Chesapeake Shrimp Toast
April 8, 2019 by Nicole Collins
Question…where do you guys get your best ideas?
Is it in the bathroom? Is it in your car? Is it in your dreams?
For me, it’s in the shower.
Here’s the thing though, my memory is not as reliable as it used to be. Quite frankly, it’s awful. I forget things as quickly as I think of them. And, I’m not known for being the fastest shower taker.
Who am I kidding? That was too politely put. Truthfully, I take really long showers. I always have. But, I take care of a lot of business in there like putting on full concerts and daydreaming up million dollar ideas! So that combined with the long thick head of hair that I have to wash, 30 minute showers are really pretty conservative if you ask me.
The problem with the combination of great ideas, bad memory, and long showers is that I often forget the great idea by the time I get out of my long shower. But, I found the perfect solution about a month ago when I was reading one of those Buzzfeed lists on Facebook about the list of products you didn’t know you needed. That list led me to a waterproof note pad and pencil set that you can stick right in your shower. This is perfect for anyone that does their best thinking in the shower, so of course I had to get it.
And this little notepad has been a lifesaver! I oftentimes have to write down tasks for me to remember to do them, so no more forgotten chores or recipes getting lost in the depths of my brain!
Today’s recipe is the first recipe that was rescued by this little shower note pad. And boy, we should all be glad it was.
Today, we’re making Chesapeake Shrimp Toast!
Have you guys ever had shrimp toast before? You can usually find it on the appetizer list at your local Chinese food spot. Shrimp toast is basically just ground shrimp mixed with some egg and other Asian flavors, spread on bread, then pan fried or deep fried until the shrimp is cooked through and the bread is golden. I certainly prefer it pan fried. Deep fried is a little too greasy for me. And, that says a lot; because I do love fried foods (though I don’t love making them myself).
In today’s shrimp toast, we’re ditching the frying oil and baking our appetizers!
We start with a nice, thick cut bread. I used some French brioche bread that I had leftover from making this Crunchberry French Toast. But, Texas toast or sliced baguette would work perfectly for this too. If you use sliced baguette, make sure it’s not sliced any more than ½ inch thick. And, keep in mind that you’re obviously going to spread less of our shrimp mix on top of the bread since there’s a lot less surface area. No matter which bread you choose, it’s going to be delicious!
For our shrimp mix, we’re going to stray from traditional Asian flavors and Maryland this up a bit. We start by running some peeled, deveined, and thawed shrimp through the food processor. It only needs a pulse or two, and the shrimp will be finely chopped into a spreadable form. I’m not going to lie to you, ground shrimp is not the prettiest thing you’ll ever look at. But after we add some magical ingredients; spread it on some bread; and toast it in the oven; you’ll forget all about that ground shrimp.
In place of the traditional egg, we’re going to use an egg based product to hold our shrimp mix together: mayo! Mayo mixed with a spoonful of softened cream cheese adds a nice creamy richness to this toast. We also add minced garlic, fresh parsley, a mix of cheddar and mozzarella cheese, and (of course) Old Bay to complete our aromatics and flavor enhancers. Now, some people are totally against the seafood/cheese combo, but I personally love it. The cheese helps to blend everything together, and you can barely tell it’s there on this toast.
The finished product is a creamy, crunchy, salty, garlicky amazing bite. You can serve these toasts cut in half, in quarters, or on sliced baguette like I mentioned earlier. Either way, this is a good appetizer portion for about 4-5 people. And, the recipe is very easily doubled or tripled for a larger crowd.
Ok everyone! Go ahead and tell me how excited you are that I wrote this recipe down and didn’t forget it. Let me hear it. Come on!
Enjoy, and let’s eat!
Chesapeake Shrimp Toast
Serves: 10 toasts Print
Ingredients:
8 oz shrimp, peeled and deveined (thawed if frozen)
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp cream cheese, softened
1 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
½ tsp Old Bay, plus more for dusting
1/8 cup shredded mozzarella
1/8 cup shredded cheddar
5 slices Texas toast or thick cut bread
olive oil cooking spray
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil and spray with olive oil cooking spray. Arrange bread slices spaced apart on the tray.
Place shrimp in a food processor. Pulse 2-3 times in short pulses until shrimp is finely chopped (similar texture to a wet ground meat). Transfer to a mixing bowl. Add mayonnaise, cream cheese, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper, Old Bay, and both cheeses. Stir to combine.
Spread about ¼ cup shrimp mix on top of each piece of bread, crust to crust. Bake for 8-10 minutes until shrimp are cooked through. Switch the oven to broil, and broil for 1-2 mins until cheese is bubbly and starting to brown. Remove from oven, and slice toasts in half diagonally. Garnish with a dusting of Old Bay, if desired. Serve!
Recipe notes:
*You can also make mini toasts by slicing baguette about ½ inch thick, and spreading the shrimp mix on the baguette. You'll use a lot less shrimp mix per bread slice, so you'll get more appetizers! Just make sure to spread enough on top to cover the bread, and the cook time will be the same.
*Making ground shrimp in the food processor can go from perfect to too mushy quickly. You really do not need any more than 2-3 short pulses. We still want the shrimp to have a little bit of texture on our toasts.
*I prefer to use whipped cream cheese instead of waiting for cream cheese to soften, but you can use whichever for this recipe.
The Yummy Muffin is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. I provide links to products that I use by my own choice, and all opinions are my own. Thank you for your support!
