Why This Recipe Works?
By hand chopping half of the shrimp and pureeing the remaining shrimp into a paste, you get two textures of shrimp in every bite. Adding onions to the shrimp paste gives the shrimp a mild sweetness, a great contrast to the savory toast. The addition of ground pork adds some fat to the shrimp mixture, which keeps it moist even after being fried. Shallow frying the shrimp toasts in relatively hot oil and draining the bread-side on paper towels keeps the dish from getting greasy.
Ingredients for Shrimp Toast
Bread - Shrimp toast can be made with any kind of bread, but sandwich bread makes for a light crispy appetizer, and I think it works best for this dish. If you do use a more dense bread like a baguette, be sure to slice it thinner. Shrimp - You don’t need to get fancy shrimp for this. I used small frozen shrimp that were already shelled and deveined for convenience. If you buy shell-on shrimp, here’s how to clean and devein it. Pork - I like to add a small amount of ground pork to my shrimp toast for two reasons. The first is that it contributes some fat, ensuring the shrimp paste stays juicy. The second reason is that it adds more umami to the shrimp paste. It is an optional ingredient; you can leave it out if you want. Onion - Shrimp toast is generally made with scallions, but I prefer using onions because they add a subtle sweetness to the shrimp paste. Ginger - Ginger smooths over any fishy notes from the shrimp while adding a mildly spicy kick. Shaoxing wine - Shoaoxing wine adds flavor and umami to the shrimp filling. If you can’t find it, sake will make a suitable alternative. Toasted sesame oil - The nutty flavor of toasted sesame oil is the perfect complement to the savory shrimp. White pepper - White pepper is a divisive ingredient that not everyone loves, so if you’re not a fan, you can leave it out or substitute black pepper or chili flakes. Egg white - Egg white acts as a binding agent and traps air bubbles, making the shrimp paste light and fluffy. Potato starch - Potato starch is another binding agent that helps the shrimp paste retain its juices. Thai sweet chili sauce - I like to serve my shrimp toast with sweet chili sauce for dipping, but this is optional.
How to Make Shrimp Toast
You first want to divide the shrimp and hand-chop one half into bite-sized pieces. This enables you to retain the springy texture of whole shrimp in the paste. Toss the remaining shrimp into a food processor along with the pork, onion, ginger, potato starch, egg white, Shaoxing wine, toasted sesame oil, salt, and pepper, and then process the mixture until it forms a creamy mousse. Fold the hand-chopped shrimp together with the shrimp paste in a bowl until the mixture is uniform. Split the shrimp mixture between the four slices and bread and spread evenly. It’s okay if the layer is slightly thicker towards the middle than the edges. Once the shrimp paste is spread on the bread, you can cut the toasted into triangles, squares, or strips. Use a sharp knife and clean the blade with a damp paper towel after each cut. You can cut the crusts off the bread at this point if you like. Prepare a wire cooling rack with several layers of paper towels and heat ½ inch of vegetable oil in a pan until it reaches 360°F (180°C). Fry the shrimp toast with the shrimp side down until the edges start to brown. This should take about two minutes. Next, flip the toasts and crisp the bread side before transferring them to the prepared rack with the bread side down to drain. Serve the shrimp toasts while they’re hot.
Other Finger Food Recipes
Fried Wontons Coconut Shrimp Crispy Tofu Bites Shio Karaage Harumaki (Japanese Spring Rolls)
📖 Recipe
