These are breaded, deep-fried seafood patties made from chopped shrimp and crabstick, seasoned with fresh basil, fish sauce, and a little bell pepper. They come together in under an hour and serve eight, which makes them a solid choice when you need something different on the table that isn’t another beef burger. The dipping sauce — sweet chili, mayo, and lemon zest — takes about two minutes to mix and pulls everything together.
The technique that matters
The chilling step is doing real work here. Thirty minutes in the refrigerator firms up the mixture so you can actually shape the patties without them falling apart in your hands. Skip it and you’ll be fighting a sticky mess at the stove. The other thing worth getting right is the three-stage coating: flour first, then egg, then breadcrumbs — in that order, every time. The flour gives the egg something to grip, and the egg locks the breadcrumbs in place. If you go straight to breadcrumbs, they slide off in the oil. For a crowd, coat all the patties before you heat the oil so you’re not juggling raw seafood and a hot pan at the same time.
Ingredient notes
- Crabstick: This is imitation crab made from surimi (processed white fish). It’s mild, holds together well in the mix, and is considerably cheaper than real crab. Real lump crab works too but is harder to bind.
- Fish sauce: Adds a savory depth that plain salt doesn’t. If you don’t have it, a small splash of soy sauce is a workable substitute — use about half the amount.
- Bread (torn pieces): Acts as a binder and keeps the patties from going dense. Day-old bread works best because it absorbs moisture without turning the mix soupy.
- Fresh basil: Dried basil won’t give you the same result here — the flavor goes flat once it’s fried. Stick with fresh.
- Sweet chili sauce: Most grocery stores carry it in the Asian foods aisle. It’s the base of the dipping sauce, so don’t skip it.
If something goes sideways
- Patties fall apart when you pick them up: The mix is too wet. Press it back into the bowl, add a tablespoon of breadcrumbs, and refrigerate for another 10 minutes before trying again.
- Breadcrumbs burn before the center is cooked: Your oil is too hot. Seafood patties this size need medium heat — not screaming hot — so the inside has time to set before the crust darkens. Aim for oil around 350°F if you’re checking with a thermometer.
- Patties are greasy after frying: They went into oil that wasn’t hot enough. Cold oil soaks in rather than sealing the crust. Let the oil come fully up to temperature before adding the first batch, and don’t crowd the pan — that drops the temperature fast.
- The mix sticks to your hands while shaping: Wet your hands lightly with cold water before forming each patty. It makes a noticeable difference, especially when you’re making a full batch of eight.
- Dipping sauce tastes flat: Add more lemon. The zest gives aroma but a small squeeze of actual juice sharpens the whole sauce — taste it before you serve.
Crispy Basil Seafood Patties with Sweet Chili Dip
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- 10-inch deep skillet or Dutch oven for frying
- Instant-read thermometer
- 3 shallow bowls or dishes (for breading station)
- Slotted spoon or spider strainer
- Wire cooling rack set over a sheet pan
Ingredients
For the Patty Mixture
- 1 cup shrimp about 6 oz / 170g, deveined, peeled, and chopped
- 1 cup crabstick about 6 oz / 170g, chopped finely
- ½ cup onion chopped, about 75g
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced, about 3 cloves
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- 3 slices white sandwich bread about 3 oz / 85g, torn into small pieces
- 3-4 tablespoons basil chopped
- ¼ cup yellow bell pepper finely diced, about 40g
- 1 medium egg beaten
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour about 15g
For the Breading Station
- ½ cup all-purpose flour about 60g
- 1 medium egg beaten
- ½-1 cup plain breadcrumbs about 60-120g
For the Dipping Sauce
- 2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch ground black pepper
- ½ medium lemon zested, plus a squeeze of lemon juice
For Frying
- 2 inches oil for deep frying vegetable, canola, or peanut — enough to fill pan to 5cm depth
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the shrimp, crabstick, onion, garlic, fish sauce, torn bread, basil, bell pepper, and 2 tablespoons flour. Add about half of the beaten egg and mix well. The mixture should be moist enough to hold together when pressed but not soggy. If it already binds, reserve the remaining egg for the breading station.1 cup shrimp, 1 cup crabstick, ½ cup onion, 1 tablespoon garlic, 2 teaspoons fish sauce, 3 slices white sandwich bread, 3-4 tablespoons basil, ¼ cup yellow bell pepper, 1 medium egg, 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Cover the bowl and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Prepare three separate bowls for the breadcrumbs, flour and egg (if the previous egg was not used completely, you could use that remaining egg here).½ cup all-purpose flour, 1 medium egg, ½-1 cup plain breadcrumbs
- Take out the mixture from the refrigerator. Using a spoon, scoop a small portion into your hands and shape it into a small ball. Press down lightly, so it forms into a patty shape.
- Dredge the patty with flour, dip into the egg (make sure that the patty is completely covered) then coat with breadcrumbs. Set aside.½ cup all-purpose flour, 1 medium egg, ½-1 cup plain breadcrumbs
- Repeat the process for the remaining patties.
- Heat 2 inches (5cm) of oil in a deep skillet or Dutch oven to 350°F / 175°C. Working in batches of 3-4, carefully lower the patties into the oil and fry for 3-4 minutes per side until deep golden brown and cooked through to an internal temperature of 165°F / 74°C. Transfer to a wire rack set over a sheet pan to drain.2 inches oil for deep frying
- While the patties drain, prepare the dipping sauce. In a small bowl, stir together the sweet chilli sauce, mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and lemon zest. Squeeze in a little fresh lemon juice for added brightness. Taste and adjust seasoning.2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce, 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 1 pinch salt, 1 pinch ground black pepper, ½ medium lemon
- Serve the patties hot with the dipping sauce on the side.
Notes
Nutrition
Your questions, answered
Can I make the patties ahead of time for a cookout?
Yes — shape and coat them the night before, then refrigerate on a parchment-lined tray. Keep them covered so the breadcrumb coating doesn’t dry out unevenly, and fry them straight from the fridge the next day.
What internal temperature should these reach?
Cook them to 165°F (74°C) internal temperature. The shrimp and crabstick are seafood-based, so treat them the same way you’d treat a fish or chicken patty — no pink in the center.
Can I bake these instead of deep frying?
You can bake them at 400°F for about 18–20 minutes, flipping once halfway through. The crust won’t be as crisp as deep-fried, but a light spray of cooking oil on both sides before baking helps.
How do I scale this up for a larger group without the mix getting unmanageable?
Double or triple the batch but keep each mixing bowl to a single recipe’s worth — overfilling makes it hard to combine evenly. Chill all the batches at the same time, then coat and fry in stages while keeping finished patties warm in a 200°F oven.
Can I use all shrimp instead of the shrimp and crabstick split?
Yes, two cups of chopped shrimp works fine. The crabstick is milder and slightly firmer, so an all-shrimp version will have a more pronounced shrimp flavor and a slightly softer texture inside.
If you liked this one
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