An intriguing concept but it sounded a little left field for me to try at first. I’m really glad I finally gave in.

My kitchen is privileged to be the recipient of some great recipes from an established restaurant that long ago went out of business. Times changed, the shrimping industry changed, family members died, etc. so it’s wonderful that the recipes survived and live on today for us to enjoy. The restaurant was the town’s answer to “fast food” and boasted of all types of shrimp dishes as well as home churned ice cream made at the hand of family members. I really wish I had been here at that time but I’ve learned to make most of the recipes and the family members agree that they are just as good as they remember from the restaurant. What a wonderful joy for me!

Growing up in a mountainous area, we only saw shrimp that was boiled or fried and it was a treat that only came around a couple of times a year. Living, as I do now, in a coastal town that thrives on local products – especially shrimp – is a delight. Here individuals go out and haul in nets of shrimp to feed their families. Neighbors and family come together to prepare the shrimp for freezing and do everything from separating them by size to de-veining them and butter-flying the shrimp for frying later. Shrimp burgers must have been designed to use the shrimp that were too small to use in other ways.

If the burgers are prepared and served per the recipe below, they are delicious and certainly an unexpected delight for everyone. My friends are constantly attempting to wrangle an invitation for this dinner - serve them with coleslaw and baked beans or bean salad and you've got a filling, fun meal that isn't really that expensive. (A cup and a half of diced shrimp is only about 10 to 14 shrimp depending on the size.)

Shrimp Burgers

1 cup of flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

2 eggs

2/3 cup milk

1 tablespoon shorting

1 1/2 cup diced boiled shrimp

grated onion (approximately ¼ cup)

2 datil peppers (diced)

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Mix all together and fry batter in hot oil (I use poached egg forms to keep each burger from spreading too far).

Serve on a toasted bun with tarter sauce and green leaf lettuce and serve immediately for best taste.

Three Notes:

*** 1 cup of self rising flour can substitute for the first three ingredients

*** 2 jalapeno peppers can substitute for the datil peppers (more about those later)

*** I've been known to add more diced shrimp if I don't think it looks like enough so feel free to throw in a few more if you'd prefer.

Bon Appetite’