These fried shrimp sliders hold a special place in my heart. Crispy, golden, with a touch of heat…I could eat all eight.–Sam Zien
Shrimp Slider FAQs
If you’re fortunate enough to be in an area where you’ve got access to fresh shrimp, there are a few things to remember.
Make sure there is no “fishy” smell. Like any other seafood, your shrimp should smell clean, like saltwater. If you can, press the body of the shrimp with your finger. If that poke leaves an indentation, the shrimp isn’t fresh. The eyes should be glossy and the legs still firmly attached. For frozen shrimp (which is perfectly fine in most recipes), look for IQF, or ‘Individually Quick Frozen’ shrimp, head-off, but peel-on.
You have a couple of options. You can let it thaw overnight in its original package in the refrigerator (we recommend putting the bag in a bowl to collect any water from the melting process), or if you’re in a rush, remove the shrimp from its package, put it in a bowl of cold water in your kitchen sink, and let a trickle of cold water continuously run into the bowl, allowing the overflow to go down the drain.
Sure thing, but remember to adjust your cooking time to accommodate the larger patties.
We don’t recommend it. The precooked shrimp will end up overcooked and rubbery. Stick with fresh or frozen raw shrimp here.
Fried Shrimp Sliders on Hawaiian Rolls
Ingredients
- 4 scallions, white and light green parts, roughly chopped
- 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
- One (1/2-inch) piece fresh ginger, roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed with the side of a knife
- 1 pound uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 6 tablespoons mayonnaise, divided
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 2 cups thinly shredded cabbage
- 2 to 3 teaspoons Sriracha
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons mild vegetable oil
- 8 Hawaiian rolls or any slider roll, toasted
Instructions
- In a food processor, combine the scallions, bell pepper, ginger, and garlic and pulse a couple of times.
- Toss in the shrimp, panko, 3 tablespoons of the mayo, and the soy sauce and pulse until the shrimp are just coarsely chopped and combined—don’t turn it into mush. You should only need about 10 pulses for this to come together.
- Using wet hands, form the shrimp mixture into eight small patties the size of your roll, set them on a tray lined with parchment or waxed paper, and chill them in the refrigerator for about an hour or so.
☞ TESTER TIP: If you like your shrimp extra crispy, coat the patties in extra panko.
- In a medium bowl, combine the cabbage, remaining 3 tablespoons of mayo, Sriracha, and rice vinegar and mix well.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Add the shrimp slider patties in a single layer, and cook until golden brown and gorgeous, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
- To assemble your sliders, pile some slaw on each bun bottom, and then set a patty on top and add the top bun.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
What a great way to stretch a pound of shrimp. Everyone loves hand held food, and everyone who loves shrimp will love these.
The fried shrimp sliders themselves have a taste reminiscent of deviled crab with the finely chopped peppers and onion. They cook super quick and the slaw needs no other “doctoring up” other than what is called for.
It is a bit spicy with a full tablespoon of sriracha for such a small amount, so if you aren’t into hot things maybe try half that at first. I did dust the outside of the shrimp cakes again with plain panko before frying and think it’s worth doing for the crunch factor.
Otherwise, these could even be made with just a smear of oil on a flat-top and be equally delicious. The recipe made 8 sliders that completely fill a standard slider bun.
For a more homemade look I made some of these with frozen roll dough thawed individually, brushed with egg wash and sprinkled with everything but the bagel seasoning. We are big eaters, but two sliders each made for a filling dinner with sweet potato fries and Asian pickled cucumbers.
Select a Tester
These fried shrimp sliders on Hawaiian rolls were a big hit. There was a lick of heat from the Sriracha, the crunchy fried outside, and the fun of eating burgers that aren’t meat, shrimp that don’t look like shrimp, and of course, mini food. With a food processor in the house, it was a speedy dinner.
These fried shrimp sliders on Hawaiian rolls were good but they weren’t as great as they could have been. The shrimp mixture ended up a strange texture because I think I somewhat over processed it.
The sliders did look like the photo but in real life weren’t very pretty because I only had plain green cabbage on hand; some shredded carrot and purple cabbage would have made the slaw more visually appealing.
This recipe has a lot of potential though and I will make these again. Next time I will add some Thai basil or cilantro, some lime zest/juice, some chili crisp or chili garlic sauce, and a little pinch of salt and I will grill them instead of pan-frying them.
I would also make extra sriracha mayo for dipping or drizzling instead of just using in the slaw because it’s delicious – you could put that on a shoe and I’d eat it! I think these would be good summer party make-ahead-and-then-throw-them-on-the-grill food.
Delicious! These will appear on my table often. The shrimp flavor and texture shine through and are nicely accompanied by the crunch of the cabbage and the touch of heat from the Sriracha.
This recipe comes together quickly but do be aware that once the patties are made, they need to go into the refrigerator for 1 hour. But if you didn’t read the recipe carefully enough, like me, and did not leave enough time to do this before dinner needs to be on the table, you could do what I did: put them in the freezer while you make the cabbage condiment and get your pan ready for cooking and they will be just fine.
These made a great casual dinner, but they would be great for lunch with friends, or when having friends over for cocktails.
Simple, scrumptious, satisfying and wanting oh just one more, sums up my experience with these special little fried shrimp sliders.
I used fresh deveined black tiger shrimp then simply removed each peel and tail. After 7 short pulses in the food processor, the coarsely chopped shrimp mixture easily formed into 8 equal patties, which ultimately fit perfectly in a slider bun.
First bite yielded a brief moment of unplanned silence followed by an audible groan! Wow, a plump, juicy, shrimpy tasting slider with a wonderful Asian flavor from the ginger, garlic, scallions and red bell pepper along with heat, sweetness/acidity, and crunch from the slaw. The Hawaiian bun just gilded the lily with its slightly sweet taste and fluffy texture.
I served these 8 sliders to company as appetizers (2 per person) but would not hesitate to make them into 4 actual full-sized burgers.
These fried shrimp sliders on Hawaiian rolls are a tasty, easy dish. They require some chilling time so you do need to plan ahead a bit, but that also allows you to prepare them ahead of time and cook them up just in time to serve them.
The ginger and garlic add just the right amount of “zing” to the patties. The sandwiches are a nice size, two of them being a perfect serving.
The slaw is also quite tasty. The Sriracha is an unusual, but tasty, ingredient in the slaw.
I serve these with oven-baked fries and some fresh fruit.
We had leftover patties, which were equally good warmed in the convection oven the next day. As is often the case, the flavor was intensified the next day. These sliders will definitely be a regular item for us.
Can you make them in an air fryer? If so, directions please. Thank you.
Hello, Diane. We didn’t test the sliders that way, so we don’t want to hazard a guess as to directions. But if you do make them in an air fryer, let us know hoe it turned out!
Diane, we haven’t tried them in the air fryer, so we can’t say how it would work. If any of our readers have tried this, we’d love to hear from you.
This sounds wonderful I might just try doing this dish in my air fryer.
Thanks, June! If you try it, please do let us know how it turns out.
Have you tried making this recipe in your air fryer? Thank you.
Saw this recipe this morning and made it tonight—excellent! I did 4 full-size burgers (with the suggested extra panko coating) on toasted brioche buns, and used bagged slaw mix for color (and ease) with a good squirt of sriracha. My only note for next time (and there WILL be a next time!) is to grate the ginger as it didn’t quite disperse in the food processor.
Fantastic, Karen! We’re delighted you enjoyed this and it turned out so well. Please let us know what you make next.