With Chinese New Year falling this week, the supermarkets are full of delicious-looking Asian dishes to enjoy at home. And flying off the shelves faster than any other product is the humble prawn toast.
Made from bread coated with prawn paste and sesame seeds, fried until golden, the simple dish is a fusion between two culinary cultures: shellfish from the East and toast (sliced into triangles) from the West.
Ocado has sold 67 per cent more M&S frozen prawn toasts than this time last year, while other retailers now include it year-round in their party food range.
Much of this is down to its convenience when cooking but it’s also photogenic enough for the Instagram generation, which may explain why it’s seen a resurgence at high-end restaurants such as Poon’s at London’s Somerset House.
‘Its popularity comes from its adaptable simplicity,’ founder Amy Poon told the Daily Mail. ‘Who doesn’t love a deep-fried golden crispy morsel?’
The £12 dish – where the traditional recipe is elevated with rose liqueur and a thinly-sliced disc of lard – sells out at every service.
Prawn toast, a popular staple since the 70s after making the leap from China, is enjoying a moment in the sun
At Hakkasan Mayfair, where the prawn toast costs £25 and is made with black truffle paste, head chef Michael Zhen says a combination of ‘nostalgia and indulgence’ makes it a hit.
Its origins vary, with some believing it came from the Canton region of southern China in the 19th century while others claim it first found its way on to menus in Hong Kong in the 1950s.
From there, its popularity spread across the globe and it’s been a Chinese restaurant staple in the UK for over 70 years.
Today, every major supermarket has a version, some costing less than £2. But can budget prawn toast really rival your favourite takeaway dish – or the posher restaurant options? SARAH RAINEY puts them to the test…
Sainsbury’s
Prawn Toasts (£4)
8 pieces, 252g (31.5g per toast)
Sainsbury’s offers eight pieces, double the usual four, for £4
This generously sized pack contains eight, rather than the usual four, full-sized prawn toasts and serves four people.
The paste is made from prawns (28 per cent), water chestnut, egg white, potato starch and sugar, and seasoned with white pepper and sesame seeds. From chilled, they take 10 minutes in the oven. From frozen, it’s 14 minutes.
TASTE TEST: Noticeably bigger than other supermarket options, these prawn toasts pack a flavoursome punch.
The base is crisp and light, the paste nicely fishy without being overwhelming and there are plenty of sesame seeds. Each serving, however, comprises 229 calories and 17.1g fat, so they’re best saved for a special occasion.
Score: 4/5
M&S Best Ever Prawn Toasts
12 pieces, 312g (26g per toast)
A bestseller when it launched a few years ago, this is the most luxurious prawn toast you’ll find at a supermarket.
What makes it special is the shellfish – responsibly-sourced black tiger prawns, which are sweeter and firmer than regular king prawns – as well as a topping blended with spring onions, ginger and sesame seeds, and a sweet chilli dipping sauce.
They can be oven cooked in 15 minutes or air fried in 14 minutes straight from the freezer.
TASTE TEST: At 66p per postage stamp-sized canapé, these are certainly pricey – but I’m hooked from the first bite.
Succulent, juicy prawns, crispy fried bread and a topping that’s delicately spiced – they’re little mouthfuls of heaven.
SCORE: 5/5
Tesco Prawn
Toasts (£3.25)
4 pieces, 120g (30g per toast)
Part of the supermarket’s ‘A Taste of China’ range, this four-pack doesn’t look particularly special. The prawn topping is blended with water chestnuts, meaning each toast is just 32 per cent prawn and there are no spices or herbs in there.
On the plus side, they’re quick to cook – 7 minutes from frozen, or 6 from chilled, in the air fryer.
TASTE TEST: I don’t have high hopes – the aroma as they cook is fatty, rather than fragrant, and they’re glistening with oil when I take them out.
The overwhelming flavour is of sugar, with a faint hint of sesame and very little prawn. Gallingly, each toast contains a whopping 107 calories and 7.8g fat.
SCORE: 1/5
Asda Party Mini Prawn Toast (£1.86)
8 pieces, 120g (15g per toast)
These party staples come frozen and are tiny morsels – the smallest toasts I tested – making them ideal finger food. Though just 20 per cent prawn (the main ingredient is flour, followed by soybean oil), there are plenty of other flavours: yam beans, bamboo shoots and white pepper.
They take 7-8 minutes in the air fryer or 10-12 minutes in the oven and are apparently designed to serve eight (not very hungry) people.
TASTE TEST: These puff up to little golden, crispy nuggets when cooked and look appetising. The prawn flavour is pleasant, if a little insipid, and I’d prefer a meatier shellfish layer. But the fried white bread base is crunchy and moreish – and it’s hard to argue with the price.
SCORE: 3/5
Waitrose Prawn Toasts (£3.25)
4 pieces, 140g (35g per toast)
Waitrose crafts their take from Vietnamese king prawns, and was our reviewer’s favourite of the lot
Made from Vietnamese king prawns, diced into a paste with ginger, spring onions and toasted sesame oil, these are the largest you’ll find at any store.
They remind me of the starters at my favourite Chinese restaurant – each triangle is a veritable handful. They aren’t air fryer friendly – it’s 10-12 minutes in the oven from chilled or 14-16 minutes from frozen – but look like a tasty addition to a ‘fakeaway’.
TASTE TEST: Subtly fishy, zingy with ginger and crunchy in all the right places, these are my favourite of the lot.
The prawn topping feels gourmet, rather than token, and the fried bread has a delicious golden exterior without tasting greasy or unhealthy. The toasted sesame oil gives each bite added nuttiness, making these a cut above.
SCORE: 5/5
Asda Prawn
Toasts (£1.75)
4 pieces, 120g (30g per toast)
The cheapest of the lot, these have pride of place in the New Year display at my local Asda, and look appealing in the packet.
They’re a decent size and contain an impressive 37 per cent prawn sourced from the Atlantic. You can air fry them from chilled in 8 minutes or cook them in the oven in 10 minutes.
TASTE TEST: There’s a thick layer of prawn paste on each toast, flavoured with ginger, spring onions and lemon juice, which gives a lovely zingy aftertaste.
The bread is thin-cut and golden, and there are plenty of crunchy sesame seeds. A triumph (albeit at 92 calories per triangle).
SCORE: 5/5
M&S Sesame Prawn Toasts (£3.30)
4 pieces, 115g (28.75g per toast)
M&S offers two kinds of prawn toast: a ‘best ever’ and a ‘sesame’ version, pictured here
A rung down from its ‘Best Ever’ version, these sesame prawn toasts are a side dish in the supermarket’s Chinese range. They’re made from king prawns (making up a huge 40 per cent of the product) and a handful of other ingredients: flour, vegetable oil, sesame seeds, spring onions, sugar and ginger.
They’re chilled and take 6 minutes in the air fryer or 8 minutes in the oven.
TASTE TEST: There’s very little to dislike about these – the bread is spongey with a golden crust, the prawn paste has added kick thanks to the ginger and onions, and the sesame seeds have adhered well to each triangle.
However, I miss the fragrant spices of the fancier version – these aren’t quite as special.
SCORE: 4/5
Tesco Crispy
Prawn Toast (£3)
8 pieces, 120g (15g per toast)
Designed for parties, these petite frozen prawn toasts can be on the table in 8 minutes if you have an air fryer, or 12-14 minutes in the oven.
The prawn paste is blended with yam beans and bamboo shoots, making it just 20 per cent prawn, but there’s a mixture of black and white sesame seeds
in there, as well as salt and
white pepper.
TASTE TEST: These start off small, and seem to shrink further as they cook, with miniature fried triangles emerging from my
air fryer.
The flavour is disappointing – all crunch, no substance – and I can’t taste any shellfish at all. They could have done with a sachet of dipping sauce, too.
SCORE: 1/5
