Air Fryer Recipe
Prawn Toast
Prawn toast is a beloved snack in Chinese cuisine, known for its crispy texture and savoury prawn paste. This recipe uses an air fryer for a healthier version.
Ingredients
- 200g raw prawns, peeled and deveined
- 2 slices of white bread, crusts removed
- 1 egg white
- 1 tablespoon cornflour
- 2 spring onions, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Sesame seeds, for sprinkling
- Cooking spray
Method
- In a food processor, blend the prawns until smooth.
- Transfer the prawn paste to a bowl and add egg white, cornflour, spring onions, sesame oil, soy sauce, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
- Spread the prawn mixture evenly over each slice of bread.
- Sprinkle sesame seeds over the prawn paste.
- Cut each slice into four triangles.
- Preheat air fryer to 190°C (374°F).
- Lightly spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray.
- Place prawn toasts in the basket in a single layer, ensuring they do not overlap.
- Spray the tops of the prawn toasts with cooking spray.
- Air fry for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
- Repeat with any remaining prawn toasts.
- Serve immediately with a dipping sauce of your choice.
Why this works in an air fryer
The prawn paste sets quickly because egg white and prawn proteins coagulate under strong air-fryer convection, gluing the topping to the bread. Cornflour binds free moisture so the bread can dry and crisp rather than steam, while a light oil spray helps the sesame seeds and exposed edges brown.
Equipment notes
Assumes a 4–5 litre basket holding 6–8 toast triangles with space between them; in a single-drawer model cook in batches and rotate the basket/shake gently at 6 minutes if browning is uneven, while dual-zone fryers may need 1–2 minutes longer because each smaller drawer has weaker airflow when loaded.
Common pitfalls
- Paste sliding off the bread as it cooks? The mixture is too wet or spread too thickly; pat prawns dry before blending and keep the layer about 5–7mm deep.
- Bread pale underneath but topping browned by minute 8? The base is steaming against the basket; use a perforated liner only, leave gaps between triangles, and give the basket a very light oil spray.
- Sesame seeds scorching before the prawn is cooked through? The toast is too close to an aggressive top element; reduce to 180°C and add 2–3 minutes, checking the prawn paste is opaque and firm.
- Rubbery prawn topping with dry bread? It has been over-processed or overcooked; pulse the prawns just until sticky-smooth and start checking at 8 minutes rather than running the full time automatically.
Variations & substitutions
- Use sourdough or farmhouse white instead of soft sandwich bread; the denser crumb takes slightly longer to crisp, so add 1–2 minutes if the underside feels soft.
- Add a teaspoon of grated ginger or a small crushed garlic clove to the paste; these add moisture and aromatics, so keep the paste thin to avoid a damp centre.
- Swap sesame seeds for panko crumbs mixed with a little oil; the topping becomes crunchier but browns faster, so check from 7 minutes.
- Use cooked peeled prawns only if necessary; they will not bind as well as raw prawns, so chop finely, add an extra teaspoon of cornflour, and avoid overcooking or the topping will turn bouncy.
Storage & reheating
Keep leftovers chilled for up to 2 days, then reheat in a single layer in the air fryer at 170°C for 3–5 minutes until hot through and re-crisped.
Nutrition
Calories: 250
