Prawn Toast
Prep. Time:
15 minutes
Baking Time:
25 minutes
Total Time:
40 minutes
Serves:
2 servings
Georgia created this dish for MasterChef UK Professionals Season 18. Born in Surrey and raised in rural Normandy, Georgia trained at the Italian Chef Academy in Rome and spent five years working in Italian restaurants across Europe. Her proudest achievement is becoming head chef of Refettorio Felix, a London community kitchen serving 150 vulnerable adults from surplus produce. For the Week 7 Skills Test set by 2022 champion Nikita Pathakji, Georgia built the broth with the right aromatics but critically failed to press the solids through the sieve thoroughly enough, leaving much of the developed flavor trapped in the strainer. She also did not devein the prawns, which Nikita flagged as a significant omission, and the prawn toast lacked seasoning. Despite these issues, Marcus noted she was 'not far away' and Monica told her 'well done, good start,' and Georgia advanced to the quarter-finals.
Troubleshooting
Broth tastes thin or flat: The most likely cause is insufficient extraction from the shells. Return to the strainer and press harder - or return the strained broth to the heat, add the solids back in, simmer another 5 minutes, and strain again. You can also boost with a small splash of fish sauce and a squeeze of lime.
Broth is too sweet: Jaggery varies widely in sweetness. Start with 2 teaspoons and taste before adding more. Balance excess sweetness with additional lime juice and fish sauce.
Prawn toast falls apart during frying: The prawn paste was likely too loose. Ensure you're using cold prawns (not room temperature) and that you included the egg white, which acts as the binder. The paste should be sticky enough to hold when pressed onto bread. If it's too wet, add a teaspoon of cornstarch.
Prawn toast sesame seeds burn before prawn mixture cooks: The oil is too hot. Lower to 325°F (165°C) and fry slightly longer. The sesame seeds should turn golden, not dark brown.
King prawns are rubbery: They've been overcooked. King prawns cook in about 1½ minutes per side over medium-high heat when butter-basting. They carry over in residual heat, so remove them when they're just barely opaque through the center - they'll finish cooking on the plate and in the warm broth. The butter basting helps here, as it's a gentler cooking method than a screaming-hot oil sear.
Can't find jaggery: Look in Indian, South Asian, or Southeast Asian grocery stores, where it's commonly sold in blocks or cones. Grate it with a box grater or Microplane. Light brown sugar is a fine substitute. Palm sugar (available in Thai grocery shops) is closer in flavor.
Can't find makrut lime leaves: Fresh lime zest (from 1 lime) adds similar citrusy fragrance but without the distinctive floral quality. Dried makrut lime leaves are available online and in Asian grocery stores - use 3–4 dried in place of 2 fresh, crumbling them slightly before adding.
Storage
Broth: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat gently and re-season with a squeeze of lime before serving.
Seared prawns: Best served immediately. Reheated prawns will toughen. If necessary, store refrigerated for up to 1 day and serve cold in the broth rather than re-searing.
Prawn toast: Best served immediately for maximum crispness. Unfried prawn toast rounds (bread with paste applied) can be prepared up to 4 hours ahead, covered, and refrigerated until ready to fry. You can also freeze the unfried rounds for up to 1 month - fry from frozen, adding 30 seconds to the cooking time.
Variations
Laksa-style broth: Add 1 tablespoon of laksa paste or red curry paste to the shells when building the broth base. Stir in extra coconut milk at the end for a richer, more soup-like consistency. This leans into Nikita's own love of laksa, which she's described as one of her favorite dishes.
Tom kha direction: Replace the fish stock with light chicken stock. Slice galangal in place of ginger. Add extra coconut milk for a creamier, Thai-inspired broth. Finish with torn Thai basil instead of cilantro.
Shrimp toast variation: For a more traditional Chinese-style prawn toast, omit the lemongrass from the paste. Add finely diced water chestnuts for crunch. Use only white sesame seeds. Serve with sweet chili dipping sauce on the side.
Low-waste approach (honoring Georgia's Refettorio Felix philosophy): Use the prawn shells twice — first to make the broth, then dry them in a low oven (250°F/120°C for 30 minutes) and blitz into a prawn shell powder. Use this as a seasoning sprinkled over the finished dish for an intense umami hit and satisfying crunch.
Ingredients
Instructions
PREPARE THE PRAWNS
Peel and devein all 12 king prawns, keeping the shells and heads. Use a toothpick inserted under the dark vein about halfway along the prawn's back, gently lift and pull to draw the entire thread out in one piece. Rinse briefly under cold water.
Set the peeled, deveined prawns aside on a plate lined with paper towels. Reserve all shells and heads in a separate bowl.
BUILD THE BROTH
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium saucepan over high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the prawn shells and heads. Cook, pressing them down with a wooden spoon to release their oils, for 2–3 minutes until they turn deep pink-red and smell intensely fragrant.
Add the sliced shallot, ginger coins, lemongrass, chili, and lime leaves. Stir for 1 minute until the aromatics soften and become fragrant.
Add the grated jaggery and stir until it melts and begins to lightly caramelize around the shells, about 30 seconds. Jaggery is an unrefined cane sugar used across South and Southeast Asia that adds a rounded, toffee-like sweetness. Light brown sugar or palm sugar are acceptable substitutes.
Pour in the fish stock, scraping up any caramelized bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cook for 10–12 minutes to extract maximum flavor from the shells and aromatics.
Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve set over a clean saucepan. Use the back of a ladle or a large spoon to press firmly on the solids, crushing the shells and squeezing the aromatics to extract every drop of liquid and flavor. The strained broth should be deeply aromatic and a rich amber-gold color. Discard the solids.
Return the strained broth to medium heat. Stir in the thick coconut cream, fish sauce, and lime juice. For the coconut cream, refrigerate a can of full-fat coconut milk overnight and skim the thick, solid cream from the top. Taste and adjust seasoning — it should be savory, fragrant, slightly sweet from the jaggery, with gentle chili warmth and bright lime acidity. Keep warm over low heat.
MAKE THE PRAWN TOAST
Place the 150 g raw prawns in a food processor with the egg white, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, and salt. Pulse until you have a smooth, sticky paste — about 15–20 pulses. The egg white binds the mixture and helps the toast puff slightly when fried.
Using a round cutter (about 7.5 cm) or a sharp knife, cut rounds from the bread slices. You should get 2 rounds per slice, for 4 toasts total.
Mix the white and black sesame seeds together on a small plate.
Spread a generous, even layer of the prawn mixture onto one side of each bread round — about 6 mm thick, domed slightly in the center. Press the prawn side firmly into the sesame seed mixture to coat evenly.
Heat the vegetable oil in a small, deep skillet over medium heat to 170°C (340°F). Test by dropping a small piece of bread into the oil — it should sizzle immediately and turn golden within about 30 seconds.
Carefully lower the prawn toasts into the oil, prawn side down first. Fry for 1½–2 minutes until the sesame seeds are golden and the prawn mixture is set and lightly puffed. Flip and fry the bread side for 30–45 seconds until golden and crisp. Remove to a wire rack or paper towels. Season immediately with a tiny pinch of flaky salt.
COOK THE KING PRAWNS
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When it foams and begins to smell nutty, season the deveined king prawns with salt and white pepper and add them in a single layer. Cook for 1–1½ minutes on the first side until golden. Flip and baste continuously — tilt the pan slightly and spoon the foaming butter over the prawns repeatedly as they finish cooking, another 1–1½ minutes. The prawns should be pink, curled, and just cooked through — bouncy to the touch, not rubbery. Remove from heat immediately.
ASSEMBLE AND SERVE
Ladle the warm coconut-lemongrass broth into two wide, shallow bowls. Arrange 6 seared king prawns in each bowl, nestled into the broth. Place 2 prawn toasts alongside the prawns, resting against the edge of the bowl or on a small side plate. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves and sliced red chili. Serve with lime wedges on the side.
