Recipe

The Perfect DIY Shrimp Burger

Not fussy and not deep-fried, this recipe is fit for the weekday rotation

By Jenny Everett
Recipe by Little Jack's Tavern

September 13, 2023

Photo: Courtesy of Little Jack's Tavern

Little Jack Tavern's shrimp burger.

While the Tavern Burger is a thing of legend at Little Jack’s Tavern in Charleston, South Carolina, owner Brooks Reitz isn’t shy about proclaiming the shrimp burger his favorite item on the menu. “You get the snap of cooked shrimp, so texturally it’s interesting and fun to eat,” he says. “It’s a great host for Old Bay, cocktail sauce, and remoulade. In this case we dressed it up with herbs, jalapeño, and onion, and it’s a familiar but undeniably unique way to eat shrimp in a region obsessed with shrimp.” At Little Jack’s, the burger is served on a brioche bun and topped with lettuce, tomato, and an herby mayo.

Ingredients

LITTLE JACK’S SHRIMP BURGER (YIELD: 8 SHRIMP BURGERS)
- 2.5 lb. shrimp, peeled, deveined, and finely chopped
- 2 large jalapeños, finely chopped
- 4½ tbsp. yellow onion, finely chopped
- 3 sprigs parsley, finely chopped
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp. Old Bay
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- 1 to 2 cups breadcrumbs

Preparation

To a mixing bowl add the chopped shrimp and vegetables. Stir in egg, Old Bay, and black pepper until evenly incorporated. Slowly work in breadcrumbs until the mixture holds together well. Form into 8 patties. Heat an oil-slicked skillet over high heat. Working in batches if necessary, place the burgers in the skillet and cook for about 4 minutes on one side, then carefully flip (a fish spatula works well) and cook for another 4 minutes or so. You’ll know it’s done when the shrimp are firm and both sides are a light, golden brown.

Jenny Everett is a contributing editor at Garden & Gun, and has been writing the What’s in Season column since 2009. She has also served as an editor at Women’s Health, espnW, and Popular Science, among other publications. She lives in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, with her husband, David; children, Sam and Rosie; and a small petting zoo including a labrador retriever, two guinea pigs, a tortoise, and a fish.