Skip to main content Skip to primary sidebar Dried shrimp cakes during lent were a staple in our home. Tortitas de camaron seco is the translation in Spanish. In all honesty, it’s one of those traditional Mexican dishes that you either love or you don’t enjoy! Lol! It’s like cilantro. I love it! Does your family have a favorite dish that is prepared during lent? There were several staple dishes prepared during this time. Tortitas de camaron seco (shrimp cakes), lentils, cactus(nopalitos) in salsa, pan fried fish and potato cakes. Those are the dishes that come to mind right away when I recall lent growing up. How often do you use dried chile pods? Once you get into the habit of the process of cooking with dried chile pods , you will notice the difference in your recipes. They are good for sauces , salsas , marinades, adobos and more. Make the recipe your own! I am a true believer in making a recipe your own. You can still keep all the traditional flavors of this tortita(cake) even if the texture is slightly different. Depending on how many eggs you add, you can prepare two different variations. I apologize for the poor quality of the photo directly above. It is the batter prepared with four large eggs. It has to be spooned into the oil and yields a lighter shrimp cake. Shrimp cake batter prepared with only three eggs. Thicker batter yields a more dense shrimp cake. Tortitas de Camaron Seco – Dried Shrimp Cakes Red Chile Sauce 4-5 tbsp avocado or olive oil 1/4 large white onion roughly chopped 3 cloves of garlic smashed 8 Dried chile guajillo remove stems and seeds 2-4 chile morita for more spice optional 2 roma tomatoes sliced in quarters 1 tsp Mexican oregano Tortitas-Fritters 4 large eggs at room temperature separate whites from yolks 1/2 cup dried shrimp finely ground 1/2 cup unsalted cracker meal or breadcrumbs finely ground 2 cups oil for frying canola or avocado 2 cups nopalitos(cactus) previously sliced and cooked For Red Chile Sauce In a deep skillet, add 2-3 tablespoons of oil and heat to medium. Add the onions and garlic. Saute for 3 minutes. Add the dried chiles, mixing well to coat chiles with oil in skillet. Saute chiles in oil for a few minutes or until they become aromatic. Add the tomatoes and cook for another 4 minutes. Cover with 5 cups of water. Bring up to a boil. Reduce heat and cook at a steady simmer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes. When ready, use tongs to transfer all of the ingredients to the blender. Add 3 cups of the cooking water, cumin, oregano, pepper and salt to taste. Reserve remaining water in the skillet. Cover tightly with lid and blend on high for 45-50 seconds or until sauce is very smooth. Taste for salt. Strain the sauce if necessary using a wire mesh strainer. In a separate skillet, preheat 2 tablespoons of oil to medium for a few minutes. Pour in the chile sauce from blender. Add remaining water from skillet where you cooked the chile pods into the sauce. If it's still too thick, add in a little fresh water. Cook chile sauce at a steady simmer for 20-25 minutes. Taste for spices and adjust to your liking. Keep covered and on the lowest heat setting until you are ready to use. For Dried Shrimp Cakes In the bowl of the stand mixer, add the four room temperature egg whites. Whip the eggs whites on high for 2-3 minutes or until stiff peaks form. You should be able to flip the bowl upside down and egg whites will not slide out. When ready, mix in the egg yolks at low speed just until incorporated. Using a rubber spatula fold in the dry shrimp powder and cracker meal(or breadcrumbs). Set aside. In a skillet, preheat 1 1/2 cups of oil to medium for a few minutes.

When oil is ready, take a spoon and scoop some of the shrimp batter, about 1/4 cup size. Use a second spoon to help release it into the hot oil. Try to drop it in so it's round in shape and slightly flattened. Fry for 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Once all the cakes are fried, transfer them to the skillet with red chile sauce. Fold in the precooked cactus(nopalitos). Mix in some fresh cilantro sprigs. Stir gently and cook on low just until all of the ingredients are warmed through. Serve in shallow bowls. Warm tortillas and a side of lentils would be delicious! Reader Interactions My Sister in law fixed these for us one time and I didn’t get her recipe I found your blog yesterday and I was surprised to see it! Well I fixed them today and they were Great 😍 Also I used your recipe for lentils yesterday and it was also Good😍 Thanks for your recipes I am hooked!! Reply Hi Julie, I am so happy you enjoyed the recipes! I appreciate you taking the time to write to me. Reply My Sister in law fixed these for us one time and I didn’t get her recipe I found your blog yesterday and I was surprised to see it! Well I fixed them today and they were Great 😍 Also I used your recipe for lentils yesterday and it was also Good😍 Thanks for your recipes I am hooked!! Hi Julie, I am so happy you enjoyed the recipes! I appreciate you taking the time to write to me. Reply Hi Julie, I am so happy you enjoyed the recipes! I appreciate you taking the time to write to me. do you toast the dry whole shrimp first? Reply They sell the dried shrimp whole and in powder form at the Mexican markets. Reply do you toast the dry whole shrimp first? They sell the dried shrimp whole and in powder form at the Mexican markets. Reply They sell the dried shrimp whole and in powder form at the Mexican markets. Not a fan of nopales, can I sub a can of green beans? Reply Yes, of course. Many people like to use green beans Reply Not a fan of nopales, can I sub a can of green beans? Yes, of course. Many people like to use green beans Reply Yes, of course. Many people like to use green beans My mom has always added crushed cornflakes to her dried shrimp it makes it less salty. What ever the amount of shrimp she would add 1/2 a cup to 1 cup of crushed corn flakes. It doesn’t take away from the shrimp flavor just the salt. Reply Great Idea! I sometimes just use unsalted crackers or breadcrumbs. Reply My mom has always added crushed cornflakes to her dried shrimp it makes it less salty. What ever the amount of shrimp she would add 1/2 a cup to 1 cup of crushed corn flakes. It doesn’t take away from the shrimp flavor just the salt. Great Idea! I sometimes just use unsalted crackers or breadcrumbs. Reply Great Idea! I sometimes just use unsalted crackers or breadcrumbs. Love this! Great pics too really helped me make it right ❤️ Reply Thank you Taty! Reply Love this! Great pics too really helped me make it right ❤️ Thank you Taty! Reply Thank you Taty! To begin, let me say that I made some errors. I have never cooked with dried shrimp. I purchased preground molida, which I am sure was fine. However the aroma just seemed off . I’ve worked with gapi (Thai shrimp paste) and similar funky smelling, shrimpy pantry ingredients so I am not opposed to it. I probably just psyched myself out, but something smelled off, and I decided I shouldn’t use it. I was going to give up. I had my mise en place, but was about admit defeat, and just eat a bowl of cereal. But I didn’t. I did a little internet searching and found out there are some things I could maybe use; one that I had on hand was salty cheese. I made some errors in the frying process, but your recipe is fantastic! I have been trying to make a robust red chile sauce for a few weeks, and everytime it comes out flat. This was great. Bold, full of flavor. The chile morita really gives it some nice heat. My tortitas weren’t perfect (my errors, not the recipe) and I’m not sure salty cheeses were the best sub, but the fritters were fluffy and tasted great in the sauce. Thank you for the recipe. Despite my blunders it turned out very good. I will have to try the full version soon! Reply Hi Michael! First thing I will say is that dried shrimp whole or powder form is kind of funky as far as flavor and aroma. It’s really one of those acquired flavors. I will eat some, but not something I crave all of the time. Heck I know some friends from Mexico and they don’t prefer to eat the dried shrimp. So, it may have seems off, but the aroma is pretty strong. But it always best to go with your gut instinct. I am so happy you enjoyed the red chile sauce! Thank you for taking the time to write! Reply To begin, let me say that I made some errors. I have never cooked with dried shrimp. I purchased preground molida, which I am sure was fine. However the aroma just seemed off . I’ve worked with gapi (Thai shrimp paste) and similar funky smelling, shrimpy pantry ingredients so I am not opposed to it. I probably just psyched myself out, but something smelled off, and I decided I shouldn’t use it. I was going to give up. I had my mise en place, but was about admit defeat, and just eat a bowl of cereal. But I didn’t. I did a little internet searching and found out there are some things I could maybe use; one that I had on hand was salty cheese. I made some errors in the frying process, but your recipe is fantastic! I have been trying to make a robust red chile sauce for a few weeks, and everytime it comes out flat. This was great. Bold, full of flavor. The chile morita really gives it some nice heat. My tortitas weren’t perfect (my errors, not the recipe) and I’m not sure salty cheeses were the best sub, but the fritters were fluffy and tasted great in the sauce. Thank you for the recipe. Despite my blunders it turned out very good. I will have to try the full version soon! Hi Michael! First thing I will say is that dried shrimp whole or powder form is kind of funky as far as flavor and aroma. It’s really one of those acquired flavors. I will eat some, but not something I crave all of the time. Heck I know some friends from Mexico and they don’t prefer to eat the dried shrimp. So, it may have seems off, but the aroma is pretty strong. But it always best to go with your gut instinct. I am so happy you enjoyed the red chile sauce! Thank you for taking the time to write! Reply Hi Michael! First thing I will say is that dried shrimp whole or powder form is kind of funky as far as flavor and aroma. It’s really one of those acquired flavors. I will eat some, but not something I crave all of the time. Heck I know some friends from Mexico and they don’t prefer to eat the dried shrimp. So, it may have seems off, but the aroma is pretty strong. But it always best to go with your gut instinct. I am so happy you enjoyed the red chile sauce! Thank you for taking the time to write! Would Love to Hear From You Cancel reply This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. About Mexican at Heart Media Mexican at Heart Disclosure/Privacy Policy Privacy Overview