Jarlsberg Stuffed Shrimp Cakes

3 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined,
1/4 cup celery, fine dice
1/4 cup fennel bulb, fine dice
1/4 cup, red onion, fine dice ( shallot?)
2 tablespoon red bell pepper, fine dice
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
2 tablespoon chives, snipped
2 tablespoon dill, snipped
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs (alternatively use fresh breadcrumbs from French bread)
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1 beaten egg
1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
Salt to taste
Additional @3 cups for coating shaped cakes
Vegetable oil for frying cakes
@ 6 ounces Jarlsberg, grated

1. Place shrimp in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to chop the shrimp coarsely-it should retain some texture.
2. Mix shrimp with the remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
3. Pour the additional Panko into a shallow pan. Scoop (with a cookie scoop) the shrimp mixture into the palm of your hand, and make a shallow well in the mixture. Place a heaping tablespoon of the grated Jarlsberg in the well, and top with another scoop of shrimp mixture. Shape into a patty and roll into additional Panko to coat completely.
4. Heat @ 1/2 inch of oil in a large frying pan, until it sizzles slightly when a bit of liquid is dropped in it. Place several cakes in the pan, but do not crowd the cakes. Fry until golden brown on one side (about 2 minutes) then flip over and cook on the other side. Continue until all the cakes are fried, holding in a warm oven (about 250 degrees)* while completing the frying. The pan may have to be wiped out between batches to remove bread crumbs.

*Holding them will complete the cooking process as well, as the cakes are dense and may not cook all the way through in the pan.

Yield @ 18- 3 ounce cakes

May be served with Tomato Butter Sauce.

Tomato Butter Sauce
(adapted from Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking)

28 ounce can of best quality plum tomatoes (I used Muir Glen Organics)
1 small-medium onion, peeled and cut in half
4-5 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 basil large basil leaves, rolled up like a cigar and snipped with a scissors
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Break up the tomatoes with your hands over a strainer placed  over the top a saucepan, letting the juices pour into the saucepan.
2. Add the tomatoes to the juices in the saucepan, and break up slightly with a wooden spoon. Press against the seeds and core in the strainer to capture any remaining juices.
3. Place butter, cut onion and basil in the saucepan with tomatoes, along with a pinch of salt and pepper, and cook uncovered at a slow steady simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove onion before serving. Add more salt and pepper, to taste.