Time
~35 min
Golden Baked Prawn Toast (Baby · 12m+)
From our parent community · Oven-baked, never fried · Finger food
Golden Baked Prawn Toast
The dim sum trolley classic, made baby-safe — plump Vietnam Jumbo Tiger Shrimp minced into a soft paste, spread on bread fingers and baked until golden. One tray, two ways for the whole family.
Age
12m+
Yield
20-24 fingers
Allergens
Shellfish, Wheat, Egg
Every Hong Kong family knows prawn toast from the dim sum trolley — golden, crunchy, gone in seconds. The restaurant version is deep-fried and salted, which isn't right for a little one, so this baby version keeps the good part and loses the rest. Vietnam Jumbo Tiger Shrimp are minced into a sticky paste with a little grated carrot, spread over soft bread, brushed with just a teaspoon of oil and oven-baked, never deep-fried, until the edges are golden and the prawn is cooked right through. Two slices give you around 20-24 finger strips — a few baby meals with some left to share with the grown-ups, who get the same tray with sesame and a dip at the table.
Ingredients
Main
- Vietnam Jumbo Tiger ShrimpShop ↗ (1-2 packs of 2 pcs, thawed, patted very dry, finely minced)2-4 prawns
- Soft wholemeal or white sandwich bread (crusts trimmed)2 slices
Paste & bind
- Egg white (or 1 small egg, lightly beaten)1
- Cornflour or potato starch (holds the paste together)1/2 tsp
- Carrot (very finely grated and squeezed dry)1 tbsp
- Spring onion (optional, finely chopped, for aroma)a little
- Mild olive oil or avocado oil (for brushing)1 tsp
At the table — adults and older children only
- White sesame seeds (sprinkled on the grown-ups' tray only)a pinch
- Dip or a pinch of seasoning (plain yoghurt or a mild sauce)to serve
Method
- Make the prawn pasteThaw the Vietnam Jumbo Tiger Shrimp, check they're shelled and deveined, then pat them very dry — wet prawns make a runny paste. Mince finely with a knife or blitz briefly in a small processor until sticky and smooth.
- Mix the spreadStir the prawn paste with the egg white, cornflour, grated carrot and optional spring onion, always in one direction, until thick, glossy and sticky enough to hold on a spoon. No salt, sugar or honey goes in — the prawn is naturally sweet.
- Spread and cutTrim the crusts and spread the paste evenly over each slice, about 4-5 mm thick and right to the edges. Keep the layer thin so the centre cooks through. Halve each slice, then cut across into strips about 1.5 cm wide and 5 cm long — adult-finger width, easy for baby to hold. That's roughly 10-12 strips per slice, about 20-24 in total.
- Bake until golden and cooked throughArrange the strips prawn side up on a lined tray, brush lightly with oil, and bake at 200°C (400°F) for 12-15 minutes, turning halfway, until the prawn is cooked through — opaque all the way to the centre, no translucent grey, piping hot throughout — the egg in the paste is fully set, and the toast is baked through with no wet paste in the middle. Colour and timing alone are not the test.
- Cool and serve two waysBreak one strip open to check there's no wet paste inside, then cool to just warm. Baby's tray stays plain and unseasoned; the grown-ups' tray gets sesame seeds, a dip or a pinch of seasoning at the table. Introduce one new food at a time and watch for 2-3 days.
One tray, two ways
Baby's tray · 12m+
Plain, unseasoned finger strips about 1.5 cm × 5 cm, four or five to a meal. No salt, no sugar, no honey, no sesame — just prawn, bread and carrot, cooled to just warm.
The grown-ups' tray
Set baby's portion aside first, then finish yours at the table: a sprinkle of white sesame, a pinch of seasoning, and a dip alongside. Same bake, two plates.
Safety notes for parents
- Cook it fully — this is the one that matters. The prawn must be cooked through: opaque all the way to the centre, no translucent grey, piping hot throughout. The egg in the paste must be fully set, and the toast baked through with no wet paste in the middle. Break a strip open and look — never judge by time or colour alone.
- Cut size: adult-finger-width strips, about 1.5 cm × 5 cm, so baby can grip them and take manageable bites. Trim the crusts and keep the bread soft.
- Always supervised, always seated upright in a high chair — never eating in the car, in the pram, or lying down.
- Allergens: prawn / shellfish, wheat (bread), egg — and sesame if you use it. If any of these is new, introduce one new food at a time and watch for 2-3 days before adding the next.
- No added salt, sugar or honey for baby's portion. Choose a low-salt bread where you can; seasoning, dips and sesame are for adults and older children only, added at the table.
- Cool to just warm before serving — freshly baked strips hold heat in the centre.
Why it works for baby
Vietnam Jumbo Tiger Shrimp come shelled and plump, so there's very little prep before they become a smooth, sticky paste — and because they're sold 2 pcs per pack, you can open exactly what you need for one small batch instead of thawing a whole bag. Prawn is a lean, tender protein that minces beautifully and bakes soft, which is what makes this work as a finger food rather than something chewy.
Baking instead of frying keeps the whole thing gentle: a teaspoon of oil brushed on the surface is enough for a golden top, and the bread underneath toasts to a firm strip that holds its shape in a small fist without crumbling. The grated carrot adds colour and moisture, and at 12 months it's a familiar dim sum flavour arriving in a form your baby can actually manage on their own.
Lean protein
Oven-baked, not fried
Self-feeding practice
Family-shared
Tips from the kitchen
Pat the prawns dry. Thawed prawns carry a lot of water, and a wet paste slides off the bread and stays soggy in the middle. Dry prawns, thin layer, better bake.
Air fryer version: 180°C for 8-10 minutes, prawn side up, still turning once — and still checking the same way: opaque to the centre, egg set, no wet paste inside.
Batch and freeze: 20-24 strips is more than one meal, so bake, cool completely, then freeze the extras flat in a single layer. Reheat in the oven or air fryer until piping hot throughout — not the microwave, which softens the toast.
Texture by age: for a new self-feeder, spread the paste a touch thinner and cut the strips a little shorter; for a confident 18-month-old, leave the layer slightly thicker for more to chew on.
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A community-inspired recipe from the iBuddies parent community 💛 — thank you to the parents who keep swapping ideas for turning family favourites into baby-friendly meals. Got your own version? Come share it with us.
Two prawns, one tray of golden fingers 🍤
iBuddies' Vietnam Jumbo Tiger Shrimp are shelled, plump and packed 2 pcs per pack — baby-sized portions you can open one at a time, with no waste and no fuss.
Shop Vietnam Jumbo Tiger Shrimp Shop the Baby Food Collection