Cilantro Shrimp Burgers are a super unique twist on a burger. Topped with a delicious smoky guacamole recipe, they’re bursting with interesting, fresh flavors and are great for lunch, dinner, and outdoor summer parties. 
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I’m going to be in full bragging mode today and tell you that you absolutely, must, without question, make this burger recipe!
There are so many ways to make and define a burger these days! Beef (of course!), turkey, chicken, veggie, tofu, mushroom, and the list goes on. So why not shrimp!?
When this idea popped into my mind, almost without pause, I headed for my favorite seafood store, Santa Monica Seafood, and picked up a pound of fresh shrimp.
I knew I wanted to have avocado in these shrimp burgers, so I decided they should have a Mexican vibe. Hence, the cilantro, chipotles and cumin. It’s such a delicious combination of flavors and the subtle sweetness of the shrimp give everything a perfect balance.
And if you have the time, it’s quite easy to peel and devein your shrimp Here’s an easy-to-follow, step-by-step photographic guide to teach you how. You’ll always save money doing this step yourself! So it’s a question of if you have the time or not. It’s sort of a zen-like activity, once you get into it. (For me, anyway.)
The shrimp burger is out of control juicy and oozing with delicious flavors, and the smoky guacamole reicpe is is beyond belief, as it’s smoky, spicy, fresh and creamy all at once.
Oh, and the little bits of crunch from the red onion are so good!
Even though we sauté the shrimp burgers, they’re still lovely to serve at an outdoor summer barbecue. (They’re a bit fragile for a grill.) Add a big salad, chips and a super scrumptious salsa to the party, and you’re all set!
I’m telling you, this should be your dinner tonight.
Enjoy the shrimp burgers and the delectable smoky guacamole recipe whenever you decide to try them.
*To save about 15 minutes, you can buy the shrimp already peeled and deveined. If you have the time though, it's easy to do your self and you'll save some money. Here's How to Peel and Devein Shrimp.
- 1 medium-sized avocado should provide about ¾ cup mashed
- 2 tablespoons red onion, finely diced
- 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chipotles in adobo sauce, finely chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (here's How to Peel and Devein Shrimp)
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup packed cilantro leaves, washed and dried
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- olive oil for the pan
- about 8 thin slices vine-ripened tomato
- 1 small handfull baby lettuces
- 4 your favorite burger buns, lightly toasted
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In a small mixing bowl, mash the avocado with a fork. Add the onion, chipotles, lime juice, and salt -- stir to blend. Cover with plastic wrap and press it gently directly on top of the guacamole. Set aside.
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Add all but about ¾ cup of the shrimp to a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Turn it on to pulse it just a bit. Then add the egg and cilantro and blend again until it's smooth, about 10 seconds. Add this to a mixing bowl and set aside.
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Roughly chop the remaining ¾ cup of shrimp into small pieces. Add them to the smooth portion in the mixing bowl, along with the salt, cumin and pepper. Mix just to blend and set aside.
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Coat the bottom of a large sauté pan with olive oil and place it over medium-high heat. Once it's very hot, us a ½ cup measure to scoop and shape the shrimp mixture into 4 burgers. They will be sticky, but will easily hold together when you place them in the pan. Sauté them just until they're cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. They should be golden brown.
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Now add about 1 tablespoon or so of the guacamole to each half of the toasted buns. Add a burger to each, followed by a couple of tomato slices and a bit of the lettuce. Close the burger and enjoy! (These are best when the burgers are still warm.)
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I have made ground shrimp kabobs before but never a burger. I think I like your idea much better as it looks delicious. I can’t wait to try this.
Thanks, Cathy. The kebabs sound interesting — and delicious, also. 🙂
Hi Valentina, Delicious!!! I love cilantro so this caught my eye. I mixed up homemade bbq sauce made of brown sugar, ketchup, mustard, apple cider vinegar and worchestershire sauce. My maid chopped up garlic and cilantro and accidentally added to the sauce. It came out amazing!!! Yes they are a little crumbly and you have to be careful but so worth the effort! I reserved extra sauce to put on the bun also. Thanks a lot for sharing this recipe. 🙂
Thanks so much — so happy you enjoyed it, and your sauce sounds fabulous! 🙂
Wow! This looks AMAZING! The shrimp patties were crispy on the outside and juicy in the inside. I love the sound of the smokey guac too! Shared!
Thanks so much!!! 😀
I am so excited to make these, Valentina! I can easily see using my spicy ginger-sesame mayo on them, too, along with the guacamole. I will report back! xo – and have a lovely long weekend!
That mayo sounds perfect for these! I’d like that with French fries, too. Enjoy and thank you! 🙂
Maybe I missed it…do I start out with raw shrimp or cooked shrimp?
Yes, you start with raw shrimp. It cooks in the sauté pan. 🙂 I clarified it in the ingredient list. Thank you!
Made this tonight with my daughter. We loved it! So easy to make. We love anything with avocado. Even my husband enjoyed it. This is a keeper. Thank you!
Hi Tammy, Thank you — you made my day! So happy the family enjoyed this recipe. It’s one of my favorites. 😀
Can you use already cooked shrimp, or does it absolutely have to be raw shrimp? We have a lot of shrimp right now, but already cooked.
For this it really should be raw — hard to get all the flavors in and form them into burgers, if not. Your cooked shrimp would be delicious dipped in the chipotle-lime guacamole, though. 🙂
I wonder if I could freeze the raw mixture before cooking or if it’s better to cook all at once and reheat?
Great question. I haven’t tried freezing the raw mixture, but I think it would work great. I’d shape them, wrap individually in plastic wrap, freeze, and then thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Hope you enjoy!
hi. I have made these twice and they are yummy. I have an idea. These would make delicious shrimp cake hors deouvres. How about taking a small cookie scoop of these, put them on cookie sheet sprayed with pam and squash them down. Then try baking in the oven. Serve with asian sweet chili sauce. What do you think? any suggestions?
Hi Anne, I think that’s a fantastic idea! If you could swing it in a big sauté pan, they will be crispier than if you bake them. It would also be fun to serve your tiny shrimp “cake” on a wonton chip — it keeps with the Asian vibe you’ll have with your sweet chili sauce, will make it easier to pick up, and the combination of textures will be lovely. Here’s a link to recipe that’ll show you how to make the chips, if you’re interested. Thank you for sharing your idea. LOVE IT!
Hi We love these. I have learned to only use fresh shrimp, as frozen shrimp has made mine salty. We usually eat these without buns and dip in thai chili sauce. I have an idea I want to try. I want to make the burger and add italian seasoning instead of cumin. Then I want to put tomato sauce and mozarella on top and turn it into shrimp parmesan. What do you think? I will let you know how it turns out.
Thanks so much for sharing, Anne. You made my day! I’m so happy these have become a “go-to” recipe in your house. Your idea sounds like it would be fun to try. The Italian seasoning and tomato sauce, for sure. I might try a few with the Mozarella and a few without, to see which one you prefer. Oh, and I might also swap out the cilantro for parsley. Let me what how it goes. I’d love to hear. ~Valentina
OMG. I didn’t read my previous comment. I forgot I had made that suggestion for apps. And I love the wonton idea. Now you see how many times I actually make these. It’s so funny I keep making suggestions on how to use this recipe many ways. Love them. Have I said that? Ha Ha.
I love it! The more suggestions the better. Really, I always appreciate hearing new ideas from my readers, and interacting. Keep them coming!~Valentina
Any suggestions for replacing the egg?
Hi Stacy, I haven’t tried this in this recipe, a great way to substitute egg is a combination of flax meal (ground flax seeds) and water. The ratio is generally 1 tablespoon of flax meal to 3 tablespoons water to replace one egg. I hope this helps! 🙂
Love the recipe minus the bun and chips (fries) . . . add a salad . . . perchance use a wholegrain flatbread instead. Always buy my prawns raw and in shell . . . unless one is catering for a huge party the shelling and deveining take but delicious minutes . . .
My husband wraps every burger of every sort in a crisp lettuce leaf. I’m not quite as disciplined as he is. 🙂 Using a flatbread would be lovely. When time permits I do find shelling and deveining the shrimp sort of meditative. Know what I mean? Enjoy and thank you for visiting, Eha. 🙂