Indian Shrimp Toast. Buttery bread topped with a quick fiery indian masala shrimp. A simple yet elegant appetizer. These toasts are so wonderful with some drinks for entertaining. They are just delicious with a blast of textures - crisp bread, succulent shrimp and fiery bite of green chillies.
When planning a menu for entertaining, I pay utmost attention to appetizers and dessert. Ofcourse, dinner is important too but the first and the closing impression (food wise) do play an important role in how successful a party is.
These shrimp toast are based on the idea of cantonese shrimp toasts. However I make the Indian style shrimp topping with shrimp in a onion tomato ginger garlic masala. I add a few curry leaves because I love their flavor with shrimp. If you have sea food lovers in the house these flavorful toasts will be a huge hit.
I wanted to use small or medium shrimp but could not find any so I used large sized.If you use a large size shrimp , cut it up in bite size pieces. The recipe is pretty simple and quick. Make sure that that everything is chopped small since the cooking time is not too long. Also if you are using frozen shrimp, thaw them properly and make sure that they are fully dry before adding to the pan else the filling will become watery.
How Do I Make Shrimp Toast?
Start by toasting the baguette or slices of white bread under a broiler for 4-5 minutes until light brown. Take a pan or heavy skillet and proceed to make the masala of onion, tomatoes, garlic, curry leaves and powdered spices as outlined in the recipe. Keep the masala slightly saucy so that you are able to spread it over the bread.
Once the masala is ready, turn the heat to low and add the thawed shrimp. They cook pretty fast. Slather masala on the baguette and spoon over the shrimp. Add fresh green chili (or jalapeno slices), some chopped cilantro and squirt lemon juice. Serve immediately.
Few Tips & Tricks
- Thaw the shrimp before using. Dry the thawed shrimp in between paper towel before adding to the masala else the topping will be watery.
- You can rub the baguette with garlic cloves for a nice garlicky flavor.
- You can mix scallops in this topping instead of just using shrimp.
Indian Shrimp Toast
Ingredients
- 6 slices white bread, sides removed or 12 baguette slices
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoon oil
- ¼ cup finely chopped onion
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
- 2 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
- 4-5 curry leaves, finely chopped
- 1 large tomato, finely chopped
- 2-3 thai green chillies, finely chopped (adjust to taste) bird
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- pinch of sugar
- 1 lb small shrimp
- ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 2-3 tablespoon unsweetened full fat coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
- Lemon jice to taste
Instructions
- Drizzle oil on the bread slices and brown them for 3-5 minutes under a broiler till lightly browned .
- In a pan or skillet, heat up the oil. Add onions, ginger and garlic to the oil all at once and saute for 2 minutes on medium heat. We dont want to brown these but the raw smell should go away.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste and green chilies next along with the spice powders & sugar. On medium heat saute for 4-5 minutes, stir a few times in between to make sure nothing is sticking to the pan. Let cook till the tomatoes cook and become jammy and you see tiny oil bubbles on sides of pan. Add coconut milk and stir for 2 minutes. Dont dry out too much.
- Once the masala has cooked nicely, lower the heat and add the shrimp and salt. Gently mix so that all the shrimp is coated in masala and let cook for 3-4 minutes till the shrimp are white and cooked through. Dont rush cooking the shrimp else they will turn rubbery. You should have a saucy(not runny) masala coating the shrimp at the end of cooking.
- Switch off the stove, mix in the lemon juice, chopped cilantro and bread crumbs. You can add a pinch of garam masala as well if you wish.
- Spoon the shrimp on toasted bread. Add few cilantro, green chillies or scallions and serve warm.
Notes
- If you are using frozen shrimp, thaw them properly and make sure to pat them dry before adding to the pan. we dont want any extra liquid while cooking.
- Add chilli flakes instead of green chillies if you wish.
- You can temper the oil with ¼ teaspoon black mustard seeds as well at the start of cooking.
Leave a Reply