Feral Cooks

Good food shouldn't be tame

Shrimp Burgers

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These are absolutely delicious and well beyond Feral Cooks’ expectations.

There’s no special trick to these, other than ensuring some of the shrimp are finely minced, while others are a bit more chunky. The mixed levels of chop will make for a better textured burger.

Note that you could easily make these without the panko, though I recommend it, as it gives the burgers a good exterior-crunch. Also, make sure to use good-quality toasted burger buns for best results.

Last, cook to at least 145 degrees F at the interior of the burgers. This recipe makes four large burgers.

This sauce for the shrimp burgers is much better than store-bought tartar sauce, though home-made tartar sauce could work, too.

What you’ll need for the sauce

  • 0.5 cups mayo
  • 0.5 cups sour cream
  • 1t cilantro, minced
  • 2t siracha or similar hot sauce
  • 2t lemon juice
  • 0.5t salt
  • 1 garlic clove, minced

What you’ll need for the burgers

  • 1 slice fresh white bread
  • 1.5 lbs. fresh shrimp, peeled, deveined and tails removed
  • 0.25 cups mayonnaise
  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 2t fresh cilantro, chopped (use parsley if you have the “soap-flavor” gene)
  • 2t lemon or lime zest
  • 0.125t (1/8t) salt
  • 0.125t (1/8t) pepper
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper
  • Enough neutral oil to cover the bottom of the frypan you’re using
  • About 1 cup of panko

What to do for the sauce

Combine all ingredients in bowl and refrigerate until needed.

What to do for the shrimp burgers

Prepare your burger buns however you do that. Buttering the faces and grilling them is a great method.

Pulse the bread in a food processor into coarse crumbs and transfer to a large bowl. Clean out the food-processor bowl and pulse about 33% of the shrimp until finely minced. Add the remaining shrimp and pulse until coarsely chopped—there should be chunks of shrimp showing. Gently mix the shrimp and breadcrumbs in the large bowl.

Whisk the mayonnaise, scallions, cilantro lemon zest, salt, pepper, and cayenne together in a small bowl until uniform. Gently fold the mixture into the shrimp and breadcrumbs until just combined.

Spoon the shrimp mixture onto a sheet of wax paper, then divide it into 4 equal portions. With damp hands, form each portion into a 1-inch-thick patty. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze the patties for about 15-20 minutes to firm them up a bit.

Pour the panko into a shallow, rimmed plate. When the shrimp burgers are firmed, press each side of each patty into the panko. Each side should be evenly covered.

Add the oil to a nonstick or well-seasoned cast iron pan. Ensure there’s an even layer of oil across the bottom of the pan. Heat the pan until the oil shimmers or to 350 degrees (measure with an infrared thermometer—a relatively inexpensive kitchen must-have).

Carefully add each patty to the frypan and cook for about 4 – 5 minutes on each side, or until the panko is crispy AND the internal temperature of each burger is at least 145 degrees F.

Serve hot on burger buns with the shrimp-burger sauce you just made.

Thai-style Fried Rice 

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This easy side-dish is the result of a happy failure. I had originally planned to make deep-fried rice balls, but the rice wasn’t sticky enough to hold together and I didn’t feel like making another batch.

So here’s an unconventional, but delicious, fried-rice dish.

Double the amounts for larger portions. The recipe, as written, is enough for a side-dish for two.

This recipe was a good reason to use my freshly triple-seasoned wok. A friend described it as “sexy,” and it is!

What you’ll need

  • 1 cup rice, cooked (as opposed to 1 cup cooked rice)
  • 2T spring roll sauce
  • 1T fish sauce
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 2 oz (about 4 medium) shrimp, shelled, deveined, cooked and chopped
  • Whatever combination of the following, to your preference:
    • 0.5 cups cilantro, chopped
    • 2T onion, chopped
    • 2T basil, chopped
    • 2T lemongrass, chopped
    • 2 large cloves garlic, minced
    • 1 red jalapeno or Thai chili, de-seeded and chopped

What to do

This is the unconventional part: mix all the ingredients in a large bowl. Heat a wok or large frypan to about 325 degrees F before adding 2T neutral oil.

Add the rice and stir-fry it until the cilantro has wilted and the egg and onion are cooked through—about 5 – 7 minutes.

Serve hot.

Pork-Tenderloin Tonkatsu Medallions with Miso Sauce

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The Feral Cooks are big fans of tonkatsu and particularly, katsudon. What’s not to love about panko-breaded, deep-fried pork. Traditional tonkatsu is made from the rather fatty—as cut in Japan—pork cutlet (“katsu” is Japanese for the English “cutlet), and using pork tenderloin is the opposite of a cutlet, with it being ultra-lean.

The thing is, using tenderloin for tonkatsu works perfectly, as it’s always tender and nearly impossible to make tough, even from over-cooking. The only downside is the tenderloin cross sections are comparatively small—more like a medallion—so you need to make more of them.

The Feral Cooks were far less enthusiastic about the miso sauce. Yes, it has tons of umami, but miso is very salty—indeed, the sauce seemed too salty, even when cut with maple syrup and extra mirin. I’d stick to traditional tonkatsu sauce next time.


What you’ll need for the tonkatsu

  • 1 lb. pork tenderloin (as wide of one as you can find) cut into 0.75-inch-thick medallions
  • Salt and pepper
  • 0.33 cups flour
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 cup panko
  • Neutral oil for deep-frying
  • Handful of shredded green cabbage (for serving)
  • Lemon wedges, optional

What you’ll need for the miso sauce (make ahead of the tonkatsu)

  • 0.25 cups red miso
  • 3T mirin
  • 2T sake
  • 1T maple syrup (to cut the saltiness)
  • 0.5t brown sugar

What to do for the miso sauce

Whisk all the ingredients together in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, after which, turn down the heat and gently simmer the mixture for about 20 minutes, stirring often to prevent scorching. For this recipe, pour a measured amount over the tonkatsu medallions right before serving.

What to do for the tonkatsu

Begin heating your frying oil to 350 degrees F.

For each piece you’re going to fry, put between sheets of wax paper and pound thinner, if you wish. I didn’t for these medallions, as they’re already really tender. Season both sides of each piece with salt and pepper.

Dredge, in turn, each piece of pork in flour, shaking off the extra, then dip it in the beaten egg before coating each side and the edges with panko. Set on a plate until they’re all ready to fry.

Fry the medallions, 3 or 4 at a time, depending on the size of your cooking vessel, for 3.5 – 4 minutes. Don’t worry too much about overcooking, as pork tenderloin is really forgiving. Remove from the oil and drain on a rack before putting the pieces on a bed of cabbage. Spoon a bit of the miso sauce or tonkatsu sauce over the medallions before serving hot.