Prawn toast with yuzu mayonnaise, coriander and mint

Ingredients

Prawn mousse

• 600 g (1 lb 5 oz) prawn meat
• 1 egg white
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 3 tsp sugar 
• 2 tsp fine salt
• 2 tbsp thinly sliced coriander stems 

The rest 

• 1 large loaf of sourdough 
• sesame seeds, for sprinkling 
• vegetable oil, for deep-frying
• yuzu mayonnaise (to serve)

The salad

• 1 small handful of coriander leaves, picked
• 1 small handful of round leaf mint leaves 
• 1 small handful of Vietnamese mint leaves
• 2 spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced
• 2½ tbsp nuoc cham, dipping sauce

Refrigerating time 2 hours

Instructions

To make the prawn mousse, put all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to create a coarse-looking paste. Resist the urge to make it too smooth, because you still want chunks of prawn for texture. Refrigerate the mixture for at least 2 hours to firm up.

Cut the ends off the bread and slice it into 8 mm  (³⁄₈ inch) slices. Using a butter knife, spread the prawn mousse evenly over the slices until you reach an even 1 cm (½ inch) layer. Sprinkle the tops with sesame seeds. 

Fill a heavy-based saucepan one-third full with oil and heat to 180°C (350°F) or until a cube of bread dropped into the oil turns golden in 15 seconds.

Fry each piece of toast one at a time for about 5 minutes or until the toast is golden and the prawn mousse is fully cooked. Drain on paper towels then cut each toast into 4–5 slices. Take this opportunity to check if the mousse is fully cooked. If it could do with a little bit longer, throw the toast back into the deep-fryer and give it another minute or two.

Mix the salad herbs and spring onions in a bowl, then dress with the nuoc cham. To serve, top each piece of toast with some yuzu mayonnaise and garnish with fresh herb salad.

Recipe and image from Mr Hong by Dan Hong (Murdoch Books) $49.99 available now. 

Watch Dan Hong in SBS's brand-new series The Chefs' Line which premieres 6pm, Monday April 3 on SBS.