These Mexican tortitas de camarón (dried shrimp patties) are made with nopales, dried ground shrimp and a flavorful nutty guajillo sauce. This recipe alongside capirotada (Mexican bread pudding) is a traditionally served during lent time, but can be enjoyed for any occasion.
Why I love this recipe
This recipe is one of those recipes that reminds me so much of my childhood. My mom would always make this dish during lent time. The smell of the dried shrimp while it's cooking has a very distinct smell, either you're going to love it or really dislike the smell. This is the exact recipe I grew up eating and truly enjoy. My dad's family side is from Guadalajara, Jalisco and my mom learned this recipe from my dad many moons ago and has made her own version for many years now. These tortas de camarón recipe is a bit of a process to make, but the final dish is well worth all the work.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Packed with so much flavor from the chile sauce and shrimp patties
- If you grew up in a Mexican household this recipe will bring you back to a moment in time of your childhood
- The extra leftover sauce with nopales makes the perfect breakfast meal with eggs and tortillas
What are tortitas de camarón with nopales
Tortas de camarón are shrimp patties that are made with ground dried shrimp. (you can also buy the dried whole shrimp and grind yourself.) The patties are fluffy, airy and light. They are made with a fluffy egg mixture, bread crumbs and fully submerged in a delicious nutty guajillo sauce with nopales.
Ingredients needed
- nopales (cactus) - fresh nopales are always best, but if you can't find any you can use jarred nopales found in the international aisle of most grocery store or hispanic grocery stores. Just rinse with water.
- cilantro and onion- a few cilantro sprigs and piece of onion to cook the nopales
- ground dried shrimp - You can find ground dried shrimp in Hispanic/Mexican grocery stores, some groceries will have them in the international aisle. You can also find ground dried shrimp in Asian markets, which is where I buy mine or online like Amazon.
- bread crumbs - plain breadcrumbs to help bind the shrimp patties together
- eggs - to make a fluffy and airy egg mixture similar to chiles rellenos.
- roma tomatoes and tomatillos - for the sauce
- guajillo and pasilla chili pods - for the delicious sauce
- garlic cloves - for that extra flavor
- sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds (pepitas)- to add a nutty flavor to the sauce - these seeds are toasted before blended to the sauce
- all purpose flour - to thicken the sauce
- chopped onion - 2 tablespoons for frying the sauce
- kosher salt- for flavor
- oil - vegetable oil or canola oil to fry the shrimp patties
How to make these tortas de camarón con nopales
Start by cooking the nopales over medium high heat add diced fresh nopales, a few sprigs of cilantro, a piece of onion, ½ teaspoon of salt and fill with water covering the nopales and bringing to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Drain and discard the cilantro and onion and set aside.
Toast the breadcrumbs, ground dried shrimp, sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds. In a medium size skillet over medium heat start by toasting the ground dried shrimp for three-five minutes, stirring frequently and making sure it does not burn. Next toast the bread crumbs to a golden color for about 3 minutes and set aside. Followed by toasting the sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds for another 3 minutes and set aside.
How to make the sauce
Fill a medium saucepan with water and add tomatoes, tomatillos, guajillos, pasilla chili pods, garlic cloves and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes and set aside. Make sure you reserve the water for the sauce.
Add the tomatoes, tomatillos, guajillos, pasilla chili pods, garlic cloves, toasted sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, flour, and 1 ½ cup of the reserve water to a blender. Blend until smooth and add more water if the sauce is too thick and set aside.
Make the batter- Separate the egg whites from the yolks in two different bowls. In a large mixing bowl add the egg whites and beat the egg whites at high speed with an electric hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Add in the egg yolks one by one and beat on low until fully incorporated. (This process is similar to chiles rellenos.) Then with a rubber spatula mix in the shrimp mixture with the egg mixture until fully incorporated.
Assemble the shrimp patties
In a large skillet add about a ⅓ cup of vegetable oil and heat over medium high heat. Start scooping the patties (1-2 tablespoons) with a mini cookie dough scooper or spoon and carefully place in the skillet. Press the top lightly with a spoon to flatten. Don't worry if the patties are not perfectly round. Cook each side for about 3 minutes and set aside on a plate lined with paper towels to remove excess oil. Repeat the process a few times until all the patties are done. This makes about 18-20 shrimp patties
Put everything together In a large deep skillet over medium high heat add 1 tablespoon of oil and fry 1-2 tablespoons of chopped onion. Stir in the sauce and the nopales. Once the sauce starts to boil lower the heat to a simmer.
Add in the tortitas de camarón (dried shrimp patties) and gently submerge with the sauce until all patties are fully coated. Simmer for 15 minutes and remove from heat and serve.
Serving suggestions
You can serve tortitas de camarón with corn tortillas or a side of white rice or Mexican red rice. My favorite way to eat leftover sauce is with breakfast egg tacos coated in the sauce and nopales (so good!)
Storing and reheating
You can freeze dried shrimp patties with nopales in an airtight container or zip-top freezer bag up to 3 months. Once ready to eat thaw out and heat in the microwave for 60 seconds or until fully warmed.
Recipe Tips
To save some time you can make the sauce and cook the nopales the day before. This will speed up the process.
Tortitas de Camarón
Ingredients
Nopales
- 4 cactus pallets (or 4 cups diced)
- 5 sprigs fresh cilantro
- ¼ onion piece
For the shrimp patties
- 6 eggs
- ¾ cups dried shrimp powder
- 1 cup plain bread crumbs
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil (+ more as needed)
For the sauce
- 3 roma tomatoes
- 2 tomatillos (husks removed)
- 2 guajillos (stems and seeds removed)
- 1 pasilla chili pod (stems and seeds removed)
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 ½ tablespoon sesame seeds - toasted
- ¼ cup pumpkins seeds - toasted
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1-2 tablespoon diced onion
Instructions
- Prep and cook the nopales
- Over medium high heat add diced fresh nopales, a few sprigs of cilantro, a piece of onion, ½ teaspoon of salt and fill with water covering the nopales and bringing to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Drain and discard the cilantro and onion and set aside.
- In a medium size skillet over medium heat start by toasting the ground dried shrimp for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently making sure it does not burn. Next toast the bread crumbs to a golden color for about 3 minutes and set aside. Followed by toasting the sesame seeds and then the pumpkin seeds for another 3 minutes each and set aside.
Sauce
- Fill a medium saucepan with water and add tomatoes, tomatillos, guajillos, pasilla chili pods, garlic cloves and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes and set aside. Reserve the water for the sauce.
- In a blender add the tomatoes, tomatillos, guajillos, pasilla chili pods, garlic cloves, toasted sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, flour, and 1 ½ cup of the reserve water. Blend until smooth and add more water if the sauce is too thick and set aside.
Tortitas de Camarón (shrimp patties)
- Make the batter. Separate the egg whites from the yolks in two different bowls. In a large mixing bowl add the egg whites and beat the egg whites at high speed with an electric hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Add in the egg yolks one by one and beat on low until fully incorporated. Using a rubber spatula mix in the egg mixture with the shrimp mixture until fully incorporated.
- Make the dried shrimp patties In a large skillet add about a ⅓ cup of vegetable oil and heat over medium high heat until oil has reached 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Start scooping 1-2 tablespoons of the shrimp mixture with a mini cookie dough scooper or spoon and carefully place in the skillet. Press the top lightly with a spoon to flatten. Cook each side for about 3 minutes and set aside on a plate lined with paper towels to remove excess oil. Repeat the process a few times until all the patties are done.
- Put everything together In a large deep skillet over medium high heat add 1 tablespoon of oil and fry 1-2 tablespoons of chopped onion for about 1 minute. Stir in the sauce and the nopales. Once the sauce starts to bubble up lower the heat to a simmer.
- Add in the tortitas de camarón (dried shrimp patties) and gently submerge with the sauce until all patties are fully coated. Simmer for 15 minutes and remove from heat and serve.
Notes
Other recipes to try
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