Shrimp Cutlets

Once again, I'm posting a recipe after a short break. As many of you know, I had family come over from India and stay with us for about 2 1/2 months. Time flew by quickly and they went back last Wednesday. So I decided to get back to what I missed a lot, blogging and catching up with my dear friends on the blogosphere! It sure feels good to be back. I know I have a lot of catching up to do, but thanks a lot for keeping me in your circle all this long. I am not feeling well these past few days, but I hope to get back to active blogging soon enough.

I couldn't help myself from posting this recipe today because this is one easy recipe which JM's mom introduced me to. Cutlets, in India, are basically croquettes made of vegetables or minced/ground meat (most commonly - beef) or fish. Eventhough I've had beef and vegetable cutlets (rarely ;-)) for as long as I can remember, I've never had shrimp cutlets before. This was a pleasant introduction to something really wonderful. The frozen shrimp available at the grocers here are nothing compared to the fresh ones my husband was used to, but this is a good way to dress it up to make it more flavorful. I am sure that if made with fresh shrimp/prawns, it would be a thousand times better than the ones made with frozen shrimp, which were still tasty nonetheless. So if you could get your hands on some fresh prawns, be sure to give this recipe a try. This would be a great appetizer or as a side dish with rice. Hope you all would love this recipe. Stay tuned for more recipes from my MIL. In the mean time, enjoy the shrimp cutlets! Have a great day!

Recipe:

Shrimp - 8 oz
Potatoes - 2, cooked and peeled
Pearl onions - chopped, 3 tbsp
Green chillies (serranos) - 1, finely chopped (~2tbsp)
Ginger - 2 tbsp, chopped
Garlic - 1 tbsp, chopped
Red chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste
Curry leaves - optional (10-12, finely chopped)
Egg - 1, slightly beaten
Breadcrumbs - as needed

Method:

Cook the cleaned shrimp with a bit of water, a pinch of turmeric powder and salt, until all the water is evaporated.

Allow the shrimp to cool.

Process the shrimp in a food processor to a medium mince.

Heat oil in a skillet and add onions, green chillies, ginger, garlic and curry leaves (if using).

Saute until the onions are somewhat cooked and the ginger and garlic are no longer raw.

Add chilly powder and turmeric powder to the onion mixture.

Saute until fragrant.

Toss in the minced shrimp to the skillet.

Saute until the shrimp mixture is just dry.

Adjust the seasoning and keep aside.

Mash the cooked and peeled potatoes retaining some small chunks.

Mix the potatoes with the shrimp mix.

Shape into cutlets.

Dip each cutlet in the beaten egg.

Roll in breadcrumbs.

Fry the cutlets until golden brown.

Serve hot with ketchup and chilli sauce.

Tips:

1. Curry leaves are optional and can be done without.
2. Instead of pearl onions, regular onions or shallots can be used.
   

Wishing you all a great weekend ahead!!