I made these fun little taco-shaped prawn toasts by cutting bread into rounds with a cookie cutter. Blitz the offcuts into breadcrumbs for your next eggplant parm.
The shape came originally from a vegan creator on TikTok who made them with a tofu mushroom filling. It was such a genius shape I had to make some with the classic filling.
What is prawn toast?
Prawn toast is a uniquely Hong Kong dish, made by combining prawn paste which is a popular ingredient in Cantonese cooking, with toast which was brought in from Western influences.
Typically prawn paste is spread on one side of the toast which is then topped with sesame seeds and fried. It’s usually made in a square shape then cut into triangles to serve.
You’ll find this dish at Hong Kong’s tea houses as part of their dim sum offering. Fun fact: dim sum refers to the plates of food on offer, while yum cha literally means ‘drink tea’.
Tips before you begin
- Cut white bread into rounds using a cookie cutter. The offcuts can be blended to make fresh breadcrumbs, or soaked in milk and added to meatballs.
- Use a small deep pot to fry these instead of a large shallow one so they have space to move around.
- You can also make these in the classic square shape by spreading the filling onto bread, coating in raw sesame seeds and frying. Just cut them into triangles once cooked.
- Make sure to use raw sesame seeds, pre-toasted ones will burn by the time the filling cooks.
Prawn sesame toasts
Ingredients
Instructions
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Add half the prawn meat, egg white, msg, salt, white pepper, spring onions, ginger and garlic to a small food processor. If you’re not using msg, add 1 tsp salt. Blitz until finely chopped and combined. Add to a bowl.
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Without cleaning the processor add the remaining prawn meat and pulse a few times to roughly chop the meat. Add to the same bowl and mix well to combine. Set aside in the fridge until ready to use.
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Cut the bread into circles using a large cookie cutter, save the offcuts for breadcrumbs or stuffing.
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Gently fold the bread in half like a taco, and spoon in 2-3 tbsp of the prawn mix. Smooth over with a spatula or spoon, then dip the exposed prawn side into a bowl of raw sesame seeds to evenly coat it.
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Set aside and repeat with the remaining slices of bread.
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Put a small pot of oil on medium heat. Add a square of bread and once the bread is golden and bubbling you’re ready to fry. Drop the prawn toasts in one at a time and fry in small batches for about 5 minutes, or until golden and cooked through. Make sure your oil isn’t too hot or they’ll burn before cooking through.
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Place on some paper towel or a wire rack to cool slightly. Serve with spicy mayo or your dipping sauce of choice.
