Vietnamese Shrimp Toast, also known as Banh Mi Chien Tom, is so easy to make and great for a snack or appetizer. A flavorful mixture of shrimp, mayo, green onion, and cheese is spread onto crusty baguette and baked to perfection. They're little bites of deliciousness!
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What Is Banh Mi Chien Tom?
I grew up having Vietnamese Shrimp Toast at every holiday or party. It was one of my aunt's most famous dishes - it's creamy, flavorful, light, and full of texture. Kids looove them and adults would hoard them on their plate! Trust me, these just fly off the plate!
This Shrimp Toast is oh-so-creamy and cheesy with lots of umami. Caramelized shallots, fish sauce, and green onion add a ton of flavor to tender bits of shrimp. I recommend using a food processor to get the shrimp finely chopped but some handy knife work will get the job done too! Buttery toasted baguettes provide so much crunch, which is a great textural contrast to the creaminess. The best part? They're portable and easy to devour, making them perfect for a picnic, potluck, or any get-together really!
Ingredients
You only need 7ish ingredients for these delicious baked toasts!
- Baguette: I love using Vietnamese baguettes because they're lighter, fluffier, and more buttery. But for convenience, you can use any baguette you can find. You can also try ciabatta or sandwich bread instead.
- Shrimp: Dice the shrimp into little bits. But don't turn it into a paste or else you'll lose the texture.
- Oil: Avocado oil is my favorite oil to cook, fry, and sauté with because of its high smoke point (500°F).
- Shallots: Adds a very subtle caramelized onion flavor. You can sub with finely diced red, yellow, or white onion.
- Fish sauce: A must have! A little goes a long way - it adds a punch of umami to the toast.
- Green onion: For a pop of color and freshness.
- Mayonnaise: I use an avocado-oil based mayonnaise that's also sugar-free. It's a little more tart than conventional mayo which I really like in this dish.
- Shredded cheese: I use half cheddar, half mozzarella but feel free to use any blend you prefer. My mom likes to use the Mexican 4-cheese blend.
How To Make It
This Vietnamese Shrimp Toast recipe is super easy to follow - minimal prep and cook time needed! Even less time if you get the family to help 😉
- Preheat the oven. You don't need to line the baking sheet - I find direct contact helps the baguette crisp up better.
- Dice the shrimp. Use a food processor or knife to finely pulse the shrimp. It only needs a couple pulses - be careful to not turn it into a paste!
- Start cooking. Caramelize the shallots, then add the shrimp, fish sauce, and green onion. Break up the shrimp as it's cooking to help it evenly cook and for more texture.
- Mix. Take the pan off the heat. I like to let the mixture cool for a couple minutes before stirring in the mayonnaise and cheese. This makes sure the cheese doesn't melt too early and clump together before going into the oven.
- Assemble them. Place a dollop of the shrimp mixture on top of each slice of bread. You'll need less than you think per slice. I add just enough to cover the surface of the bread.
- Bake the toast. Keen an eye on them - you want the cheese melted and the bread toasty and crisp. But not too crunchy!
Top Tips
- If you can, use a Vietnamese-style baguette (banh mi). I love Vietnamese baguettes because they don't have as hard of a crust (and won't scrape the roof of your mouth). They're also lighter, fluffier, and tastes more buttery. Find them at a Vietnamese bakery or supermarket. Or pro tip: go to your favorite banh mi sandwich store and ask to purchase one loaf of plain bread!
- Buy the bread as fresh as possible. We don't want stale bread for this toast! It'll be too crunchy and hard and won't be as pleasant to eat. Buy the baguette as close to the day of cooking as possible.
- You only need a light schmear of shrimp. Cut the baguette in thin slices and place just a little of the shrimp mixture on top - you'll need less than you think. I probably use a tablespoon or less. You need just enough for an even, thin coating on top of the bread.
Storing Leftovers
If you have leftover Vietnamese Shrimp Toast, store them in an air-tight container or zip-top bag in the fridge for up to 5 days. To reheat, toast, bake, or air fry at 275°F for a few minutes until heated through and crunchy again. You can also microwave them but they won't be crunchy.
I would not recommend freezing Shrimp Toast due to the mayonnaise. Mayo does not freeze well and the texture will change after defrosting.
Make It In Advance
This Shrimp Toast is best made fresh - and they're quick and easy, so why not?
But if you want to get a head start, you can assemble the toast in advance but hold off on baking until you're ready to serve. I would assemble the toast maximum one day ahead. Place them on a single layer on top of a plate or baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and store in the fridge until ready to bake. Let them sit on the counter top while the oven is preheating to come to room temperature. You may need to bake a couple minutes longer if still cold.
Make It Yours
- Want more seafood? Add some flaky crab meat to the Shrimp Toast for more protein and heartiness.
- Use whatever kind of bread you have! Ciabatta, sandwich bread, Italian/French style baguettes, or hoagies would be a good twist.
- Want more of a fresh flavor profile? Cilantro, chives, a tiny bit of ginger, or some fresh lemon juice would be fun!
- To make this gluten-free, use a gluten-free bread of your choice.
- To make this dairy-free, use dairy-free shredded cheese like this mozzarella and cheddar-style cheese.
FAQ
Absolutely! Each air fryer is different so I recommend starting at a lower temperature like 250°F-300°F and keep an eye of it. Also, preheat the air fryer (just like an oven) for even cooking.
Pretty much any shredded cheese will work. I like cheddar for its sharpness and mozzarella for its melt-ability. But you can use pepper jack for a little spice, swiss, Monterey jack, or even an Italian or Mexican blend.
It's a popular dim sum dish in Cantonese culture and variations of it expanded to Japan ("hatoshi"), Korea ("menbosha"), Vietnam, and more. It's a fusion dish that has spread all over - and for good reason!
Looking For More?
I grew up eating delicious Vietnamese food in Southern California. I've been on a mission to recreate my favorite dishes! Here are some of my most popular Vietnamese recipes:
- Vietnamese Turmeric Fish with Dill (Cha Ca La Vong)
- Instant Pot Chao Ga (Vietnamese Rice Porridge)
- Vietnamese Sticky Rice with Chinese Sausage (Xoi Lap Xuong)
- Better Than Takeout Shrimp Fried Rice
📋 Recipe
Vietnamese Shrimp Toast
Ingredients
- 1 loaf baguette cut into ½" slices
- 8-10 oz raw shrimp peeled, deveined, and tails removed
- ½ tablespoon cooking oil
- 2 tablespoon diced shallots
- ½ teaspoon fish sauce
- 2-3 green onion thinly sliced
- ¼ cup + 2 tbsp mayonnaise I used avocado-oil based and sugar-free
- ⅔ cup shredded cheese I like half cheddar, half mozzarella
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F.
- Use a food processor to pulse shrimp until finely chopped but not into a paste. If you don't have a food processor, you can keep chopping it with your knife into small bits. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a small pan. Add shallots and cook until soft and translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Add shrimp and season with ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper, each. Break into little pieces and cook until opaque, about 2-3 minutes. When shrimp is 90% cooked, stir in fish sauce and green onion.
- Take the pan off the heat and let cool for about 5 minutes. Stir in mayonnaise and cheese until evenly mixed. Season to taste.
- Schmear each slice of bread with a thin coating of the shrimp mixture and sprinkle with a little more cheese, if desired. Continue until all the shrimp has been used. Place toast on a single layer on the baking sheet, about 1 inch apart.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes or until baguette is crispy and cheese has melted.
Notes
- Serving size will be dependent on the size of your baguette and how much filling you place on top of each toast. Should make about one tray of 18-25 toasts.
- To Air Fry: Each air fryer is different so start at a lower temperature like 250°F-300°F and fry for 5 minutes. Keep an eye of it and adjust time and temperature as needed. I recommend pre-heating the air-fryer for even cooking.
- Storing Leftovers: Store these in an air-tight container or zip-top bag in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat, toast, bake, or air fry at 275°F for a few minutes until heated through and lightly crunchy.
- To Freeze: I would not recommend freezing these due to the mayonnaise.
- Substitutions:
- To make this gluten-free, use a gluten-free bread of your choice.
- To make this dairy-free, use dairy-free shredded cheese like this mozzarella and cheddar-style cheese.
- Instead of a baguette, you can try ciabatta or sandwich bread. Cut the sandwich bread into triangles or squares.
- Substitute shallots with finely diced yellow, white, or red onion.
Nutrition
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