Somehow, I’d forgotten all about this recipe until now. I was looking through my recipe box for an appetizer to make and came across my recipe for these crispy little nuggets of seafoody goodness. I used to make Shrimp Toast for parties all the time when I was newly married. Finding this recipe instantly brought back memories of parties past….. a baby shower for my first born….. a birthday party where we danced all night….. lots of good times.
The name “Shrimp Toast” usually brings to mind those little triangles of fried bread with a shrimp mixture mounded on top. This recipe is different in that the bread is flattened with a rolling pin, spread with the shrimp mixture, then rolled into logs. The logs are fried until golden brown and then each log is cut into four little bite-sized rolls. One loaf of bread makes a lot of little shrimp rolls. For example, if your loaf has 15 slices of bread, you’ll end up with 60 little appetizers. It sounds like a lot, but believe me, they go fast! Everytime I make these, the little rolls are completely wiped out!
SHRIMP TOAST
- 1¼ lb. raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
- 2 stalks green onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tbsp. minced ginger
- 3 large egg whites
- 4 tsp. Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
- 1 tbsp. sesame oil
- 2 tbsp. cornstarch
- 1 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. ground white pepper
- 1 loaf day-old white sandwich bread
- canola oil for deep-frying
- Place shrimp, green onion, ginger, egg whites, rice wine, sesame oil, cornstarch, salt, and pepper into the workbowl of a food processor.
- Process until the mixture forms a paste, stopping a couple of times to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Trim the crusts from the bread.
- With a rolling pin, roll each bread slice to a little less than ¼-inch thick.
- Spread a layer of the shrimp mixture about ⅛-inch thick on each slice of bread, leaving about a half-inch of one side free.
- Roll each bread slice into a little log and place seam side down on a plate. The shrimp mixture should squeeze out to reach the free edge as you roll. If the mixture doesn’t reach the free edge, just smear a thin layer of shrimp mixture on it and press it closed to seal.
- Pour about 2 inches of oil into a wok or high-sided frying pan and heat to 350ºF.
- Working with 3 or 4 rolls at a time, slide rolls into the oil and fry until golden brown.
- Remove from oil with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
- Cut each roll into 4 bite-sized pieces using a serrated knife.
- Serve warm with sweet-and-sour sauce or with a sweet chili sauce like Mae Ploy.
NOTE: This recipe can be prepared a day or two in advance. Just follow the recipe all the way to Step 6, then stack the rolls in an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to fry. I have never tried freezing the rolls, but I can’t imagine why that wouldn’t work if you needed to make them a week or two ahead of time for some reason. If you try freezing them, post a comment and let me know how they turned out.
Pinky's Pantry 