Shrimp Toast (麵包蝦仁)

Today, I'm pleased to present another creation from the Joyce Chen Cook Book. Shrimp toast is a Cantonese dim sum item I've had a few times in restaurants, but never thought about making at home until now. Like most of Chen's recipes, it's quite simple, but satisfying, and uses ingredients easily found in American supermarkets. Everything in the recipe stores well, so it's another good "Corona Cuisine" option. The Chinese name mianbao xiaren translates to "bread shrimp meat." Once such a thing is possible again, I think these would be great party food to pass around with some cold beers.

The texture of the cooked shrimp mixture is best described as "springy." It's quite unique to and common in Chinese food. Western recipes for ground meat dishes, like hamburgers or meatballs, often warn against overmixing to maintain a loose texture. Chinese meatballs, on the other hand, are dense and springy. The bacon is a clever shortcut to incorporating some fat into the mixture, while also adding flavor. The minced water chestnuts are a great addition, as you get little pockets of crunchiness every now and then. My only real complaint about the dish is that the bread absorbed too much oil and got a little soggy on the bottom. This could be a combination of the very basic supermarket white bread I used and my decision to rest them on paper towels instead of a rack. As such, I'd recommend the latter.

I have basically reproduced Chen's recipe, but with more detailed instructions. She only says to grind the meat with no technique mentioned. The food processor got this done efficiently. Mincing very aggressively with a knife would probably work, as well. As usual, Chen adds some MSG here, which I don't have on hand. Also notable from the book is that there is a companion recipe for shrimp balls, which use the same shrimp mixture, but formed into balls and deep fried. I didn't try that, but it would provide a gluten-free option, if you're into that kind of thing.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. shelled and cleaned shrimp (about 1 1/4 lb. while still frozen with shells)
• 2 strips bacon
• 3 oz. water chestnuts, drained and minced (about 5 water chestnuts)
• 1 tsp. Shaoxing wine or Amontillado
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. MSG (optional)
• 10 slices white sandwich bread
• Vegetable oil

Equipment

• Food processor

Instructions

An hour before cooking, place the food processor bowl and blade in the freezer. Cut each strip of bacon into about 4 large pieces. Place shrimp and bacon in the food processor and pulse into a paste. Combine the shrimp paste with water chestnuts, wine, salt, and MSG (if using) in a bowl and mix thoroughly.

Cut the crusts off the bread and save for another use. Place a glob of the shrimp mixture on each bread slice. Dip a knife in water and spread the shrimp mixture into a smooth, even layer all the way to the edge of each slice. 

Pour vegetable oil into a skillet (I used a 10-inch cast iron skillet), 1 inch deep, and heat to about 350 degrees F. Carefully drop the bread into the oil, shrimp side down. The bread should be floating in the oil. Cook until the edges are golden brown. 

Turn over and cook until the bottom side is brown. Remove to a wire rack (I used a paper towel-lined plate, and ended up with soggy bottoms) to drain. I worked in batches of 2-3 pieces. Use a large knife to cut into triangles with a sawing motion.

Shrimp toast will keep in a bag in the refrigerator for a few days and reheats well in a toaster oven.