Make these crispy savory shrimp toasts as an appetizer or finger food for the holidays or your next dinner party.
Shrimp toast is a classic dim sum appetizer in American Chinese restaurants and an ultimate comfort food. The minced shrimp is similar to shrimp balls (often seen in a hot pot setting) or the shrimp filling in wontons and dumplings. The shrimp is seasoned with aromatics and savory seasonings, then spread onto slices of bread and fried to golden perfection.
The dish originates from Hong Kong and made its way to the US in the mid-1900s through Cantonese immigrants and their Chinese-American restaurants. Now it’s a crowd pleaser appetizer along with BBQ ribs, egg rolls, and fried wontons.
Ingredients for shrimp paste
You will need the following ingredients to make the shrimp paste:
- Raw shrimp: I prefer to purchase fresh shrimp (not the pre-peeled frozen type), because the texture is better and they contain less sodium. Pre-peeled shrimp are often soaked in a solution to prolong their shelf life, which results in a soapy taste.
- Egg white: It binds all the ingredients together and yields a smooth mouthfeel.
- Ginger: Fresh ginger is a must for the best taste.
- Garlic: Fresh is the best, but garlic powder is OK too (use 1/4 teaspoon powder to replace fresh garlic).
- Light soy sauce: It adds a lot of umami without adding much color to the paste.
- Sugar: It balances the salty ingredients and adds umami. Your toast won’t taste sweet.
- Salt: I used sea salt.
- Sesame oil
- White pepper
Best bread for shrimp toast
Any white bread works well for shrimp toast, but I prefer brioche bread and milk bread. Their soft texture and lightly sweet taste works very well with the savory shrimp topping.
How to make shrimp toast
Make the minced shrimp topping
There are two ways to make the minced shrimp topping: in the blender or mince it by hand. I personally prefer to mince it by hand because it creates a nicer, bouncier texture.
I also like to reserve half of the shrimp and cut them into small pieces instead of mincing, which creates a great texture and mouthfeel.
To mix the shrimp with the seasonings, mix it somewhat forcefully by hand, occasionally slapping the shrimp mixture down into the bowl. Repeat this until you get a firm mixture. This technique is called “dat”, and works the protein in the mix to create a bouncy texture.
Assemble the toast
Slice off the edges of the bread to get a nice square.
Divide the shrimp paste across 8 pieces of toast (or 6 if your toast is larger in size). Spread the shrimp so it covers the toasts evenly.
Sprinkle sesame seeds generously over the shrimp.
Cook the shrimp toast on the stove
There are three ways to cook the shrimp toast: on the stovetop, in an air fryer, or in the oven.
The most common way is to cook the shrimp toast on the stovetop, which gets a more succulent result.
I prefer to use a small pan to cook one toast at a time. But you can also use a larger pan to cook 4 toasts at a time. Add enough oil so it covers all the surface of the pan, but not so much that it submerges the shrimp paste.
Cook the shrimp side first, until the shrimp is cooked through. You can tell that it’s cooked through when the edge of the shrimp turns pinkish white all the way through.
Then flip the bread to cook the bread side very briefly, until it just turns golden brown. Be very careful because white bread cooks very quickly and can burn if using high heat.
Once the toasts cool off a bit, slice them diagonally into triangles. Then enjoy!
Cook the shrimp toast in the oven or in an air fryer
You can cook shrimp toast in your oven or in an air fryer. In this case, you will only need to spray a layer of oil onto the shrimp side. This results in a lighter texture that is crispy and delicious as well.
Air Fryer Method: I use a Cuisinart AirFryer Toaster Oven and its air fryer function is quite strong. I found 300°F (150°C) is a sweet spot and any temperature above it would burn the toast without cooking the shrimp through. You might need to slightly tweak the temperature and cooking time according to the air fryer you use.
Oven Method: The oven baking method is great if you need to cook for a crowd. Plus, you can also store the shrimp toast in the oven to keep it warm after cooking, making it a great warm appetizer or finger food for your party.
How to serve shrimp toast – with a “cherry” on top
Shrimp toast is a great appetizer or finger food for a dinner party. I like it when it is just cooked, hot and crispy. But it keeps pretty well at room temperature, and you can always warm it up slightly right before serving.
Restaurants often serve shrimp toast by itself, but I found that a squeeze of lemon and a smear of Kewpie mayo works wonders. Not only do lemon wedges and mayo make for a great presentation, but they really enhance the flavor and make these toasts five times tastier.
Consider adding these appetizers to serve alongside the shrimp toast:
- Crispy Air Fryer Wings with Sweet Chili Sauce
- Easy Mongolian Meatballs
- Barter-Worthy Spam Musubi
- Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork, 叉烧肉)
- Chinese Chicken Dumplings (鸡肉饺子)
- Lumpia Shanghai (Filipino Spring Rolls)
Shrimp Toast
Ingredients
Minced shrimp spread
- 1 lb (454 g) shrimp , raw and deveined
- 1 large egg white
- 2 teaspoons ginger , grated
- 1 teaspoon garlic , grated
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
Toast
- 8 slices of white bread
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 6 tablespoons vegetable oil (if pan frying)
- 1 green onion , sliced (for garnish)
- 6 lemon wedges (1 lemon’s worth)
- Kewpie mayonnaise (Optional but highly recommended)
Instructions
To prepare the shrimp spread
- (Option 1) Chop and mix by hand: Take half the shrimp, and cut them into 1 cm long pieces. Mince the other half until it forms a fine paste. Add both into a large bowl. Add the egg white, ginger, garlic, soy, sugar, salt, sesame oil and white pepper to the bowl. Mix forcefully with your hands, occasionally slapping the shrimp mixture down into the bowl. Continue mixing and slapping until the mix takes on a firm texture. (Footnote 1)
- (Option 2) Use a blender: Alternatively, you can cut half of the shrimp to 1/2” (6 mm) long pieces, then blend the rest of the shrimp and all the seasonings together in a food processor. Transfer the minced shrimp to a big plate, and mix it with the chopped shrimp.
To assemble the toasts
- Cut the crust off the slices of bread. Separate the shrimp mix equally between the bread slices, and spread the shrimp mix evenly over each slice. Sprinkle the shrimp mix very generously with sesame seeds
- Use a small pan that can just fit one toast, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil, enough to coat the pan. Heat the oil over medium heat until hot, but not smoking hot. Turn to medium-low heat. To add the toast, gently flip the toast onto a spatula, then slowly lower into the pan shrimp side down. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the shrimp side is cooked through. You can tell by observing the edge of the shrimp, it should turn a white-ish pink all the way through.. Flip the toasts and lightly cook the bottom until golden crispy, 1 minute or so. Immediately transfer the toast onto a big plate. Continue cooking the rest of the toasts, adding more oil if needed.
- If using an airfryer: Preheat for 5 minutes at 300°F (150°C). Spray the shrimp side of toast with vegetable oil, place into the air fryer tray shrimp side up. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, until the shrimp is cooked through. Then transfer the toast onto a plate.
- If using an oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). Spray the shrimp side of toast with vegetable oil, place onto a baking tray shrimp side up. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, until the shrimp is cooked through.
- Once the toasts have cooled enough to handle, cut each toast diagonally. Garnish with scallions. Serve hot or at room temperature with lemon wedges and mayonnaise as an appetizer.
Notes
- This technique is called “dat”, and works the protein in the mix to create a bouncy texture.
