Bang Bang Shrimp Burgers

Bang Bang Shrimp Burgers- Homemade shrimp patties topped with fresh broccoli slaw and spicy bang bang sauce makes for the perfect summer burger.

June 29, 2021 by Nicole Collins

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We are DEEP in burger season right now.

Thanks to the influencers I follow online, I've actually been doing some research about some meat delivery services. I've been looking at a company that offers a mix of beef, chicken, pork, and salmon. I've been looking at an Alaskan CSA that offers fish. And, I've been looking at a semi local company that supplies restaurants with seafood but also has an option to deliver straight to consumers.

But here's the thing, I'm sure all of these are a great value for families. However for a single lady feeding one, it's been a little hard to justify the price.

In fact, I was looking at the beef delivery service last night, saw that I could space out the deliveries to every 8 weeks (as opposed to every 4 weeks like most places). And, I was beginning to justify that maybe I could make this plan make financial sense for me.

Then, I remembered one important detail...I barely eat beef. I don't eat pork (outside of bacon and ham). And, I don't even eat that much chicken any more these days. I've really kind of transitioned to more of a seafood/egg/meatless lifestyle. Not for any reason other than sometimes I cook with the protein that I don't have to think about thawing in advance.

The moral of this story is...don't be influenced to by things you don't need. Don't sign up to eat burgers you won't eat. And, make today's DELICIOUS seafood based burger instead.

Today, we're making Bang Bang Shrimp Burgers!

I am totally obsessed with shrimp burgers, and I'm pretty sure you will be too after making a batch of these babes. So here's the plan...we're going to make some homemade shrimp patties, cook them up in the skillet, then top them with some fresh broccoli slaw and a spicy bang bang sauce.

Does that sound freaking delish, or what?

Let's start with the sauce. Bang bang sauce was made popular by a chain restaurant that features fried shrimp coated in this sweet and spicy sauce on their appetizer menu. It's very simple mix of mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, and sriracha. I think this sauce is perfectly spicy without setting my mouth on fire, but you can control the heat level by adding a little less sriracha if you're worry about the spiciness. This sauce is going to do double duty on our burger. In addition to being a creamy condiment to glue our sammies together, it's also going to be used to lightly dress the slaw that will add the perfect crunch to our burger.

Speaking of slaw, we're going to throw together a super quick broccoli slaw that starts using a bagged mix from the grocery store. Bagged slaw mix is one of my favorite supermarket shortcuts. However, if you have some leftover broccoli stalks that you don't want to waste, you could totally make your own! Either way, we're going to mix the broccoli slaw with some green onion, cilantro, lime juice, and a little bit of our bang bang sauce. And, that's it! We have a nice, crispy, crunchy topping to add to our juicy shrimp burgers.

The star of the show is, of course, the shrimp burgers! We start by taking raw shrimp and adding them to food processor along with some green onion, some soy sauce, some garlic powder, and a little black pepper. We're going to pulse the shrimp in the food processor just until it resembles the texture of ground meat. This happens REALLY fast...you don't need more than 2 or 3 pulses. The texture of ground shrimp is already a little strange and sticky, but we don't want to pulverize it down to mush. We're really only using the food processor to save us from having to mince the shrimp by hand.

Once the shrimp is ground, we're going to mix in a little panko to help bind the burgers together, and we'll form them into nice large patties. Then, we'll let them rest in the fridge for about 20 minutes. And, to a nonstick skillet they go to become nice and golden brown on the outside while staying moist and juicy on the inside.

To assemble our burgers, we'll toast up some sesame buns, top each with a shrimp burger, and load them up with some broccoli slaw and a good schmear of bang bang sauce. That's it! It's time to devour!

These burgers are everything! The shrimp are naturally sweet and juicy making the perfect base for our sandwiches. The slaw is fresh and crisp adding a lovely texture to balance out some of our softer components. And that bang bang sauce is just spicy enough to wake up your taste buds but just sweet enough to compliment the crunchy veggies and the savory shrimp burgers.

Honestly, I'll take this shrimp burger any day over a beef burger!

Ok, everyone! I can't wait to hear what you think of this recipe. Don't forget to show me on social media when you make it!

I hope you enjoy. And, let's eat!

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Bang Bang Shrimp Burger

Serves: 4 Print

Ingredients:

For the Bang Bang Sauce:

• ¼ cup mayonnaise

• 3 tbsp sweet chili sauce

• 1 tbsp sriracha

For the Slaw:

• juice of ½ a lime

• 2 cups broccoli slaw

• 1 tbsp cilantro, minced

• 3 green onions, white parts only, minced

For the Shrimp Burger:

• 1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (thawed if frozen)

• 3 green onions, light and dark green parts only, sliced

• 1 tsp soy sauce

• ¼ tsp garlic powder

• ¼ tsp pepper

• ¾ cup panko

• 2 tbsp canola oil

• 4 sesame seed buns, lightly toasted

Directions:

1. Make the Bang Bang Sauce: In a small bowl, mix mayo, sweet chili sauce, and sriracha. Stir well until combined. Reserve 1 tbsp of the sauce. Set aside.
   

2. Make the Slaw: Add reserved 1 tbsp of bang bang sauce plus the lime juice to a mixing bowl. Stir well to combine. Add broccoli slaw, cilantro, and the white part of the green onions to the bowl. Toss well to coat in the dressing. Set aside.
   

3. Make the Shrimp Burgers: Place shrimp, the green parts of the green onion, soy sauce, garlic powder, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 2-3 times in short pulses until shrimp is finely chopped (similar texture to a wet ground meat). Transfer to a bowl. Add panko, and gently mix with your hands until fully combined. Form in to 4 patties roughly ½ inch thick. Place patties on a wax paper lined plate, and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 20 mins.
   

4. Remove patties from fridge. Heat canola oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. When oil starts to shimmer, add shrimp patties. Cook 4-5 minutes per side until the outside is light golden brown, shrimp are cooked all the way through, and the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees.
   

5. Assemble the sandwiches: Place a shrimp burger, a dollop of bang bang sauce, and broccoli slaw on each toasted bun. Serve!
   

Recipe notes:

*You don't have to eat all of the sammies at once. The shrimp burgers, slaw, and sauce can be stored separately in containers in the fridge for 3-4 days. Just assemble the sammies when you're ready to eat after briefly reheating the shrimp burgers in the microwave.

*The ground shrimp is a little strange and definitely sticky and gooey. Grinding the shrimp will happen very quickly, so stick to no more than 3 short pulses. Placing the patties in the fridge will help them keep their shape while they cook.

*To toast your buns, place the buns cut side down in a dry non stick skillet over medium high heat. They only take a minute or two to toast and will be perfectly golden.