From a convenient snack to a gourmet treat: when topped with shrimp and a creamy walnut pesto sauce, toast becomes one of the most delicious lunches you can prepare. Just be sure to follow Michel Roux Jr.'s recipe.
Chef portrait: Jodi Hinds
The story
Not everyone knows that the term “toast” probably derives from “tostus” (past participle of torreō - “to roast,” “to burn”), which in the ancient Rome of Apicius was used to indicate a product browned by the heat of a flame. For many years thereafter, the word was associated with bread simply passed through a pan over high heat, without any filling; it was not, therefore, the sandwich we enjoy today: just think of the custom of flavoring or covering certain types of drinks in cups with brown slices, and then throwing away the baked product as if it were nothing. The story is intertwined with truth and legend until we reach the invention that is most relevant to us, that of the electric toaster by Frank Shailor, launched in 1909 by General Electric. Since then, toast has taken many forms, but in France it is mainly prepared with ham and melted cheese, with a little butter to heat the slices when the convenient machine is not used.
The recipe
The exception? Michel Roux Jr. provides it, offering a classy “seafood” twist. Bread stuffed with shrimp cream, walnut pesto, and coriander is fried in a pan and garnished with chili pepper to taste. The perfect recipe for turning a quick snack into a hearty meal!
Recipe taken from the Food Network program “Roux Down the River.”
For the walnut and coriander pesto
- 30 g walnuts
- 50 g coriander, roughly chopped
- 1 small clove of garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon grated Parmigiano
- 1/2 green chili pepper, seeds removed and roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
For the shrimp toast
- 225 g raw peeled shrimp
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 egg white from free-range eggs
- 1 egg from free-range eggs
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- Nutmeg
- 4 slices of sourdough bread
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes, optional
Procedure
First, prepare the pesto. Place the walnuts, chopped coriander, garlic, Parmigiano, chili pepper, and olive oil in a blender and blend until smooth, adding more oil if the mixture is too thick. Season with salt and set aside for later.
Place the shrimp in a food processor with the oil and egg white, season with salt and pepper, and blend until smooth.
In a bowl, beat the whole egg with the milk, season with salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg, and set aside.
Divide the shrimp mixture between 2 slices of bread, spreading it evenly, then cover with the remaining slices and dip each sandwich in the egg mixture.
Pour a little oil into a non-stick frying pan until it is about 1 cm deep and heat it up. Fry the sandwiches, turning them until they are golden brown on all sides: this will take about 5 minutes in total, depending on the size of the bread and the thickness of the filling. Drain the sandwiches on paper towels and keep them warm in the oven at a low temperature while you cook the rest.
Cut the rolls in half or into pieces. Serve hot with the pesto and sprinkle with a few flakes of chili pepper if you want the sandwich to have a spicy kick.
