
“We wanted to keep it simple and recognizable, as well as a rich and indulgent bite,” Dotolo says. Son of a Gun’s shrimp toast sandwich features two slabs of pain de mie pan-fried in clarified butter until dark and crispy. The idea seemed fun and delicious, which is usually the reason why we do anything.” Shrimp toast sandwich at Son of a Gun Son of a Gun “It is a throwback to American Chinese food. “Who doesn’t love shrimp toast?,” Dotolo says when asked about one of the restaurant’s signature dishes.

Nobody would mistake Son of a Gun for an Asian restaurant, but decadent shrimp toast somehow fit on Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo’s globally inspired menu when the duo opened on West Third Street in 2011. One notable version popped up at the start of this decade and has endured. This isn’t to say that nouveau shrimp toast is completely novel. As one server said, “It was a special initially, but it’s made it to the big leagues.” It’s easy to see why, with crispy discs slathered with pork and shrimp mousse, dressed with mayo, Sriracha, cilantro, crunchy sprouts, and spicy Thai chiles. lunch menu as a first course option under “drinking snacks.” Chef Kris Yenbamroong since promoted this dish to the regular rotation. Night + Market Sahm initially listed shrimp toast on their winter 2019 dineL.A. Shrimp toast endures at Night + Market Sahm after a dineL.A. Unlike far more widespread food trends like hot chicken that are fueled in no small part by imitation, chefs who have latched on to shrimp toast have recently done so for more organic and personal reasons, and are approaching the plate from many different directions.
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In short: shrimp toast has moved from craveable Chinese small plate to become an increasingly hot food item all over the city, including at higher-end LA restaurants. Though shrimp toast supposedly originated in Guangzhou, China, it has since proliferated across the globe, becoming a staple in Hong Kong and Americanized Chinese restaurants all over the country, and can even be found on an occasional dim sum cart.

The dish, which isn’t even toasted, typically involves bread that’s slathered with shrimp paste and deep-fried, causing the two key ingredients to fuse like some soft of culinary Voltron. Long before avocado toast or jam and ricotta-slathered brioche started filling Instagram feeds, shrimp topped one of LA’s most popular toasts.
