These easy Shrimp Cakes are such a good weeknight meal. They're made with shrimp and sweet potatoes mixed with garlic and other spices. Serve with tartar sauce and coleslaw!

Photography Credit: Elise Bauer

A Favorite Family Recipe

One of our hands-down favorite recipes is this one for shrimp cakes. My father pulled the original recipe from Bon Appetit magazine years ago, which he has since changed just ever so slightly.

Dad doesn’t even like shrimp, and usually refuses to eat it, but he loves making and eating these shrimp cakes. The base is made with sweet potatoes and they are seasoned with spices, jalapeño chiles, and cilantro.

This really is one of the best recipes on this site, so if you have even an inkling for making these, do it!

A Spice Mix for Seafood

This recipe calls for making your own spice mix by toasting and grinding a few different kinds of whole black peppercorns, cumin seeds, and coriander seeds.

This makes about a half a cup of spice mix, but you’ll only need 1 1/2 teaspoons for the recipe. The rest of this spice blend can be used to season other seafood, like grilled salmon, sautéed shrimp, or seared scallops.

If you only want enough spices for one recipe and you want to use already ground spices, try the following ratio: 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander, 1/4 teaspoon sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt.

How to Serve these Shrimp Cakes

These shrimp cakes are great served with homemade tartar sauce and some coleslaw on the side. You could also serve them on top of a leafy green salad.

A Freezer-Friendly Dish

If you love these shrimp cakes, stock your freezer! Cook the cakes, allow them to cool completely, then pack them in a freezer container or bag and freeze for up to a month. Let them thaw overnight, and then reheat in a 350°F oven for about 5 minutes until warmed through.

Try These Other Seafood and Fish Cake Recipes!