Ingredients

• 10 ounces shrimp, peeled, deveined
• 2 tablespoons hot chile paste (such as sambal oelek)
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemongrass
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce (such as nam pla or nuoc nam)
• 1 teaspoon finely grated peeled ginger
• Kosher salt
• 2 scallions, green and white parts separated, thinly sliced crosswise
• 1/4 cup white sesame seeds
• 4 slices white bread, 1/4 inch thick, crusts removed
• Vegetable oil (for frying; about 1 cup)

Instructions

1. Pulse shrimp, chili paste, lemongrass, fish sauce, and ginger in a food processor until smooth. Season with salt and pulse again to combine. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl; stir in scallion whites.
2. Place sesame seeds on a plate. Spread shrimp mixture over bread slices, extending all the way to edges. Press bread, shrimp side down, into sesame seeds to coat evenly.
3. Pour oil into a large skillet to come 1/4" up sides and heat over medium-high until a small pinch of shrimp mixture sizzles when added to oil. Working in 2 batches, fry toasts, shrimp side down, until golden and crisp, about 2 minutes; turn and cook until other sides are golden and crisp, about 1 minute. Transfer to a paper towel–lined wire rack to drain.
4. Cut each toast diagonally into quarters and top with scallion greens.