Shrimp Toasts with Furikake Butter

Toasted baguette seasoned with a sweet and salty nori infused butter spread, topped with shrimp, and dressed with a wasabi aioli and capelin roe.

January is almost over, so a very belated Happy 2016 to you all! My wish for you is to have a healthy year filled with contentment and joy.

Well, all the partying is over, and I have to admit I’m not too sad about that, even though it was a lot of fun eating, drinking, and making merry with family and friends. It does get hectic. But now, back to work coming up with some more big bang bites to dazzle your guests for 2016.

So, you’re asking, what the heck is furikake? Pronounced foo-ree-kah-kay. Growing up in Hawaii, everyone knows what it is, no matter what your ethnic background is because it’s a pretty common thing. In fact, there’s a restaurant on Maui that serves the most addictive garlic fries dusted with furikake. Mmmmm, I miss that. But, getting back to its roots, it’s a Japanese condiment, usually sprinkled on rice, made of nori bits, sugar, salt, and sesame seeds. It also comes in flavors, such as fish and wasabi. I know some of you might be saying, okaaay. But trust me, don’t knock it unless you’ve tried it. 

I thought I’d move away from its traditional use, so this might give you an opportunity to savor it’s exotic flavor. I mixed it into butter to make an out of the ordinary toast that would do more than just be a supporting act for the shrimp. A drizzle of wasabi aioli, and peppered with some masago, which is capelin roe, and this appie is one celebration in your mouth where east meets west.

This butter was so unusual, in a good way, that Sunny said I should think of ways to incorporate it into other dishes. Not a bad idea. The wheels are turning already…

Makes 12

• 12 shrimp (I used 21-25 count size)
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 T mayo
• 1 tsp. or more of wasabi paste (taste for heat tolerance)
• 12 slices of baguette, ½ inch thick
• 4 T butter
• 3 tsp. furikake (found in the Asian food aisle at most grocers)
• capelin roe (masago) for garnishing

Saute shrimp in olive oil with minced garlic. Cook just until the pink is gone. Set aside.

Mix the mayo with the wasabi paste. Put mixture into a snack size zip lock bag and set aside.

Mix the furikake into the butter. Lightly spread each piece of baguette with mixture, and toast until edges are just golden. You will have most of the butter mixture left over. When the bread is toasted, spread the remaining butter mixture on the warm toast.

Top with a piece of shrimp. Cut a corner off of the bag with the mayo mixture and drizzle on top of the shrimp. Garnish with capelin roe.