Shrimp Toast

Who knew Shrimp Toast was this easy to make at home? Mix shrimp with water chestnuts, green onions, garlic and other pantry ingredients. Spread it on bread and gently fry till golden. Eat hot! This makes a super ono afternoon snack or party pupu (that's the Hawaiian word for appetizer) ^_^

Oh man, shrimp toast!

For a long time shrimp toast (also called prawn toast) was something I ate only at restaurants when someone else was doing the cooking. But then I learned how easy it was to make. It's golden and crisp, full of fresh shrimp and just enough garlic!

Now it's shrimp toast all the time. Especially at potluck parties ^_^

Why This Recipe Works

This a fun and simple recipe. All you have to do is mix together the shrimp paste (it's almost like making a shrimp dumpling or wonton filling).

Cut your bread slice into four pieces and gently smooth the shrimp paste onto a piece of bread. Gently fry each side until golden. Tadah, that's it!

Bring these out hot at your next house party and people will go crazy for it. Nothing like freshly fried shrimp toast.

You can prepare the shrimp paste in advance and store in the fridge. Assemble and fry right before you're ready to eat. You want to enjoy these hot.

Ingredients

• Shrimp - You don't need super fancy shrimp as we blend everything in the food processor.
• Egg - This will help bind all the ingredients together.
• Water chestnuts - This recipe calls for half can of water chestnuts. Use the leftovers to make Pork Hash, Kamaboko Dip, Gau Gee, or Stuffed Aburage!
• Green onions - Can replace with Chinese parsley or use both.
• Garlic cloves
• Soy sauce
• Sesame oil
• Sesame seeds
• White bread

What Kind of White Bread?

This is where getting *nice* white bread makes a difference. You want bread that's cut thicker and is dense.

If you get white bread that's too soft and light, it will get soggy before you can finish frying it and it will be more greasy. The dense bread doesn't soak up as much oil.

The ideal bread for this recipe is the white bread you can find at Japanese bakeries and markets. It may be labeled as Milk Bread or Shokupan.

At Epi-Ya in (one of my favorite Japanese bakeries in Hawaii), it's called Family Bread. That's the loaf pictured above. It's a simple square loaf that has just the right amount of body to it.

Step by Step Directions

Let's start cooking!

Make the shrimp paste.
Combine the shrimp, egg, water chestnuts, green onions, garlic, soy sauce, and sesame oil in a food processor. Process until fairly smooth (some people like it super smooth, others like it with a tiny bit more texture).

Place the shrimp paste in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Cut the bread.
Slice the crusts from the bread slices. Cut each bread slice into 4 triangles. Divide the shrimp mixture between the 20 triangles.

You can cut the bread into squares or even circle, but I like the triangle shape best. Feel free to also leave the crust on!

Spread the shrimp paste on the bread.
Make sure to spread the shrimp mixture to all the edges and corners of the bread. Make it as even as you can.

Tip: You want to do this step as fast as you can. The longer the shrimp paste sit on the bread, the more soft/soggy the bread might get. So don't rush yourself, but work efficiently ^_^

Sesame seed dip (optional).
Place the sesame seeds on a small plate. "Dip" the bread (shrimp side facing down) onto the sesame seeds. This will coat the the shrimp paste in a layer of sesame seeds.

You can also sprinkle just a pinch of sesame seeds on top if you want some but not a lot of sesame seeds. Or you can skip this step completely.

I like to leave half of the toasts "naked" and coat the other half in sesame seeds. Makes a nice visual contrast and everyone can eat the version they prefer.

Fry the shrimp side first.
In a sauté pan filled with 1-inch oil, turn the heat to medium-high. We are going to deep fry this! Fry it with the shrimp paste facing down for 2-3 minutes until golden.

Fry the other side.
Then gently flip it over and fry with the bread side facing down for another 1-2 minutes.

Ready to eat.
Remove to a paper towel lined plate and let cool for a few minutes. Eat it hot and enjoy!

You can also top with a few chopped chili peppers if you'd like.

FAQs and Tips

Shrimp Toast Recipe

See below and enjoy ^_^