Cornmeal Pancake & Shrimp Appetizers

When most people stare down a bunch of bags of pancake mix, they probably picture light and fluffy pancakes dripping with syrup. I have a friend who has told me that it’s one of his life goals to be served a stack of pancakes as tall as his face. You know, like you see in cartoons. And I’m going to make that happen for him eventually.

Instead of making normal-sized cornmeal pancakes, I just made little itty bitty mini ones. I whipped up a creamy topping with crème fraîche*, whipped cream cheese, dill and horseradish. I dolloped a spoonful of topping onto each pancake, and then placed a poached shrimp on top.

The best part of these little bites is that you can totally make everything way ahead of time and serve them chilled. Poach the shrimp and throw them in the fridge. Stir together the horseradish cream, and put that in the fridge, too. You can even make the pancakes and cool them on a cooling rack. When they’re fully cooled, just put them in a zip-top bag until you’re ready to assemble.

*Crème fraîche =  fancy sour cream. Feel free to simply use sour cream.

Cornmeal Pancake & Shrimp Appetizers

Author: Lori Yates

Yield: 20 pieces

Prep: 20 minutes minutes

Cook: 15 minutes minutes

Total: 35 minutes minutes

These delightful appetizers can be made in advance!

5 from 1 rating

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Ingredients

For the Poached Shrimp:

• ▢ 6 cups water
• ▢ 3 garlic cloves peeled and smashed
• ▢ 1 lemon quartered
• ▢ 1 small onion peeled and quartered
• ▢ 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• ▢ 20 31-40 count peeled and deveined shrimp, tails removed

For the Dill-Horseradish Cream:

• ▢ ½ cup whipped cream cheese
• ▢ ⅓ cup crème fraîche or sour cream
• ▢ 2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
• ▢ 1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

For the Cornmeal Pancakes & Garnish:

• ▢ ½ cup cornmeal pancake and waffle mix
• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ ¼ cup water
• ▢ 2 teaspoons olive oil
• ▢ 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• ▢ Freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions

Make the Poached Shrimp:

• In medium saucepot, heat water, garlic, lemon, onion and peppercorns to simmering over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and cook 3 to 5 minutes or until shrimp are opaque throughout, stirring occasionally. Transfer shrimp to small bowl and refrigerate until ready to use. Discard poaching liquid.

Make the Dill-Horseradish Cream:

• In small bowl, whisk together cream cheese, crème fraîche, horseradish, dill, salt and pepper until well combined. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Make the Cornmeal Pancakes:

• Heat griddle or large nonstick skillet over medium heat. In medium bowl, whisk together pancake mix, egg, water and oil until well combined. For each pancake, place 2 teaspoons cornmeal mixture on griddle and cook 30 seconds to 1 minute per side or until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer pancakes to cooling rack as they are finished; cool to room temperature before assembling appetizers.
• To assemble, place pancakes on serving platter. Dollop each pancake with about 2 teaspoons of Dill-Horseradish Cream, and top each pancake with 1 shrimp. Sprinkle with chives and cracked black pepper; serve immediately.

Notes

• Make the pieces in advance (pancakes, poach the shrimp) and assemble when ready to serve.
• Can’t find creme fraiche? Feel free to use sour cream.

Calories: 55kcal, Carbohydrates: 3g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.002g, Cholesterol: 35mg, Sodium: 86mg, Potassium: 72mg, Fiber: 0.4g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 138IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 32mg, Iron: 0.2mg

This website provides estimated nutrition information as a courtesy only. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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