These Easy Shrimp Toasts Are A Must-Make This Holiday Season

helo.my: For many, recipes described as "fusion" can bring to mind culturally diluted, gimmicky, or overdone combinations of foods. But those who have tried crispy, golden shrimp toasts can attest: Fusion isn't always a bad thing.

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Thought to have been created in Guangzhou (or Shandong, depending on whom you ask), China about a century ago, shrimp toast combines traditional Chinese shrimp paste with Western white bread to create one of the earliest fusion foods. Today, it is a popular item on dim sum menus, and as an appetizer throughout the US, UK, Australia, Japan, and parts of Southeast Asia. Try the recipe below and you'll understand why this cocktail-hour staple has stood the test of time.

Made these? Let us know how it went in the comment section below!

Yields: 12

Prep Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• 1/3 c. Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp. Prepared horseradish, drained
• 1/2 lb. medium shrimp, cleaned and deveined
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 large egg white
• 1 tsp. Grated or finely minced fresh ginger
• 1/2 tsp. Toasted sesame oil
• 3/4 tsp. Kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. Granulated sugar (optional)
• 1/4 tsp. Fish sauce (optional)
• 6 slices bread, crusts removed, very lightly toasted
• Vegetable oil, for frying

Directions

1. Make sauce: in a small bowl, whisk together mustard and horseradish. Set aside.
2. If shrimp have tails, remove and discard them. Add shrimp to the bowl of a food processor and pulse into a sticky paste. (Some small pieces of shrimp are ok!) Reserve a small amount of scallions for garnish and add the rest to the food processor along with the egg white, ginger, sesame oil, salt, and optional sugar and fish sauce. Blend until combined.
3. Divide shrimp mixture evenly between pieces of bread, spreading in an even layer all the way to the edge of each piece. Cut each square in half diagonally to create 12 triangles.
4. Heat about ½ inch of vegetable oil in a large, high-sided skillet over medium-high heat. The oil is ready when vigorous bubbles form around a piece of bread or the end of a wooden spoon when dipped in. (If using a thermometer, bring the oil up to 375°.)
5. Carefully place 4 toasts in the hot oil shrimp side-down and fry until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip and continue cooking until bread is golden and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes more. Remove from oil and place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain, shrimp side up. Repeat process with remaining toasts.
6. Serve toasts garnished with remaining scallions, with mustard sauce on the side.