Prawn toast recipe

Prawn toasts are probably our favourite Chinese starter and they're much easier to make than you might think. 

This recipe is such a classic from a Chinese takeaway order, but there's no need to pick up the phone to get your fix. They really are fantastically quick and easy to make at home. This recipe makes eight pieces - enough for four as part of a mixed starter with some satay chicken, or as a side dish. They're ready in just 20 minutes - probably quicker than ordering in. Unlike the takeaway version, these prawn toasts aren't deep fried, making them quite a bit healthier too. And you don't need any specialist ingredients either - you can buy everything you need in a regular supermarket. 

Ingredients

• 175g raw prawns, roughly chopped
• ½ garlic clove, roughly chopped
• ½ tsp ginger, peeled and chopped
• 1 small egg white, beaten
• 1 spring onion, chopped
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 4 slices of bread (crusts removed), or 8 rounds of French stick
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• Sweet chilli sauce, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Whizz the prawns, garlic, ginger, egg white, spring onions and light soy sauce to a paste in a food processor. Chill the prawn paste in the refrigerator for at least 20 mins
2. Toast the bread on one side, then lightly brush the untoasted side with the sesame oil
3. Spread the prawn paste evenly over the toasted side of the bread and sprinkle with sesame seeds
4. Place the toasts on an oven rack and cook in a preheated oven, 240ºC/475ºF/ gas mark 9, for about 10 mins or until the prawn paste is cooked and the toasts are crisp and browned. If using bread slices, cut in half diagonally. Serve with some sweet chilli sauce for dipping, if liked.

Top tip for making prawn toasts

To make prawn toast canapés, cut the crusts of slices of white slices of bread, cut into four triangles and proceed - this makes daintier toasts.

Make sure you keep a very close eye on the toasts while they're cooking, as it's a very hot oven, so they will go from crisp and golden to frazzled very quickly.

Are prawn toasts usually fried?

Prawn toasts you get from a Chinese takeaway are usually fried in a shallow pan of hot oil. You can cook your prawn toasts in this way (you will get a lovely, crisp crust) but it's more fiddly and the results are quite high in fat. If you'd prefer to cook them this way, heat enough oil to cover the bottom of a frying pan to a depth of 1cm. Place on piece of prawn toast in the pan, prawn side down and cook for 1-2 minutes until golden. Flip and repeat.

Can I use cooked prawns instead of raw?

While it would be possible to use cooked prawns, you will get a much better texture for your prawn paste by using raw prawns, so we don't recommend it. 

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