between batches. Batch cooking also allows you to slide a spatula under each patty and flip it. Leave the patties undisturbed in the pan as they cook. They’ll hold together better if you don’t shift them and let an even crust form on each side.

What can you serve with shrimp patty sandwiches?

Enjoy your shrimp patty sandwiches with a side of oven fries or air-fryer sweet potato fries. The sweet corn and creamy avocado in Tex-Mex potato salad pair well with the flavors in the shrimp patties. These seafood sandwiches are also delicious with a simple mixed green salad. Serve shrimp patty sandwiches with your favorite wheat beer, hazy IPA or an old-fashioned lemonade.