Shrimp Toast
Inspired by the classic Chinese takeout dish, this easy shrimp toast recipe is pan fried with garlic, ginger and sesame. This flavorful appetizer only takes a few minutes to make and is perfect for serving with your favorite dipping sauce.

A few weeks ago, I had every intention of reshooting my cilantro lime shrimp recipe, which I’ve been wanting to do forever, and a paella recipe for my Friday Night dinner series. But, I accidentally came home with a bag of tail-off shrimp.
I know that they’re an idea choice for cooking because no one really wants to deal with tails, those tails make for some pretty pictures. Rather than make photos I didn’t love, I decided to test out a few recipes that were perfect for tail-off shrimp, and they turned out fantastic.
I made shrimp cakes – inspired by my favorite fish cakes – with mango aioli and shrimp toast. Both turned out great, and I promise to share the shrimp cakes as soon as I can get the photographed.

What is shrimp toast?
Shrimp toast is a classic Chinese takeout dish. It’s basically bread smothered in a super flavorful shrimp paste that’s fried until it’s crispy.
Shrimp toast definitely not healthy, but it’s one of my favorite shrimp appetizers. It’s a fun appetizer to change things up for a party and it’d be perfect to serve as an accompaniment to your favorite Chinese chicken and broccoli or kung pao chicken.
More dairy free shrimp recipes: homemade cocktail sauce / shrimp salad / Moroccan shrimp / shrimp fettuccini

Here’s what you’ll need
- Food processor
- Cutting board
- Chef’s knife
- Large skillet
How to make Chinese shrimp toast
Make a shrimp paste. The base of this recipe is bread, but you need to make a paste/spread of shrimp to top it. I recommend doing this in a food processor to save yourself time, but you can also minced the shrimp by hand if you want, or if you don’t have a food processor.
Combine all of the paste ingredients in the food processor and blend until almost smooth. I think it’s nice to a have a few chunks of shrimp left, but you could make it completely smooth if you prefer it that way. Next, stir in your green onions.

Assemble and fry your toast. Cut your bread slices into triangles and spread the shrimp paste on top. If you want, you can sprinkle sesame seeds on top for a little extra visual interest, but it isn’t necessary.
Next, heat your pan to medium-high and add some canola oil. Place the shrimp toasts face down and fry them until they’re golden brown. Flip them, and brown the bottom side.
When they’re done, transfer them to a plate and tent with foil while you finish the remaining toasts.
What to serve with shrimp toast
Serve your shrimp toast immediately while it’s hot, or pop it into the oven to keep warm (at about 200˚F) until you’re ready to serve. I like to serve my shrimp toast on it’s own with a lemon wedge, but it’s traditional served with sweet chili sauce. This cocktail sauce recipe would be really great, too.

More appetizer recipes:
More shrimp recipes:
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Shrimp Toast
Inspired by the classic Chinese takeout dish, this easy shrimp toast recipe is pan fried with garlic, ginger and sesame. This flavorful appetizer only takes a few minutes to make and is perfect for serving with your favorite dipping sauce.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 pound peeled, deveined shrimp (no tails)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon ginger
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced or chopped green onions
- 12 slices white sandwich bread, halved diagonally
- 3 – 4 tablespoons canola oil
- Sesame seeds, for garnish
Instructions
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine shrimp, cornstarch, egg, ginger and salt. Pulse until a chunky paste has formed. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in green onions until evenly distributed.
- Spread mixture onto one side of each bread triangle. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add canola oil. Place bread, shrimp side down into pan and fry until golden. Turn toasts, and brown the other side.
- Remove from pan and tent with foil. Repeat until all pieces have been toasted.
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Chinese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 pieces
- Calories: 194
- Sugar: 1.2g
- Sodium: 969mg
- Fat: 6.4g
- Saturated Fat: 0.6g
- Carbohydrates: 14.3g
- Fiber: 0.8g
- Protein: 18.4g
- Cholesterol: 141mg
Keywords: shrimp toast
Published: December 17, 2018. Updated: November 5, 2021.
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