MAKES 15 TO 20 TOASTS
SERVES 6 TO 10 AS AN APPETIZER
This is party food—a pass-around hors d’oeuvre of deep-fried fish toasts spiked with the crunch of fresh water chestnuts and the sweetness of a good French baguette. It is a happy bit of extravagance at the beginning of a meal and a delightful companion to a flute of cool dry Champagne.
The fish mixture can be made in advance, but the toasts are best formed and fried just before serving. Do not bother with them if you need to be a guest at the beginning of your own party; to be truly delicious, this dish requires some fuss.
Fresh shrimp, deveined and ground to a paste, may be used in place of all or some of the fish paste. Some fresh crabmeat, stirred in to retain its texture, is another great addition.
1 to 2 densely textured French baguettes, cut into diagonal slices ½ inch thick and about 3 inches long
1 tablespoon finely minced fresh ginger
¼ cup thinly sliced green and white scallion rings
¼ cup finely chopped coriander leaves and stems
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1 to 1½ teaspoons Chinese chili sauce
Several twists freshly ground black pepper
1 pound fish paste, ground from fresh fatty fish (see Fish Paste on page 360)
8 fresh water chestnuts, cut to a peppercorn-size dice
2 large egg whites
4 to 6 cups corn or peanut oil, for deep-frying
GARNISHES:
20 to 30 small feathery coriander leaves
1½ tablespoons finely minced smoked ham or carrot
2 teaspoons black sesame seeds
Whole coriander sprigs (optional)
Many people would love to know how to cook, and don’t know where to start. Sure, the man on TV is amusing and the stuff in the pan does sizzle, but that’s mostly entertainment, not cooking.
If you really want to learn how to cook, take a class. Local cookware shops, Y’s, and adult education centers offer affordable classes by a wide spectrum of teachers—anyone from your Aunt Tilly who makes great pies to the handsome French guy who used to cook in the White House.
Good cookbooks are the best teachers of all, if you’re someone who loves books. There are so many, it’s hard to choose, but I’m a big believer in beginning with the classics: Julia Child’s early books, if you’re interested in French cooking and like meticulous instruction; anything by Elizabeth David, if you crave culture with your food and are comfortable with free-form recipes; books by impeccable modern teachers such as Paula Wolfert and Diana Kennedy if your romance is ethnic cuisine; or most any of the extraordinary cookbooks from the now out-of-print Time-Life series, Foods of the World.
I taught myself how to cook, mostly from books. It was a journey that inspired my life, and I like to cheer others on the path. Be brave and set forth! Cooking is a happy, fun-filled rainbow, with a big pot of dinner at the end.
1. Arrange the baguette slices side by side on a wire rack and let stand until the cut sides are dry (though not hard) to the touch, 1 to 2 hours. Alternatively, dry the bread by putting the slices on a baking sheet in a 200°F oven until the tops feel dry, about 15 minutes. Turn the slices to dry the underside. The somewhat dry bread will not absorb oil when fried. At this point, the toasts may be sealed airtight against further drying and left overnight.
2. Combine the ginger, scallion rings, coriander, salt, wine, chili sauce, and pepper in a food processor. Add the fish paste and blend to a purée. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the water chestnuts. At this point, the purée may be sealed and refrigerated overnight. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the purée.
3. Up to several hours in advance of serving, complete the fish mixture and ready the toasts for frying: Whisk the egg whites until stiff; fold into the purée. Using a small sandwich spatula glazed with a bit of oil to keep the fish paste from sticking, mound about 2 tablespoons of the purée on top of each bread toast. Smooth and mold the purée evenly to form a plateau ½ inch thick, with sloping sides to meet the toast. Make sure there are no holes for oil to enter when frying. Put the mounded toasts on a baking sheet. If working in advance, cover the toasts loosely and refrigerate.
4. About 20 minutes before serving, pour 2 to 2½ inches of oil into a wok or large, deep, heavy skillet. Rest a deep-fry thermometer on the rim and bring the oil to the medium-haze stage, 375°F, hot enough to foam a dab of fish paste. Adjust the heat so that the temperature does not climb. Put a baking sheet lined with a triple layer of paper towels alongside your stovetop.
5. Garnish each mounded toast by gently pressing a single coriander leaf on the top of each toast and then offsetting it with a sprinkle of the minced ham and black sesame seeds. Carefully drop the toasts, one by one, fish side down, into the oil, adding only as many as can float freely. Adjust the heat to maintain a steady temperature. Fry until the toasts float high on the surface of the oil, indicating the fish is cooked, about 4 minutes. When nearly done, ladle a bit of the oil over the bread side of the toasts to turn them golden. Let the oil return to 375°F between batches.
6. With a large Chinese mesh spoon, promptly remove the toasts and place, bread side down, on paper towels to drain. Let stand for several minutes before serving in order to cool; the fish will be blazing hot. Serve on a colorful platter or in a steamer basket for a bit of whimsy, with sprigs of fresh coriander.