Shrimp Toast Sandwiches with Crispy Fried Eggs and Kewpie Slaw
By Andrew Zimmern
This is what happens when shrimp toast and an ebi katsu sando collide. A gingery shrimp mixture gets pressed onto soft Japanese milk bread, breaded and fried until outrageously crisp, then topped with a fried egg and a bright, lemony Savoy cabbage slaw. The contrast is the whole point… crispy, juicy, rich, bright. This one is the real real.
Shrimp Toast Sandwiches
Ingredients
For the Shrimp Toast
- 1 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
- 1 garlic clove, finely grated
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 8 slices Japanese milk bread
- 1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- Neutral oil, for frying
For the Kewpie Cabbage Slaw
- 3 cups finely shredded Savoy cabbage
- 1/3 cup roughly chopped cilantro
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup Kewpie mayonnaise
- Juice of 1 lemon, plus more to taste
- Kosher salt
For Serving
- 4 large eggs
- Cilantro sprigs
- Neutral oil, for frying
- Lemon wedges
Instructions
Make the Shrimp Mixture
Finely mince about three-quarters of the shrimp by hand until it becomes sticky and paste-like. Cut the remaining shrimp into small pieces and fold them into the minced shrimp. Keeping some of the shrimp more coarsely chopped gives the filling better texture and more distinct pieces of shrimp.
Transfer the shrimp to a bowl and add the scallions, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. Mix until evenly combined.
Assemble the Shrimp Toast
Lay the slices of milk bread on a work surface. Divide the shrimp mixture between them and spread it evenly from edge to edge.
Press the shrimp side of the bread into panko, so the breadcrumbs adhere.
Fry
Pour about 3 inches of neutral oil into a Dutch oven or heavy pot and heat over medium to medium-high heat until it reaches 360 degrees F.
Working in batches as necessary, fry the sandwiches shrimp side down first until deeply golden and crisp, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Adjust the heat as needed so the bread browns without burning before the shrimp cooks through.
Transfer to a wire rack and season with salt.
Make the Slaw
Combine the Savoy cabbage and cilantro in a bowl.
Add the Kewpie mayonnaise and lemon juice and toss until lightly coated. Season with salt and additional lemon juice to taste. The slaw should be creamy but distinctly bright and lemony.
Fry the Eggs
Heat a thin layer of neutral oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
Crack in the eggs and fry until the whites are set, the yolks remain soft and the edges are deeply browned and crisp.
Assemble
Place a shrimp toast on each plate. Top with a crispy fried egg and a generous pile of Kewpie cabbage slaw. Garnish with cilantro if you’d like. Top with another shrimp toast.
Serve immediately.