Crispy Cilantro Chile Shrimp Recipes

Steps:

• Combine the cilantro, garlic, chile, 2 tablespoons oil, ginger, lime juice, turmeric, garam masala, cumin, coriander, cayenne and 2 teaspoons salt in a blender. Purée, using a wooden spoon or the blender wand to help combine ingredients if necessary. Scrape the puréed mixture into a bowl. Add the shrimp and use your hands or a spatula to evenly combine. Marinate for up to 1 hour in the refrigerator, if possible, or proceed immediately to Step 2.
• Dredge the shrimp: Pour the farina onto a lipped plate or into a large shallow bowl and season with two generous pinches of salt; toss to combine. Let the marinade cling to the shrimp, then dredge the shrimp in the farina, patting the farina onto each shrimp to adhere, and carefully shaking off any excess crumbs. Place the dredged shrimp on a parchment- or foil-lined sheet pan.
• Heat ¼ cup of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Working in 2 or 3 batches, depending on the size of your pan and the size of your shrimp, lay the shrimp in the pan in one layer and fry without disturbing until the shrimp are deeply golden brown on one side, about 3 to 4 minutes. Gently flip with tongs or a spatula and fry until golden brown on the other side, 2 to 3 minutes more. Remove the shrimp to a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with salt. (If any large shards of coating come off the shrimp, remove them from the oil, and serve with the shrimp.) Wipe the skillet clean of crumbs with a paper towel and add more oil to the pan as necessary to maintain the amount, and repeat the pan-frying process with the remaining shrimp. Serve with lime wedges on the side.

Steps:

• In the bowl of the food processor (or you can use a blender), add the rice cakes and pulse until you get 1 1/4 cups rice cake crumbs. Return 1/4 cup crumbs to the food processor, reserving the remaining 1 cup for coating the cakes.
• Add shrimp, shallot, 4 tablespoons each of the cilantro and basil, and 2 tablespoons jalapeño to the crumbs. Add 2 teaspoons fish sauce, and a pinch each salt and pepper. Pulse until the mixture forms a coarse, chunky paste. (Be careful not to overprocess; if using a blender, scrape down the sides frequently.) Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate while you make the sauce (at least 15 minutes and up to 24 hours).
• In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, remaining cilantro, basil, jalapeño and fish sauce. Zest the lime into the bowl, then cut the naked lime into wedges and squeeze in some juice. Salt to taste. Reserve extra lime wedges for serving.
• Spread remaining 1 cup rice cake crumbs out onto a plate or sheet pan. With wet hands to keep shrimp paste from sticking, form 2 tablespoons of shrimp mixture into a 1/2-inch-thick patty and put it on top of the crumbs. Repeat with remaining shrimp mixture, re-wetting your hands as necessary. Turn the patties over in the crumbs to coat both sides.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Fry patties in batches until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Serve shrimp cakes topped with more basil leaves, with chile-lime sauce for dunking and lime wedges on the side for squeezing.