Cory's Fabulous Pan-Fried Shrimp & Scallop Cakes

Each and every time we get together for dinner, my friend Cory surprises us with wonderful new recipes. Never one to do anything in half measures, Cory spends ages pouring through cookbooks and magazines in search of the most interesting dishes to serve during one of his signature multi-course dinner parties. Arriving for dinner one snowy evening, Cory made these sensational Shrimp and Scallop Cakes served on a bed of greens and drizzled with a vibrant ginger soy sauce. Light and delicious with all the bright flavours of summer, these plump perfectly cooked cakes with tangy ginger soy sauce were simply outstanding and an ideal appetizer to add to any cooks culinary repertoire.

The Shrimp and Scallop mixture is formed into 3-inch size portions

FPan-fried in a non-stick pan until until brown and served on a bed of greens with gingered soy sauce

Cory's Beef Stew with peril onions and mashed potatoes served as an entrée

Shrimp & Scallop Cakes
Makes 8 full-size cakes or 24 bite-size cakes as an hors d'oeuvre
Recipe courtesy of Fine Cooking Magazine

The trick to making great fish cakes is to buy fresh ingredients, handle them gently, season with restraint, and pan-fry until you’ve got a crisp, brown crust and a succulent centre.

2 whole star anise
4 tbsp peanut or canola oil, and more as needed for frying
2 cups stemmed and sliced 1/4-inch-thick shiitake mushrooms 
1/2 lb shrimp, any size, peeled and deveined
3/4 lb fresh dry-packed sea scallops
2 tbsp mirin sweetened rice wine
2 tbsp roughly chopped fresh cilantro, plus 8 cilantro leaves
2 tbsp thinly sliced scallions, both white and green parts (about 2 scallions)

Ginger Soy Sauce:
1 piece fresh ginger, about 1 1/2 × 2-inch, peeled
1/3 cup soy sauce
3 tbsp mirin sweetened rice wine
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp granulated sugar
3/4 tsp sambal oelek, to taste
2 tsp fresh lime juice


For the sauce, grate the ginger on a box grater using the large holes. Put the ginger in your palm and squeeze the ginger juice into a small bowl; discard the grated ginger. In a small saucepan, combine 1-1/2 teaspoons of ginger juice with the soy sauce, mirin, and sugar. Warm the mixture over medium heat, stirring, just until the sugar dissolves. Transfer to a small bowl, and stir in the sambal and lime juice. Serve or store covered and refrigerated for up to three days. This recipe makes 2/3 cup.

Grind the star anise in a clean electric coffee grinder. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shiitakes and sauté, stirring as needed, until cooked through, golden, and slightly crisp around the edges, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board, let cool, and then finely chop. Coarsely chop the shrimp and transfer to a large bowl. Put the scallops in a food processor and purée until smooth. Add the scallops to the bowl of shrimp. Add 1 teaspoon of the star anise, along with the shiitakes, mirin, cilantro, scallions, sesame oil, and 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt. Combine well using a rubber spatula — don’t worry about overmixing. Cover the bowl and chill for 30 minutes or more. Discard any remaining ground star anise or save for another use.

Turn the mixture out onto a baking sheet and portion it into eight equal mounds. With wet hands, shape each mound into a flattened cake about 2-1/2 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick. Press a cilantro leaf, nice side up, onto the top of each cake.

Heat the oven to 200°F. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Using a rubber spatula, transfer four of the cakes to the pan with the cilantro leaf side down. Cook until lightly browned on both sides and cooked through, turning once or twice with a spatula, 5 to 6 minutes total cooking time. Transfer to a plate, cover, and keep warm in the oven. Wipe the skillet clean and then cook the remaining cakes as above, using the remaining tablespoon of oil. Serve hot, with ramekins of the Gingered Soy Sauce for dipping if serving as an appetizer, or drizzle overtop for larger dinner-size portions.