Shrimp Burgers with Tartar Sauce

You've never had a seafood burger quite like this before! Crispy spiced shrimp burgers with tartar sauce, tangy cabbage, and honey mustard aioli sitting on brioche buns are what seafood burger dreams are made of!

Watch how to make this

Ingredients

• Shrimp: The primary ingredient, shrimp provides a sweet, delicate flavor and a firm texture that forms the base of the burger patties. 
• Spices: The spices, including garlic powder, paprika, chili powder, and dry mustard, enhance the flavor profile of the shrimp patties, adding depth and a hint of heat.
• All-purpose flour: Acts as a binder in the shrimp mixture, helping to hold the patties together during cooking. It also helps to create a slightly firmer texture.
• Egg white: The egg white helps bind the ingredients together, providing structure to the patties while keeping them moist.
• Panko: Panko breadcrumbs provide a light, crispy coating that enhances the texture of the shrimp burgers when fried, giving them a delightful crunch.
• Hard-boiled eggs: Used in the tartar sauce, hard-boiled eggs add creaminess and richness.
• Mayonnaise: A key ingredient in both the tartar sauce and honey mustard aioli, mayonnaise adds creaminess and helps to bind the ingredients together.
• Cornichons: These small pickles add a tangy crunch to the tartar sauce.
• Dill: Fresh dill adds a bright, herbaceous flavor to the tartar sauce.
• Stone ground mustard: Adds a tangy flavor to the honey mustard aioli. You can substitute it with Dijon mustard if you prefer.

Substitutions and variations

• Protein: You can substitute shrimp with crab, white fish, or salmon.
• Spicy: Add sliced jalapenos to the cabbage slaw or cayenne to the shrimp patties.
• Gluten-free: Use gluten-free panko and gluten-free all-purpose flour for the shrimp patties. For the sandwich buns, use any gluten-free burger buns.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Make shrimp patties

To prepare the shrimp burgers, start by making the shrimp patties. You can use frozen shrimp, just make sure they're fully thawed and drained of excess water.

Set aside 4 ounces of the shrimp and roughly chop them into small chunks. You can skip this step if you like but the larger chunks give more texture in the patties.

In a food processor, pulse the remaining 12 ounces of shrimp until a paste forms, adding 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of salt, ½ teaspoon of black pepper, ½ teaspoon of paprika, ½ teaspoon of chili powder, and ¼ teaspoon of dry mustard powder to enhance the flavor. If you don't have a food processor, you can finely chop the remaining shrimp and combine it with the spices.

Combine the shrimp paste with the chopped shrimp, 1 large egg white, and ¼ cup of all-purpose flour, mixing until well combined. Shape the mixture into four patties and then coat each patty evenly with panko breadcrumbs, ensuring they are fully covered for a crispy texture.

To make the shrimp patties easier to cook, chill them in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes or in the freezer for 10 minutes. This helps the patties firm up, making them easier to cook.

Step 2: Prepare sauces

While the patties chill, prepare the tartar sauce. Unlike regular tartar sauces, we're adding hard-boiled eggs to add creaminess and texture. The simple addition of the eggs completely changes the sauce into something extraordinary!

Combine the hard-boiled eggs with mayonnaise, finely chopped onion, finely chopped cornichons, chopped fresh dill, lemon juice, hot sauce, and salt in a large bowl. I used Tabasco for the hot sauce but you can also use Tapatio or even Sriracha.

For the honey mustard aioli, whisk together mayonnaise, stone ground mustard, honey, and lemon juice in a separate bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then set aside.

Prepare the cabbage by tossing shredded green cabbage with olive oil, lemon juice, and salt in a bowl, mixing well to combine.

Step 3: Cook shrimp

Now that all the sauces are done, let's get back to the shrimp burgers. Heat enough oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat to cover the bottom of the pan. Once the oil is hot, carefully add the chilled shrimp patties and cook for about 5-6 minutes on each side, or until they are golden brown and cooked through.

To ensure the patties are fully cooked, they should reach an internal temperature of 145°F (63°C) and flake easily when tested with a fork.

Step 4: Assemble burgers

To assemble the burgers, toast 4 brioche buns until golden brown. You can use any other burger buns but I enjoyed the soft buttery texture of brioche buns in this dish.

Spread a generous amount of honey mustard aioli on the bottom half of each bun, then layer on the seasoned cabbage, followed by the cooked shrimp patty. Top with a heavy dollop of tartar sauce and place the top half of the bun on each burger. Serve the shrimp burgers immediately while they are still warm.

I don't even know where to start, these shrimp burgers with tartar sauce were incredible. From the tangy cabbage to the sweet mustard aioli to the complex tartar sauce to the spiced shrimp patty - it's the best of all worlds!

Make-ahead and storage tips

• Make-ahead: You can make the shrimp patties and chill in the fridge until ready to cook. You can also make the tartar sauce and honey mustard aioli the day before.
• Store: Keep the patties separately from the sauces in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Frequently asked questions

More seafood sandwich recipes

Looking for more? Try these:

Recipe

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Shrimp Burgers with Tartar Sauce

Total Time1 hour hr

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: sandwich, seafood

Servings: 4

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

Shrimp patties

• 1 pound shrimp peeled and deveined
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon dry mustard powder
• 1 large egg white
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup panko
• oil for frying
• 4 brioche buns toasted

Tartar sauce

• 3 hard-boiled eggs coarsley chopped
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped cornichons
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
• ½ teaspoon lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon hot sauce
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Honey mustard aioli

• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons stone ground mustard
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• salt and pepper

Cabbage

• 2 cups shredded green cabbage
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

• Make shrimp patties. Set aside 4 ounces of the shrimp and roughly chop by hand into small chunks. With the remaining 12 ounces, pulse shrimp in a food processor with garlic powder, salt, pepper, paprika, chili powder, and dry mustard until a paste forms. Combine shrimp paste with chopped shrimp, egg white, and all-purpose flour, mixing until well combined. Shape shrimp mixture into 4 patties.
• Place panko in a shallow bowl. Coat patties evenly with panko, making sure to cover all sides. Place burgers on a baking sheet and chill in the fridge.
• Meanwhile, make tartar sauce. Combine chopped eggs, mayonnaise, chopped onion, cornichons, dill, lemon juice, hot sauce, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until well combined. Set aside.
• Make honey mustard aioli. Combine mayonnaise with mustard, honey, and lemon. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Season shredded cabbage with olive oil, lemon, and salt, tossing to combine. Set aside.
• Heat enough oil in a large saute pan to cover the bottom of the pan over medium heat. Cook the shrimp patties until golden brown on both sides, about 5-6 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Assemble burgers. Smear bottom brioche bun with honey mustard aioli and top with cabbage, shrimp patty, tartar sauce, and remaining bun. Serve immediately.

Notes

You can make the tartar sauce and honey mustard aioli the day before.

The shrimp patties can be shaped and coated with panko and chilled in the fridge until ready to cook.