Cast-iron skillet pork and shrimp burgers bursting with rich Asian-inspired flavours.
COOKING WITH CAST IRON
Pork and shrimp burgers are one of those recipes that grills up beautifully on a barbecue, but when it’s raining or freezing outside, firing up the barbie quickly loses its appeal.
As for non-stick pans, well, there are all kinds of problems with those, which you can read about in my article on cast iron cooking.
The reason I love cooking up burgers in a cast iron skillet is that cast iron conducts heat really well and once seared, I can pop the pan in the oven and forget about it for twenty minutes while I do something else.
Have you tried cooking with cast iron yet? I swear, once you make the switch, there’s no going back. The toughest part is learning how to cook in cast iron and how to care for it.
PORK AND SHRIMP BURGERS RECIPE VIDEO
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Related: 1/4 pound beef burgers
Related: Turkey burgers with feta and cranberry
A few simple ingredients, that's all it takes.ASIAN-FUSION PORK AND SHRIMP BURGERS
This is one of my favourite recipes for burgers. I’m a big fan of my all beef skillet burgers, but these are completely different and unlike anything you can get in a store.
First off, there’s seafood!
Second, there’s all kinds of asian-inspired magic going on in the mixture. There’s finely minced ginger and garlic. There’s green onions, panko bread crumbs, and hoisin sauce.
The only thing missing is a bit of grated carrot, which I highly recommend if you want to trick your family into eating more veggies.
In addition to making awesome burger patties, this mixture would make amazing dumplings for a won-ton soup, with or without the shrimp.
Oh, and if you’re allergic to shellfish? Leave out the shrimp and reduce the amount of panko that goes into the meat.
THE PORK
I feel like I say this on repeat, but when you’re sourcing meat, try to find something that’s local and sustainably raised. While industrially raised meat is better for the pocketbook (and for a company’s bottom line and its investors), it’s terrible for just about everything else: our bodies, the pigs, and the environment.
It may seem like I spend a small fortune on good meat, but I’ve figured out several ways to save money in the kitchen that lets me splurge on quality where it matters. When I buy my ground pork, I know the pigs were treated and fed well, that they were raised without hormones and antibiotics, and that the farm supports sustainable agricultural practices.
THE SHRIMP
Okay, I just went on and on about sustainable farming practices, but what about seafood? Wild caught shrimp is so much better than farmed shrimp, but when you compare the prices to poultry, pork, beef, and just about every other meat, the cost of sustainable seafood is cringeworthy compared to what you find on the turf.
If you can afford it, splurge, if you can’t, do what I do and buy what’s on sale. It’s better for you to have shrimp in your diet than none at all considering how rich in vitamin D shrimp is.
Naturally, if you’re allergic to shellfish, this doesn’t apply! For this recipe you’ll want raw shrimp. If you can find it peeled, that’s super, but if not, peel it beforehand. If you wind up with shrimp peels, remember to pop those shells in a freezer bag to make a homemade stock later on!
Before chopping. Aren't they pretty?
After chopping.THE FLAVOURS
The flavours are my favourite part about these burgers.
The hoisin sauce gives the patties just a touch of sweetness, which is offset by the fresh ginger.
If you don’t have fresh ginger on hand, I would not recommend substituting with powdered ginger; just leave it out.
As far as I’m concerned, no burger is complete without allium, which is what the sliced green onions and minced garlic offer.
Salt, freshly ground pepper, and a hint of Chinese five spice powder round everything up, giving you a perfect burger.
Ginger and garlic are two kitchen staples I always keep on hand.
Sliced green onions go into the mix.DRESSING PORK AND SHRIMP BURGERS
If you have your favourite burger toppings already in mind for this, then skip this part.
I love the classic lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle and condiments as much as the next person, but these asian fusion pork and shrimp burgers are different than a traditional beef burger, or even a turkey burger.
When I make these burgers, I like keeping it super simple. In fact, I have it narrowed down to three toppings:
MayonnaiseHoisin sauceColeslaw tossed with my asian inspired vinaigrette
One of my favourite cheats is to buy a bag of packaged coleslaw and spruce it up with a quick vinaigrette. It makes a terrific burger topping, and if you buy a couple of bags, you have a healthy bonus side dish that most everyone will love.
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This skillet is heavier than it looks!PORK AND SHRIMP BURGERS INGREDIENT LIST
Makes 6 burgers
BURGER PATTIES
1 lb ground pork
1 lb thawed, drained and peeled raw shrimp
4 green onions, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 egg
1″ piece fresh ginger, minced
2 cups Panko bread crumbs
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
1/4 tsp Chinese five spice
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 tsp pepper (or to taste)
FOR THE SKILLET
3 tbsp avocado oil
FOR THE DRESSING
6 buns
6 tbsp mayonnaise
6 tsp hoisin sauce
1 bag coleslaw
1/2 cup asian style vinaigrette
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PORK AND SHRIMP BURGERS
Preheat the oven to 375ºF or 190ºC.Mix all of the burger patty ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Add additional Panko bread crumbs if needed.Divide into six even portions and form the patties.Heat a 12" cast iron skillet over medium-high and add the avocado oil.When the skillet is hot, add the burger patties, reduce the heat to medium, and sear for 3-5 minutes before flipping.Once flipped, sear for another 3-5 minutes, then transfer to the oven for 20 minutes.Toss the coleslaw with the vinaigrette. Dress the buns with the mayonnaise, hoisin sauce and a scoop of seasoned coleslaw. Add the burgers and serve!
PRINTABLE PORK AND SHRIMP BURGERS RECIPE CARD
Cast Iron Pork and Shrimp Burgers
Equipment
- 12" Cast Iron Skillet
Ingredients
BURGER PATTIES
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 lb thawed drained and peeled raw shrimp
- 4 green onions finely sliced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 egg
- 1" piece fresh ginger minced
- 2 cups Panko bread crumbs
- 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1/4 tsp Chinese five spice
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- 1 tsp pepper or to taste
FOR THE SKILLET
- 3 tbsp avocado oil
FOR THE ASIAN-STYLE VINAIGRETTE
- 2.5 oz avocado oil (or other light-tasting oil)
- 1/2 oz sesame oil
- 1 oz rice vinegar
- 1 tsp hoisin sauce
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- pinch chili pepper flakes
- salt and pepper to taste
FOR THE DRESSING
- 6 buns
- 6 tsp mayonnaise
- 6 tsp hoisin sauce
- 1 bag coleslaw
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF or 190ºC.
- Mix all of the burger patty ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Add additional Panko bread crumbs if needed. Divide into six even portions and form the patties.
- Heat a 12″ cast iron skillet over medium-high and add the avocado oil.
- When the skillet is hot, add the burger patties, reduce the heat to medium, and sear for 3-5 minutes before flipping.
- Once flipped, sear for another 3-5 minutes, then transfer to the oven for 20 minutes.
- Add all of the vinaigrette ingredients to a jar and shake until combined (or run it through a small blender), then toss with the coleslaw.
- Dress the buns with the mayonnaise, hoisin sauce and a generous scoop of the seasoned coleslaw. Add the burgers and serve!
Video
Notes
- If there’s a shellfish allergy, eliminate the shrimp and reduce the Panko in half, adding more if needed.
- This meat mixture also makes an excellent filling for asian-style dumplings.
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Love and gratitude,
Interesting to see the contrasting cuisine. Australians are very much more Asian but Canadians it seem much more French and American.
One of my favorite dishes is a Rice Patty which is essentially the same except leave out the buns and put in rice to make a kind of Rice Latke … fried in a pan. The salad would have fresh coriander (cilantro).
There’s the matter of proximity when it comes to the American thing. As for the French, well, there was a big conflict between France and Britain as they both tried claiming Canada as its colony. France lost the war but left all their French settlers here.
That rice patty sounds so good! I’ll have to try that out.