Birthday

It's my mom's birthday. Saturday night we will be having her real birthday dinner, which is, as usual, fried chicken. Tonight we were originally going to have fish tacos again, but this looked better.

Shrimp Burgers

For four people:
2 quarts water
1 lbs headless large shrimp, shells on
2 Tbsp chopped scallions
1/4 cup fresh corn kernels
2 Tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
1.5 tsp lemon zest
3 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 cup bread crumbs
Kosher salt to taste
black pepper to taste
vinegar to taste
1 egg, beaten
1.5 Tbsp canola oil
2 Tbsp Lee Bros Shrimp Boil Seasoning:
1 Tbsp peppercorns
1 Tbsp celery seeds
6 bay leaves, shredded with scissors
1/2 cup kosher salt
3 Tbsp ground cayenne pepper
Pound the peppercorns, celery seeds, and bay leaf with the salt in a mortar.
Place in bowl and stir with cayenne.

In a 3-quart saucepan, bring the water and shrimp boil seasoning to a boil over high heat. Turn off heat. Add the shrimp and let stand until they are just pink, about 2 minutes. Drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Peel the shrimp and chop coarsely. You should have 1.75 cups chopped shrimp.


In a large bowl, mix the shrimp with the scallions, corn, parsley, ginger, and lemon zest. Stir in the mayonnaise and bread crumbs and season with salt, black pepper and vinegar. Add the egg and gently fold with a wooden spoon or spatula until evenly distributed.


Form the shrimp mixture into 4 patties (3.5 inch diameter). Wrap the patties in plastic wrap and let stand in the fridge for 30 minutes.


Remove burgers from the fridge and unwrap. Place the oil in a 12 inch skillet and heat over high heat. When it shimmers, add the burgers and saute until both sides are gently browned, about 3 minutes per side. Drain on a dinner plate lined with paper towel.


Serve on toasted buns with whatever you want really. We use Mayo and Lettuce.

From The Lee Brothers Southern Cookbook