This is a drippy, messy, fork-and-knife toast, full of punchy, smoky, Spanish-inspired flavors. I leave the tails on the shrimp because they’re easy to remove as you go with utensils—if you’d prefer to remove them first, simply do so before adding them to the pan. Either way, be sure to cut your bread into thick slices to ensure it can stand up to the hefty load of toppings.
It may seem finicky to add the lemon juice to your aioli in two batches, but it’s an important step to make sure you don’t break the emulsion. The first addition helps to loosen the egg yolk and creates the right consistency to thicken with oil. The second, after you’ve thickened the spread, adds flavor and brightness. (Feel free to sub the aioli with store-bought mayonnaise amped up with a little lemon juice and garlic.) —Kendra Vaculin
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What you’ll need
Citrus Juicer
$20 $15 At Amazon
Whisk
$10 At Amazon
Large Skillet
$74 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
4
1
1
2½
½
1
4
2
1
1½
1
½
Preparation
Step 1
Finely grate 1 whole garlic clove into a medium bowl. Add 1 large egg yolk, 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice, and ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt and whisk to combine. Gradually stream in ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, whisking constantly until aioli is light and thickened. Whisk in remaining 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice and season with salt. Set aioli aside.
Step 2
Pat 1 lb. tail-on large shrimp, peeled, deveined, dry with paper towels; season with salt and set aside.
Step 3
Heat ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Working in 2 batches and adding more oil between batches if needed, cook 4 thick slices crusty bread until golden brown and crisp, 1–2 minutes per side. Transfer to plates; wipe out pan.
Step 4
Heat 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in same pan over medium-high. Arrange reserved shrimp in a single layer and cook, undisturbed, 2 minutes. Continue to cook, tossing occasionally, until just opaque, about 2 minutes more. Transfer to a plate.
Step 5
Add remaining 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil to same pan, then add 2 pints cherry tomatoes in a single layer. Cook, undisturbed, until blistered underneath, about 4 minutes. Add 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced, 1 Tbsp. sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar, 1½ tsp. smoked paprika, 1 tsp. ground cumin, ½ tsp. mild red chile flakes, and remaining 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until combined and some tomatoes have burst, about 4 minutes. Add shrimp and cook, stirring to coat, until heated through, about 1 minute.
Step 6
Spread a thick layer of aioli over each toast. Spoon shrimp mixture on top, then scatter chopped parsley over. Sprinkle with more mild red chile flakes.
Leave a Review
Reviews (13)
Back to TopDidn't prepare it yet...but will ASAP. Looks delicious yet easy to put together. Beat part, it doesn't need 20 ingredients. I hate that in a recipe that isn't super special.
Anonymous
23188
8/17/2022
Quite bitter and sour. Maybe cook the bread in butter and choose an olive oil that's not to tasteful.
sexytomato
Montreal, Qc
8/27/2022
First recipe I've ever reviewed on BA. Made it on homemade wheat, but it would be delicious on any bread. Just the right amount of heat + simple to prepare = five stars.
Anonymous
Indianapolis, IN
8/29/2022
Why submit a review/comment if you have never prepared the recipe. This site should remove such comments because they are of no benefit.
Anonymous
Jefferson, MD
9/4/2022
This was fabulous. I used store bought mayo instead of making my own and it still turned out great. The pepper I used was Aleppo pepper when cooking the tomatoes and Ichimi Togarashi when serving the (sourdough) toasts. We've had an abundance of basil so I used that instead of parsley. The spices really made this dish. Everyone loved it. It is going to be in my regular rotation, for sure.
Anonymous
9/8/2022
This was very good. Made as written, not sure the aioli is even needed, kind of makes the bread go limp. The Aleppo pepper makes the dish.
pic
La Center, WA
7/12/2023
Everything turned out great except the aioli - I wasn’t able to emulsify it properly, but it was the first time I’ve made it. The shrimp and tomatoes were delicious on sourdough toast - I simply toasted the bread, rather than fry with olive oil. Next time, I’ll use some store bought mayo. Great recipe!
Ellen
Madison, WI
8/19/2023