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.
Basil Seafood Patty
Ingredients
- 1 cup shrimp deveined, peeled and chopped
- 1 cup crabstick chopped finely
- ½ cup onions chopped
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- 3 slices bread torn to pieces
- 3-4 tablespoons basil chopped
- 2 tablespoons yellow bell pepper cubed
- 1 medium egg beaten
- 2 tablespoons flour
- ½-1 cup breadcrumbs
- ½ cup flour
- 1 medium egg beaten
- 2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch ground black pepper
- ½ medium lemon zest
Instructions
- Mix shrimp, crabstick, onions, garlic, fish sauce, bread, basil, bell pepper and flour in a bowl. Add about half the egg. The mixture should not be too soggy, or it will be hard to form. If the mix is already wet enough, don’t add the remaining egg.
- Mix 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).
- Take out the batter 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 this batter with flour, dip into the egg (make sure that the patty is completely covered) then coat with bread crumbs. Set aside.
- Repeat the process for the remaining batter.
- Heat oil in a pan. Deep fry patties.
- Prepare the sauce. Mix the chilli sauce, mayonnaise, salt, black pepper and lemon zest. You c88an squeeze the lemon over the sauce a little bit to give a hint of lemon taste.
- Serve hot.
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.