New Year's Black Eyed Pea Cakes, Harissa Shrimp and Tomato Corn Salsa

Fuss free but fancy!  These low effort black eyed pea cakes are so easy to assemble.  The Harissa seared shrimp takes mear minutes & assembly is a breeze.  

---

The mixture ends up a beautiful ruby color once blitzed

An ice cream scoop lends to a uniform cake

spicy harissa shrimp

ready for my New Year's celebration

It seems every region of every country has their special New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day “good luck” food.  Here in the south it’s often black eyed peas and traditionally served with greens, like collards.

I have a tasty and upscale black eyed pea cake topped with smokey and slightly spicy Harissa shrimp and a light corn and tomato salsa.  It looks gorgeous and the black eyed pea cakes come together quickly with the assistance of a food processor.  They can also be made ahead and just warmed up before you’re ready to serve, so this is a great party prep food.

Harissa is a middle eastern chili garlic paste that lends a beautiful smokey flavor without a huge amount of heat and comes in either a tube or jar.  You can use more or less Harissa according to your spice level preference.

Give these a try for your New Year’s celebration…or any ‘ol time.  Super quick, super tasty.

Smithey Iron Skillet

Ninja Food Processor

Black Eyed Pea Cakes, Harissa Shrimp & Corn Salad

Black Eyed Pea Cakes
1 15 oz can black eyed peas, rinsed and drained
1/4 red onion cut into small chunks
1 egg
1/2 cup panko or breadcrumbs
1/2 of a jarred roasted red pepper, drained well and patted dry to remove any excess moisture
1/4 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon harissa
salt (I love course sea salt)


Harissa Shrimp
Approx. 18 large shrimp, peeled, deveined and patted very dry
2 Tablespoons Harissa (or to taste)
olive oil
salt (I love course sea salt)


Salsa
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved lengthwise
1/2 c frozen corn, thawed
1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 jalapeno, cored, seeded and finely diced
1 lime
olive oil
salt (I love course sea salt)


Add all the pea cake ingredients into a food processor and whiz together until a nice paste is formed.  You can let the mixture sit for a bit or chill if desired as the flavors will deepen and the panko will absorb any excess liquid.


Form into patties of your desired size (I like to use an ice cream scoop) and sauté in a bit of olive in a medium skillet for a couple minutes on each side until golden. Remove from skillet and keep warm.


While the pea cakes cook, combine salsa ingredients, salt to taste and set aside.


Wipe out the skillet the pea cakes cooked in and add a bit more olive oil.  Add in the shrimp and then the Harissa and salt.  Sauté just until cooked through on each side.


To plate plut 2 or 3 black eyed pea cakes on a plate and top with some shrimp and salsa.


Can be served as an entree or in smaller portions with one smaller pea cake and one shrimp as an appetizer.