Prawn Toast by Dan Hong

Dan Hong’s Garlic Bread Prawn Toasts - Instagram

500 g raw prawn meat, peeled and deveined

½ tsp sugar

½ tsp salt

½ tsp sesame oil

½ tsp Japanese kombu extract (can be omitted)

1 eggwhite

1 stick store bought garlic bread

1 cup panko crumbs

Vegetable, grapeseed or rice bran oil for deep frying

Relish Sauce

1 tbsp capers, roughly chopped

¼ cup cornichons, roughly chopped

1 spring onion, sliced

2 tbsp Kewpie mayonnaise

1 tbsp Siracha chilli sauce

INSTRUCTIONS 

Roughly chop half the prawns, place in a medium sized bowl and stir through ¼ tsp sugar, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp sesame oil and ¼ tsp Japanese kombu extra if using. 

Place the remaining prawns, sugar, salt, sesame oil, Japanese kombu extract and egg white in a small food processor and blend until smooth. 

Combine the prawn paste with the chopped prawns in the bowl. You may want to take a small scoop and cook in a frying pan to check the seasoning. Cover and rest in the fridge for 20 minutes minimum. 

Place the garlic bread on a chopping board and cut between the precut slits. Once you have done this to the whole loaf, cut where the slits are and have the garlic butter side face up. 

Using a butter knife, generously top each slice of garlic bread with the prawn mixture, so that the ratio of bread to prawns is about the same. Shape the mixture so that mixture comes right to the edges of the bread. Dip the prawn side into panko crumbs. (Toasts can be kept in the fridge over night at this stage if required). 

Pour oil into a wok until one-third full. Heat until a small piece of bread dropped into oil sizzles. Cook toasts, in batches, prawn side down, for 3 minutes. Turn and cook for a further 1 minute or until golden. Remove to a wire rack over a baking tray. Keep warm in oven while cooking remaining prawn toasts.

To make the relish, combine all ingredients together in a small bowl. 

Serve prawn toasts with relish and enjoy!

Gourmet Travelers version

INGREDIENTS

1 large sourdough loaf

For sprinkling: sesame seeds

For deep-frying: vegetable oil

Prawn mousse

600 gm uncooked prawn meat

1 eggwhite

1 tbsp sesame oil

3 tsp caster sugar

2 tsp fine salt

2 tbsp thinly sliced coriander stems

Yuzu mayonnaise

1 egg yolk

15 ml yuzu juice (see note)

1/3 tsp yuzukosh (see note)

1 small garlic clove, finely grated

170 ml grapeseed oil

Nuoc cham

70 gm sugar

70 ml white vinegar

70 ml fish sauce

3½ tsp lime juice

Herb salad

1 small handful of coriander leaves, picked

1 small handful of round mint leaves

1 small handful of Vietnamese mint leaves

2 spring onions, thinly sliced

For prawn mousse, put ingredients in a food processor and pulse to a coarse paste. Resist the urge to make it too smooth because you want texture. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to firm up.

For yuzu mayonnaise, put ingredients except the oil into a small food processor. Process until smooth. With the motor running, pour in the oil in a slow and steady stream. The mixture should start to emulsify and make a mayonnaise. Season with salt to taste.

Cut the ends off the bread and slice it into 8mm slices. Spread the prawn mousse in a 1cm layer on the slices with a butter knife. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Fill a heavy-based saucepan to a third full with oil and heat to 180C or until a cube of bread dropped into the oil turns golden in 15 seconds. Fry each piece of toast separately until golden and prawn mousse is cooked (3-5 minutes). Check if the mousse is fully cooked. If not, deep-fry the toast for another minute or two. Drain on paper towels, then cut each toast into 4-5 slices.

For the nuoc cham, whisk together ingredients and 70ml water until the sugar has dissolved. This sauce can be kept in a sterilised jar in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

For herb salad, mix the herbs and spring onions in a bowl, then dress with 2½ tbsp nuoc cham (reserve remainder for another use).

To serve, top each piece of toast with yuzu mayonnaise and garnish with fresh herb salad.