This French version of shrimp toast swaps the more traditional flavors you might find in other recipes with butter, bell pepper, and white wine. It’s got a thick, crunchy slice of pan-fried baguette with a PUNCH of shrimp flavor from the addition of shrimp paste. This recipe, a collaboration with Asian-Latino Chef Jona Won, is a fusion of our tastes and cultures.  

The first time I tried shrimp toast was through the Vice Munchies Test Kitchen. I found a container full of shrimp toast paste in their freezer. Brought it home, followed the cooking instructions, and 🤯   

Each bite was a harmony of crispy, sweet, and savory. Make this exact mind-blowing Easy Shrimp Toast recipe by Chef Mei Lin (then make my French variation to compare).  

I also met Jona at the Munchies Test Kitchen. He came in for a cooking interview while I was testing recipes. He asked me where we keep the butter, I asked him why he likes to cook. And it was a culinary connection ever since. 

Thanks to the powers of Instagram, we kept in touch and combined our culinary forces–Funky Foods and Hungry Wons–to bring you this fantastic shrimp toast recipe.

It was an impromptu dish. Jona had shrimp, baguette, and Chinese roots. I had shrimp paste, white wine, and French funk. The end result was a flavorful mixture of ground shrimp seasoned with sweet bell peppers, white wine, and garlic spread onto slices of pan-fried baguette.

It’s a Franken-food fusion between Chinese, American, and French influence. Served with Jona’s Pan-Seared Shrimp with Corn Relish, this dish is the perfect representation of who we are as chefs. 

It’s an absolute riot of a party appetizer. There will be no leftovers. But if you are lucky enough to have some, they can easily be reheated in the oven for tomorrow’s lunch.

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Who Are the Hungry Wons?

Peruvian + Chinese + Colombian foodie brothers = Hungry Wons. Andrew and Jona Won grew up in a mod podge of culture and just had to share their unique heritage with the world. 

In light of the COVID19 pandemic, the Won brothers were out of work and took the opportunity to go full force on the dream of starting a food brand.  

With their passion, sweat, and onion-induced tears, Hungry Wons was born–an exploration of Asian-Latino cuisine. They develop recipes and videos, do catering and cooking classes, and are even starting to produce their own labeled product (hopefully in stores soon!). 

Keep on the lookout for these guys, they have a vision and nothing is stopping them. 

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What Makes this Shrimp Toast French?

Chinese Shrimp Toast (Hatosi) uses ginger, sesame oil, and scallions. I replaced those key ingredients with garlic, white wine, and bell peppers. Finish it off with a pad of butter et voilà–Tartine de Crevette.

Some small diced celery or carrot would be a great substitute for the bell peppers. And if you’re cool with mixing seafood and cheese together, a nice shredded Gruyere or Swiss would take it to the next level! 

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Shrimp Paste Is the Secret

The secret to packing lots of umami flavor into your shrimp toast (or any shrimp recipe for that matter), is shrimp paste. It’s a popular Asian ingredient that adds fresh-from-the-sea taste to your favorite shrimp recipes. You can buy it in Asian markets or on Amazon! 

Learn more about shrimp paste and it’s culinary possibilities, here. 

French-Inspired Shrimp Toast with Shrimp Paste

MAKES About 20 Toasts  |  LEVEL Easy  |  FUNK Casual 

Mise en Place

For the Shrimp Toast:

• 1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp (thawed if frozen) 
• 2 tablespoons cold butter
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar 
• 1 garlic clove, minced 
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch, or potato starch 
• 1 tablespoon shrimp paste
• 1 tablespoon dry white wine 
• 1 egg 
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• ½ cup small diced bell pepper
• 2 French baguette
• Neutral oil, for frying 

For Garnish:

• Lemon wedges
• Fresh chopped parsley

Serve with Pan-Seared Shrimp and Corn Relish

Cook’s Note–some shredded Gruyere cheese mixed into the shrimp mixture will take this to the next level.

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1. Make the Shrimp Mixture.

Place the shrimp, butter, sugar, cornstarch, garlic, shrimp paste, white wine, egg, and salt & pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until almost a paste, but some chunks of shrimp remain. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the bell peppers. Refrigerate until ready to use.

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2. Toast the Bread. 

Heat the oven to 200°F. Slice the bread into 2-inch thick pieces on a diagonal. Place on a sheet tray and bake until slightly dry but still soft, about 15 minutes. 

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3. Test the Shrimp Mixture. 

Heat neutral oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Fry off a tablespoon of the shrimp mixture until puffed and cooked through, 2 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.

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4. Assemble the Toast.

Spread the shrimp mixture into an even layer onto one side of each of the slices of baguette, right up to the edges. 

TIP: Jona suggests dusting a little extra cornstarch on top of the shrimp mixture before frying. Makes it more crispy!

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5. Fry the toast.

Heat 1-inch of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, fry the baguette, shrimp-side down until cooked through, about 1 minute. Flip and cook until the baguette is golden brown. Transfer to a cutting board to cool slightly. Finish with freshly squeezed lemon juice and a sprinkle of parsley. 

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LEFTOVERS

Looking for other ways to repurpose your extra Shrimp Toast Mixture?

• Pan-fried Shrimp Patty
• Use it as a Dumpling filling

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VARIATIONS

Dobanjiang Variation: Replace shrimp paste with 1 tablespoon Doubanjiang.

Miso Butter Variation: Replace shrimp paste and butter with 2 tablespoons Miso Butter.

Black Garlic Variation: Replace garlic and shrimp paste with 1 clove Black Garlic.  

 

Did you make this recipe? 

Snap a pic and post on Instagram. 

Tag @hungrywons and @kitchen.tessting and hashtag it #hungrywons and #funkyfoods.