Recipe(tried): Shrimp Toast

I hear my deep fry calling to me from the back room! I'll have to have a party if I succumb to its calls, as Dean Ornish would not approve of me eating a whole batch of these. These are really yummy, much smaller than the ones we enjoyed in Washington, DC's Chinatown, where they were the size of a hoagie roll! As always, it's a good idea to read the entire recipe through at least once before starting.

Shrimp Toast

1 pound small or medium shrimp
3 water chestnuts*
1 large scallion, white part only
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon dry sherry
1 large egg white, beaten until very foamy
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 quarter-sized slices peeled ginger
3 Tablespoons water
2 teaspoons sesame oil
8 thin slices stale white bread, at least 2 days old, the stale slices absorb less oil.
(I used to use the very thin, firm Pepperidge Farm white bread, don't know if they make it anymore)
4 cups oil

Shell the shrimp and devein if veins are large. Mince fine by chopping them into small pieces first, then mince with one or two cleavers or heavy knives until smooth. Or grind them, using the coarse blade, then follow by march-chopping until the consistency is smooth but not pureed. What you want is a smooth-textured consistency; not a pasty one. Place the minced shrimp in a large mixing bowl.

Smash the water chestnuts with the flat of a claver or heavy knife in a pulling motion; scrape up the pulp and mince it very fine. Cut the white section of a large scallion into fine shreds; hold the shreds together and chop very closely into fine pieces.

Add the water chestnuts, scallions, salt and sherry to the shrimp and mix in circular motions until well blended. Add the well-beaten egg white and stir in fast circular motions with a wooden spoon or chopsticks until smooth.

Measure the cornstarch into a bowl. Smash the ginger, scrape up the pulp, and mince it fine. Place this in a small bowl, add 3 Tablespoons water, and squash the ginger with the back of a small spoon or squeeze with your fingers. Filter the juice into the cornstarch through a fine strainer, pressing down with a spoon to extract the last of the liquid. Stir to dissolve the cornstarch, then pour over the shrimp, and stir in circular motions until the shrimp mixture is smooth and fluffy.

Trim the crusts from the bread and leave them whole or cut each into 2 triangles. Divide the shrimp mixture into appropriate portions.

Oil a table knife and spread the shrimp firmly over the bread, smoothing each portion into a nice mound. (Cover entire one side of bread, mounding a bit in the middle, thinner towards the edges) Cut each whole piece into 3 long strips or into 4 squares (leave the triangles as they are if you've made them).

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and have a shallow tray ready.

Heat a wok or wide, heavy pot over high heat until hot; add the oil and heat until it foams a cube of bread snappily, about 350 degrees F.

Slip in half of the shrimp toasts, shrimp side down, and deep-fry them for 2 minutes. Turn them over gently and fry for 45 seconds to 1 minute until the bread is brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels and place them on the tray to keep hot in the oven while you fry the second batch. Arrange them on a serving platter or tray and serve immediately.

Variation:
*If you don't have water chestnuts, substitute 1/2 cup finely minced iceberg or romaine lettuce ribs.

Two Tablespoons finely minced cooked Smithfield ham may be added for a stronger flavor.

Variation:
For a large cocktail party, cut 20 slices of very thin white bread with a 1 1/2-inch round cookie cutter into small disks. Divide the shrimp mixture into 40 portions and spread each portion over a disk, then press another disk lightly over the top to form them into 40 Shrimp Rounds.

Preheat the oven and heat oil as for Shrimp Toast, and deep-fry them 2 minutes on each side in 2 or 3 batches until the bread is brown and crisp.

You may deep-fry them for 1 1/2 minutes on each side just before the arrival of your guests, then reheat them for about 5 minutes in a 400 degree F. oven in batches for replenishment as your party continues.