I knew at 5:30 this morning that dinner was going to be shrimp.  By 8am I had figured on shrimp patties on rolls.  By 10am I had a recipe in my head.  Such is the creative process.  Pick an ingredient, let it simmer a while, and a recipe, idea, or concept is bound to present itself.

There are just so many things one can do, it’s often difficult to narrow things down.  I find if I start with an ingredient (in this case, the shrimp), and then find another ingredient (the rolls), it’s easier to focus on and/or come up with the final idea.  And, of course, everything is subject to change the minute I start cooking.

I thought a fairly basic shrimp cake would be dine if I jazzed up the roll with some of our fried peppers.  Lots of sweet  heat.  It worked.

Shrimp Cakes

(makes about 6 small cakes)

• 8 oz raw shrimp, cleaned and deveined
• 2 tbsp celery
• 2 tbsp red pepper
• 2 tbsp onion
• 2 tbsp panko bread crumbs (plus additional for coating cakes)
• 3 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper, to taste

Chop celery, pepper, and onion.  Add to food processor.  Add shrimp and pulse until fairly well chopped.  Add mayonnaise, spices, and 2 tbsp bread crumbs.  Mix.

Divide into 6 portions – about 1/4 cup each.  Roll and press in panko bread crumbs.  Fry in olive oil until browned and cooked through.

I served them on small egg twist rolls with a bit of mayonnaise and fried hot peppers I made on Monday.

And I broke out the deep fryer for the sweet potato fries.  I do have to admit that I cheated.  I bought frozen sweet potato fries instead of cutting and frying my own.

And they were really good.

I’m off to make blackberry ice cream right now.

It’s to make up for slacking on the fries.