Author Notes
Smooth and velvety shrimp filling laden with cured pork fat, ground ginger and fish sauce, stuffed between two super thinly sliced baguette and fried in butter...I mean would you mind? More detailed photos on:http://www.ladyandpups.com/2014/03/06/porky-gingery-shrimp-toasts-eng/
NOTE: It’s best to choose firm/snappy shrimps for the filling so it doesn’t taste mushy. For convenience and economic reasons, I would strongly recommend frozen medium-sized tiger shrimps that are already peeled and deveined. The weight for the shrimps were measured after thawing, which can be quite different than still frozen due to the amount of water they shed, so take note.
And if there was any confusion regarding what “fat-slab” is, it’s basically the fat-layer trimmed off of pancetta/guanciale/prosciutto. You can trim it off yourself, or simply go to the deli/cold-cut section in the market and ask for their trimming, which they were probably going to throw away anyways. They are flavor bombs of porky proportions. Do not underestimate them. —Mandy @ Lady and pups
Ingredients
- Porky shrimp filling:
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2 tablespoons
olive oil
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4
fillets of anchovy
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3
cloves of garlic, finely minced
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4 1/2 ounces
(about 130 grams) of peeled and deveined, medium tiger shrimp, plus 6 additional ounces shrimp
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2 1/2 ounces
(70 grams) of ground pork
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1 ounce
(30 grams) of trimmed fat-slabs from guanciale, or pancetta, or prosciutto
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1 teaspoon
cornstarch
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6 ounces
(170 grams) of peeled and deveined, medium tiger shrimp
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2 tablespoons
grated ginger
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3
scallions, finely diced
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2 teaspoons
fish sauce
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1/2 teaspoon
ground white pepper
- To make the shrimp toasts:
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1
loaf of baguette
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Unsalted butter at room-temperature
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White sesame seeds for sprinkling
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1
lemon
Directions
- Porky shrimp filling:
-
NOTE 2:
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TO MAKE THE FILLING: Heat up the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the anchovies and break them apart with a wooden spoon, and cook until they’ve melted into the oil. Add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant. Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool down completely. In a food-processor, purée 4 1/2 ounces (about 130 grams) of shrimp with ground pork, fat-slabs, and cornstarch into a smooth paste. Then add the remaining 6 ounces of shrimp and pulse just a few times until they are cut into large chunks. (Careful not to over-chop them because you want large pieces of shrimps throughout.) Transfer to a large bowl and add the cooled anchovy/garlic oil, grated ginger, diced scallions, fish sauce, and ground white pepper. Mix until evenly incorporated.
You can make the filling the day ahead, covered with plastic wrap and kept refrigerated.
- To make the shrimp toasts:
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Slice the baguette very thinly with a serrated knife, about 1/8-inch thick. Fill a generous amount of the shrimp filling in between two slices of baguette (I’d say the ratio between the bread and the filling is 1:2), and press it gently to help the bread stick to the filling. Repeat until you’re finished with all the fillings. Smear a good, shameless layer of unsalted butter on both sides of the toasts, and sprinkle lots of white sesame seeds on both sides.
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Heat up a large, flat-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Cook the toasts until golden brown on both sides, and until the filling is just cooked through. Careful not to over-heat the skillet -- if you do, the bread will burn before the filling’s cooked.
Serve the hot, crispy, and buttery shrimp toasts with a few wedges of lemon.
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