shrimp toast

Maybe I was going through an Asian kick or maybe I just love Chinese appetizers, I don’t know. But this past Friday I made 2 different appetizers including this one. You can see the post for Scallion Pancakes–those are awesome too!

I don’t know when was the first time I had these little toasts, but I’ve been in love with them since. They’re shrimpy, toasty and soft. I know I’m not really doing them justice, but they are to die for. Again, I adapted them from a recipe I found over at Use Real Butter; you need to check Jen’s blog out, she’s quite fantastic. 

Shrimp Toast
1/2 lb raw shrimp
1 egg white
2 tbsp butter, cold
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsps soy sauce
2-3 green onions, minced
2 tbsps ginger, minced
1/3 cp panko breadcrumbs
Sesame seeds
6 slices of bread, crusts removed
Vegetable oil for frying

Peel and devein the shrimp. If you have a food processor, use it to mix all the ingredients. I don’t own one, so instead I minced the shrimp by hand and mixed everything in my mixer using the egg beater.

Add all the ingredients: shrimp, egg white, sesame oil, butter, soy, onions, ginger and breadcrumbs. If you use the mixer, chances are you’ll have some larger bits of shrimp, that’s ok, trust me.

I bought a little loaf of white bread from the Asian market and sliced it to about 1/4-inch thickness, trimmed the crusts, then cut them on a diagonal. I ended up with 12 cute little triangles.

Now spread the shrimp mixture on each slice of bread: about 1/2-inch thick. Then sprinkle with sesame seeds. Set aside.

Heat enough oil to cover the bottom of a frying pan, it should be about 1/2-inch deep. You don’t want the temperature to be too high, bring it to medium high.

Drop the toasts, bread side down; this way the butter begins to melt into the filling. The bread will brown rather quickly, so don’t go too far from the pan. Once the edges of the toast begin to turn golden brown, flip them and cook the shrimpy side until golden brown about 2-3 minutes. 

Remove from the oil and allow it to drain, toast-side down on paper towels before serving. Serve warm just as they are or with the sauce below.

Dipping sauce
Combine:
1 tbsp ginger, slivers
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp honey

Put the whole thing in a microwave-safe bowl and heat it up for 2-3 minutes. Allow the ginger to seep for a couple of minutes before serving.

Cookingly yours,
Anamaris