Juicy Prawn Toast
MAKES 12 PIECES
What’s not to love about prawn toast? This crunchy, juicy and incredibly easy yum cha classic is flavourful enough to wow any foodie. The main ingredients are leftover bread and frozen prawns so it makes an excellent snack (ready in under 15 minutes!), or rustle some up when guests pop over and you want to impress.
Juicy Prawn Toast - a recipe by Sam Low from his cookbook Modern Chinese Photo: Melanie Jenkins / Flash Studios
Ingredients
- 300 g (10½ oz) raw prawn meat (fresh or frozen)
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- pinch of white pepper
- 1 egg white
- 6 thick slices of bread, crust removed if desired (use soft white loaf or sourdough)
- 3 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 200 ml (7 fl oz) cooking oil for frying
- Japanese-style mayonnaise to serve (optional)
Method
If using frozen prawns, thaw in a medium-sized bowl of cold water, soaking the prawns until soft. When thawed, pour out the water and remove the shells (if using whole prawns). Pat dry with a paper towel. Devein the prawns by cutting a small slit across the back to expose the vein and pulling it out to discard. Use a cleaver or a chef ’s knife to chop the prawns into a paste (I like to keep it a little chunky for texture). Alternatively, put the prawn meat into a small food processor or chopper and blitz into a paste (but not too smooth). Season with the sesame oil, salt, sugar and white pepper, then, using chopsticks or your clean fingers, mix in the egg white in a circular motion for about 2 minutes. The paste will thicken as you mix. Evenly spread 2–3 tablespoons of prawn paste on each bread slice and sprinkle over the sesame seeds to cover the top. Lightly pat the sesame seeds down so they stick, and shake off the excess. In a large pan, heat the oil to 170ºC (325ºF), or until the oil bubbles around a wooden chopstick when you dip it in. Shallowfry the prawn toast over a medium heat for about 3 minutes on each side. Cut each slice on the diagonal and serve with mayonnaise.
THE LOWDOWN: Clean and chop or blitz the prawns into a paste and mix with the seasoning. Spread on sliced bread, top with sesame seeds and shallow-fry in oil for about 3 minutes on each side. 15–20 minutes.