Open-Faced Shrimp Salad on Toast with Dill and Salmon Roe

Headnote

This is a composed toast, not a casual sandwich: cool shrimp bound with a restrained mayonnaise dressing, sharpened with lemon, celery, and red onion, then finished with dill and salmon roe. The bread must remain crisp beneath the salad, providing contrast rather than collapse. Every element should taste clean, saline, and precise.

Recipe essentials

Dish category: Open-faced toast
Cuisine or origin: Contemporary seafood
Course type: Starter or light lunch
Yield: 2 servings
Serving size: 1 open-faced toast, about 123 g
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 8 minutes
Total time: 28 minutes
Difficulty: Moderate

Equipment

Medium saucepan
Mixing bowl
Small bowl
Fine sieve or colander
Cutting board
Sharp knife
Toaster or oven
Tray

Ingredients

Shrimp salad

Shrimp, peeled and deveined: 120 g

Mayonnaise: 35 g

Celery, finely diced: 20 g

Red onion, very finely diced: 12 g

Dill, finely chopped: 4 g

Lemon juice: 8 g

Salt: 2 g

Black pepper, finely ground: 1 g

Toast and finish

Bread, sliced: 60 g

Salmon roe: 12 g

Method

1. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a bare simmer. Add the shrimp and poach for 2 to 3 minutes, just until they turn opaque and firm with a gentle spring. Drain immediately and cool under cold running water for 30 seconds, then pat dry.

2. Chop the shrimp into small, even pieces, keeping some texture rather than reducing them to a paste.

3. In a mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, celery, red onion, dill, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper. Fold in the shrimp until evenly coated. The mixture should be cool, glossy, and lightly bound, not heavy.

4. Toast the bread until deeply golden at the edges and crisp throughout, about 4 to 5 minutes in a toaster or 6 to 8 minutes in a 200°C oven. The surface should be dry enough to hold the salad without softening immediately.

5. Divide the shrimp salad evenly between the two slices of toast, spreading it in a neat layer to the edges.

6. Finish each toast with salmon roe, placing it lightly over the surface so the eggs remain distinct and unbroken.

Plating and serving

Set each toast on a chilled plate and serve immediately. The final composition should be crisp beneath, creamy within, and bright on top, with the roe providing a clean saline finish.

Professional notes

Handle the shrimp with restraint; overmixing will flatten the texture. The bread must be fully toasted before the salad is added, or the structure will fail. Keep the seasoning sharp and measured so the lemon and dill remain distinct against the richness of the mayonnaise.