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Robert St. John

Restaurateur, author, enthusiastic traveler, & world-class eater.

Shrimp Toast with Plum Dipping Sauce

My first exposure to shrimp toast wasn’t at an Oriental restaurant, but at the first catering party I ever worked as a server/cook. The caterer asked me to prepare a shrimp-toast recipe from one of Martha Stewart’s early books, and I ate most of them before she had a chance to serve them to the guests. These take a little work, but they are well worth the effort. For an added bonus, serve both the plum dipping sauce and the pepper-jelly dipping sauce.

Ingredients

1/2 pound              medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1                               large egg white

1 /4                         cup minced green onion

1                              Tbsp chopped cilantro

1 /8                         tsp cayenne pepper

1 /2 tsp                  soy sauce

1 /4 tsp                  fresh chopped ginger

1 /8 tsp                 minced garlic

1 /4                        teaspoon creole seasoning

1 /8 tsp                 salt

1 /2 tsp                 sesame oil

2 Tbsp                  sesame oil

2                            large egg yolks

1 Tbsp                  rice vinegar

1 tsp                      soy sauce

1 Tbsp                  sherry

2 Tbsp                 water

12 slices              white bread, crusts removed

6 tsp                    vegetable oil

Parsley, for garnish

 

Instructions

Place the shrimp, egg white, onion, cilantro, cayenne, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, creole seasoning, salt and 1 /2 teaspoon of the sesame oil in a food processor and pulse 2 or 3 times to finely chop. Do not puree.

Put egg yolk, remaining 2 tablespoons sesame oil, vinegar, soy sauce, sherry and water in a shallow bowl and whisk to blend.

Spread equal amounts of the shrimp mixture.

Heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Dip toasts in egg mixture, coating evenly on both sides. Place them a few at a time, shrimp side down first and fry until golden brown, about 4 minutes on each side. Remove from the skillet. Repeat the process with the remaining 3 tablespoons vegetable oil and toasts.

Serve with the shrimp side up.

Slice each sandwich into 2 triangles, place on a serving plate and garnish with parsley

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