Oscar Worthy: Shrimp Cakes w/ Avocado Salsa

I whipped these up last night for an Oscar party.

I always have frozen shrimp in the freezer, and Trader Joe's Chili Corn Salsa on hand.

I ran out and bought a ripe avocado and some cilantro, put on a strapless red gown (NOT!), and 1,2,3, ready.

These were delicious and simple to make.
You can form the cakes in the a.m. and chill them up until ready for the frying pan.

Were you happy with last night's winners?
We saw just about every nominated film.

My picks were:
for Best Actor: Matthew McConaughey
Best Actress: Sandra Bullock
Best Picture: Nebraska, I loved it.
(I also loved Philomena, Blue Jasmine and Dallas Buyer's Club............hated August Osage County, cause the play was so much better........and American Hustle was a big borefest).

So there you have it.
Who says I'm opinionated?

Shrimp Cakes w/ Avocado Salsa: (adapted from Cooking Light) makes 12 cakes

1 lb. frozen shrimp, defrosted and tails removed
1/4 cup cilantro
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 garlic clove, minced
big handful of chopped scallions
1/2 red bell pepper, minced
1/2 cup of panko breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp salt & pepper
3 tbsp of mayo
1 egg
dash or two of Tabasco sauce

Chop the shrimp very finely, or pulse a few times in a food processor.

Mix in the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl until well combined.

On a parchment paper lined baking sheet, form into 12 patties (I use a small ice cream scoop, them flatten).

For ideal consistency and guarantee no falling apart in the pan: freeze the cakes on the baking sheet for 1 hour (no more than that!). Otherwise, chill in the fridge for minimum 1 hour, you want your cakes nice and firm (yeah, I've been saying that for years!).

Fry the cakes in a heavy oiled skillet (canola or peanut oil is best), 3 minutes on each side.

Alternatively, if you want to save calories, you can bake these, instead of frying.

I baked the second batch directly on the baking sheet from the fridge to oven.
375F (I used my convection setting) for 9 minutes, flipping once after 5 minutes.

Top with this yummy Avocado Corn Salsa:

1 ripe avocado, peeled and diced
1/4 cup of defrosted corn (or Trader Joe's delicious chili corn salsa)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped seeded poblano pepper (optional)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Mix all together and heap on top of the cooked shrimp cakes.

These were also delicious served on Tostitos w/ Lime (guilty pleasure).

and the envelope please.................

Delicious! I win!