Since I started this week off with a tasty shrimp recipe, I thought I would continue the theme with Shrimp Burgers with Cilantro and Guacamole. I’ve made guacamole before so that part didn’t phase me. The “shrimp burger” part is what made me scratch my head. I have never heard of such a thing, but once I read the recipe I was down to try it. Yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like—shrimp patties on a bun topped with guacamole. Shrimp patties? Well, I love a good burger, and I love shrimp, so I have to try this recipe!
This recipe is a unique twist on a burger. Topped with a delicious smoky guacamole, they’re bursting with interesting, fresh flavors and are great for lunch, dinner, and outdoor summer parties.
The Ingredients
My pre-grocery shopping check showed me I didn’t have many of the ingredients for my Shrimp Burgers with Cilantro and Guacamole. Salt, pepper, olive oil, and egg were all on hand, and that’s not unusual for me. But I also happened to have a leftover pound of peeled and deveined shrimp in my freezer from making Shrimp Sushi Bowls with Cauliflower Rice.
I found everything else at my usual grocery store. I love Haas avocados, but they’re small. the recipe calls for 3/4 cup of avocado, so I bought 2 to be sure I had enough. It also calls for 8 tomato slices, so I bought 2 of those too.
I can usually find diced chiles in adobo sauce, but I was out of luck on this shopping trip. I had to buy whole chiles and dice them myself, but that was very quick.
Lastly, I chose to buy sesame-seed hamburger buns from the bread aisle. I wanted to buy them fresh from the bakery, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to make this recipe for a few days. The buns would have lost their freshness by then.
The Process
I used leftover frozen peeled and deveined shrimp, so I had to kick things off by thawing them in a bowl of water. I didn’t include that in the time listed below, but it took 10-15 minutes. They did have the tails on, though, and I did include the time it took to remove them (about 1-2 minutes).
Making the Guacamole
Once the shrimp tails were removed I followed the recipe. That meant making the fresh guacamole fist. I bought Haas avocados, and 1 gave me just enough for the guac (3/4 cup). Yes, I measured!
With a little chopping and a squeeze of lime, I had my guac ready to go. I snapped a quick photo, stored it per the instructions, and continued on to the shrimp burgers.
Making the Shrimp Patties
This is the part I was unsure of. Would the shrimp burger patties really hold together? I was about to find out. First, I tucked about half the shrimp into 1/4 and 1/2 cup measuring cups. That was about half the shrimp. I stepped aside to preheat the olive oil in a large non-stick saute pan then continued with the instructions.
They had me pulse the remaining shrimp in my food processor, add the eggs and seasonings, and pulse until smooth. Then I chopped the remaining shrimp and mixed them with the blended shrimp.
The pan was ready by this time, so I began pouring the shrimp mixture into the pan with a 1/2 cup measuring cup. I didn’t have quite enough for 4 patties, so I took a little off the top of the first 3 to fill out the 4th. Tip: I recommend using a scant 1/2 cup or 1/3 cup for the patties and adding extra if you have it.
The shrimp patties didn’t hold together like traditional hamburger patties. Instead, it was more like pouring pancake batter in that the hot pan held them in a round shape. I cooked mine for 6 minutes total, but a patty that cracked a little when I flipped it showed me they weren’t cooked through. What I thought was a fail turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I flipped them back to the first side and cooked them for another 90 seconds. Perfect! They were cooked all the way through.
I had toasted the buns and sliced the tomatoes while the burgers cooked, so they were ready to assemble as soon as the patties finished.
Timing
This recipe lists a prep time of 39 minutes, 6 minutes to cook, and 45 minutes total. I have to tell you I was exhausted when I made this recipe, so I expected I would meet or go over that time. I completely missed the note saying using already peeled and deveined shrimp would save 15 minutes (and it did). Here’s how my time breaks down:
- 20 minutes to prep
- 6 minutes to make the guacamole
- 12 minutes 30 seconds to prep the shrimp burgers
- 7 minutes and 30 seconds to cook
- 2 minutes to assemble 2 burgers
- 28 minutes total
Not bad considering I had to make the burgers and toppings!
