Prawn and Chorizo Cakes With Tomato Salsa

bluemoon downunder's Note:

Flavoursome prawn and chorizo cakes served with a tomato salsa from Better Homes and Gardens, found online, but lots of people I've cooked for would love this - which is what drew my attention to it. From Wikipedia: In commercial farming and fishery, the terms prawn and shrimp are generally used interchangeably. In European countries, particularly the United Kingdom, the word “prawns” is far more common on menus than the term “shrimp”, which is generally only used in North America. The term “prawn” is also loosely used to describe any large shrimp, especially those that come 15 (or fewer) to the pound (also called “king prawns”). Australia and other Commonwealth countries including South Africa follow this European/British use to an even greater extent, using the word “prawn” almost exclusively. In Spain, gambas al ajillo (translated to garlic prawns) is a popular dish with both the locals and tourists, traditionally served as tapas.

• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Prep Time: 25 mins
• Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 2 desiree potatoes, unpeeled, chopped
• 1 onion, quartered
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon coriander seed
• 1 corn on the cob
• 1 chorizo sausage, finely chopped
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 egg
• 500 g green prawns or 1 lb green prawns
• sea salt, to taste
• cracked black pepper, to taste
• olive oil, for frying
• salsa
• 4 tomatoes
• 1 small red fresh chili pepper, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons grainy mustard
• sea salt, to taste
• fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Put the potatoes, onion, bay leaves and coriander seeds in a large heavy-based pan; cover with water and bring to the boil; cook the potato until it is tender; drain and discard the onion, bay leaves and coriander and mash the potato with a fork.
2. Cook the corn cob in boiling water for 5 minutes until tender; drain, cool and remove the kernels from cob; add the corn kernels to the mashed potato; add the chorizo, cayenne and egg; and stir until all the ingredients are well-combined.
3. Peel the prawns, remove the veins and chop the flesh into small pieces; add to the potato mixture, season with salt and pepper and stir to combine; shape ¼ cupfuls of the mixture into patties.
4. Heat a small amount of the oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat; cook 4 patties at a time for 3-4 minutes each side until the prawn pieces turn pink and the patties are golden.
5. To make the omato Salsa: Cut the tomatoes into quarters and remove the membrane and seeds; thinly slice the tomato pieces and put in a bowl with the chilli, vinegar, oil and mustard; season with salt and pepper and mix to combine; serve the Salsa with the Prawn and Chorizo Cakes.

Reviews

[IngridH]

The flavor of these cakes is outstanding. I have to admit, I took some creative license, instead of pan frying, I used my deep fryer, and I have to say, I got a gorgeous result- golden brown, with no overly dark spots, and completely cooked through. I set the heat at 325, and cooked for 5 minutes, then sprinkled with kosher salt when they came out. As for the mix, I found that one potato was not enough (for a 1/2 recipe) so I added a 1/4 cup of instant mashed potatoes, which really helped hold the mixture together. I'd add a bit more spice next time, either more cayenne (if you like hot) or some smoked paprika (if you like mild). This is definately a recipe I would make again, especially if I had company to impress. Instead of the tomato salsa (looks good, but tomatoes are not in season), I just topped with some fresh lemon juice. Thanks for posting a great recipe! Made for ZWT5 by one of the Cooks with Dirty Faces.

[cookin_nurse]

"I wish you could stay at home and make stuff like this everyday" was the exact quote I got from my husband while eating these. There is an abundance of taste with these, From the sausage, shrimp, seasonings and the very unique salsa. Every bite was a little different and very enjoyable. I recommend making the patties pretty small because they take a while to cook through and they fall apart easily. I also had to use kielbasa sausage because my grocery didn't have chorizo, and I also used dried chili peppers. One down fall is that if you use all fresh ingredients - this recipe is a lot of work! But it was worth it! Made for ZWT5, Spain region for Ali Babbas Babes!

[Kittencalskitchen]

I did some amount changes to this and also added in fresh garlic and cayenne pepper, I omitted the bay leaves, used russet taters, frozen corn, I did not make the salsa although next time I certainly will, the cakes were wonderful, thanks Bluemoon!