Try Chef Marcela’s shrimp burgers

Enjoy Mexican authenticity with a dollop of avocado aioli

Video: Mexican shrimp burger ‘Made Easy’

Closed captioning of: Mexican shrimp burger ‘Made Easy’

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>>> this morning in "today's kitchen," we are cooking with a hot chef about to begin season two of "mexican made easy" on the food network . this morning she's showing us how to make a flavorful shrimp burger .

>> a few minutes ago you said you didn't cook. i'm going to make you want to make this at home.

>> you can say that because you grew up with chefs in the family. everyone in your family is a chef.

>> i did. my aunt was a chef. my grandfather was a chef. i come from a family of people that just love -- you know mexican food .

>> i appreciate the fact you've made it easy for those of us who don't have it in our blood.

>> we're keeping it authentic and mexican because i'm from mexico . but it has to be really easy, otherwise you won't want to make it. we have some shrimp right here. add them to the processor. we'll add chopped up garlic, add that in there. some fresh cilantro, a little bit of egg. you want it to bind together. it is a burger after all. if you don't add the egg, it will fall apart. add the egg. then to make it nice and crispy, i think japanese breadcrumbs instead of regular breadcrumbs.

>> that's interesting.

>> just add that. then process it a little bit. give it a whirl until it is nice and chunky. it starts to come together in a little ball.

>> and then here we have some shrimp that's nice and chopped. we can just take this out here. this is the beginning of our burger . you already have shrimp in there but you want those big pieces so when you bite into the burger you get those big pieces.

>> so you feel like you're getting a burger .

>> exactly. add that in here. here we have beautiful chilies. they have been charred and peeled. just add them in there. then a little bit of onion. mix that up. that's your burger patty. just form it into whatever size you want. i like something nice and oval.

>> you can grill these as well.

>> it is making my mouth water. the weather is so nice here in new york, you can do it outside on the grill. then this is our finished burger .

>> how long do you have to cook this?

>> only a few minutes per side. make sure it is cooked through because it is shrimp but shrimp cooks up really quickly. maybe two, three minutes a side.

>> i like the crispiness.

>> it is those crumbs that make it delicious and nice and crispy.

>> and it makes it easy to eat it without the bun.

>> absolutely. here we have a wonderful little sourdough bun. some butter lettuce.

>> i don't know how to cook, but you don't turn down eating. a little tomato.

>> this is not as traditional, but this is actually a recipe i picked up in puerto vallarta , mexico . this is like a guacamole but it is a little more loose. mayo, avocado, cilantro, serrano to make it nice and spicy. take the seeds and the vein out and then it is not so spicy.

>> smells fantastic.

>> are you going to take a big old bite?

>> yeah, of course. don't know how to take little bites of anything.

>> go for it.

>> marcella, this looks amazing. delicious.

>> yay! she likes the burger .

>> it is amazing. what do you serve with this? just the burger or whatever other things you have?

>> grilled corn would be perfect with this. you get all those ideas in the show. it is about keeping it real easy but with all the flavors of mexico that i grew up with.

>> you grew up in tijuana.

>> i did. i would cross the international border every day so i'd pick up all these recipes. we had burgers in san diego but i wanted to add that mexican spice.

Show transcript

TODAY recipes

updated 6/2/2010 7:31:58 PM ET

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Food Network Chef Marcela Valladolid has a mission: To demonstrate that it's possible to capture authentic Mexican flavors without too much fuss — and without an overabundance of melted Cheddar cheese. Case in point: Her recipe for Puerto Vallarta-style shrimp burgers with avocado aioli. Enjoy!

Recipe: Puerto Vallarta-style shrimp burgers with avocado aioli (on this page)

Recipe: Puerto Vallarta-style shrimp burgers with avocado aioli

Chef Marcela Valladolid

Ingredients

For the shrimp burgers:
1 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 egg
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 garlic clove, peeled
1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 poblano chile, roasted, peeled, stemmed, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons chopped white onion
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons canola oil
Bulky Ciabatta rolls, split in half
2 plum tomatoes, sliced
6 lettuce leaves or a mixture of baby lettuce leaves
For the avocado aioli:
1 Haas avocado, halved, seeded and peeled
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 medium garlic cloves, peeled
1 serrano chile, cut in half and seeded
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preparation

To make the shrimp burgers:
Divide the shrimp in half. Coarsely chop one half and set aside. Put remaining half in a food processor and grind to a coarse puree. Add egg, cilantro and garlic to processor. Process until smooth. Sprinkle mixture with breadcrumbs and process again. Transfer contents of food processor to a large bowl. Add coarsely chopped shrimp, poblano chile and onion. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Mix well. Chill for 15 minutes. Form patties or "burgers" and set aside.

Heat oil in a heavy skillet. When very hot, fry the shrimp burgers until golden, about 3 minutes per side, depending on thickness. Drain on paper towels.

To make the avocado aioli:
Scoop the avocado pulp into the bowl of a food processor. Add the mayonnaise, lime juice, garlic cloves, serrano chile, cilantro, salt and pepper. Process until smooth. Check and adjust seasoning.

To assemble:
Serve shrimp burgers on buns, topped with a dollop of avocado aioli, sliced tomato and lettuce.