How to Make the Ultimate Shrimp Toast

Why It Matters

The approach offers a healthier, oil‑reduced way to produce authentic shrimp toast, expanding its appeal to modern diners and enabling scalable preparation in restaurants.

Key Takeaways

• Use baking soda and salt to keep shrimp juicy.
• Combine egg white, lard, and cornstarch for cohesive mousse.
• Shape toast with square or ring molds for visual variety.
• Pan‑fry using unidirectional cooking for even texture, less oil.
• Finish with sesame seeds and dipping sauce for balanced flavor.

Summary

The video walks viewers through a refined shrimp toast recipe, a Hong Kong dim‑sum staple reimagined with a pan‑fry technique inspired by Mr. Jews in San Francisco’s Chinatown. Instead of deep‑frying, the chef treats peeled shrimp with salt and baking soda to boost moisture, then creates a bouncy mousse using egg white, lard, and cornstarch, folding in diced shrimp, water chestnuts, ginger, scallions and cilantro for texture and freshness. The mousse is spread onto slices of Japanese milk bread, shaped into squares or rings, coated with sesame seeds, and cooked using unidirectional heat—first on the mousse side, then briefly toasted on the bread side—resulting in a crisp exterior and fluffy interior without greasiness. This method preserves the classic flavor profile while cutting oil, delivering a lighter, more delicate bite that even seasoned diners note requires little to no sauce, highlighting the success of the technique and its potential for home cooks and professional kitchens alike.

Original Description

Shrimp toast, or shrimp mousses spread over fluffy milk bread and fried, is a great example of Hong Kong’s unique blend of Eastern and Western influences.

ChefSteps’ version of the crispy, savory snack reflects how it has evolved as it’s been adopted across the world; it combines a Hong Kong-style shrimp mousse, super soft and fluffy Japanese shokupan milk bread, and the crunchy sesame seed coating that was popularized in the U.K. and Australia.

In this video, Chef Tim Chin walks you through how to dry brine the shrimp for the perfect texture, incorporate water chestnuts for added crunch, and toast—rather than deep-fry—the bread for a crispy result that isn’t greasy at all.

0:00 – Intro

0:58 – Season shrimp

1:41 – Make shrimp mousse

7:06 – Assemble shrimp toast

12:00 – Pan-fry toasts

15:00 – Slice & serve

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Recipe:

Shrimp Toast: https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/shrimp-toast

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