Equipment
Ingredients
Crostini Base
- 1 baguette, sliced 1cm thick
- 30 ml extra virgin olive oil
Shrimp Mixture
- 300 g raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed
- 15 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic, minced
- 150 g mascarpone cheese, softened slightly
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 10 g fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 3 g fine sea salt
- 1 g black pepper, freshly cracked
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 82 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbohydrates
- 8 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fiber
- 0 g
- Sugar
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 132 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 2 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 0 g
- Cholesterol
- 20 mg
- Potassium
- 71 mg
- Calcium
- 26 mg
- Iron
- 0.4 mg
- Magnesium
- 5 mg
- Phosphorus
- 54 mg
- Zinc
- 0.4 mg
- Vitamin A
- 35 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 3 mg
- Vitamin E
- 0.3 mg
- Vitamin K
- 8 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.0 mg
- Niacin
- 0.0 mg
- Folate
- 1 mcg
- Water
- 13 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F. Arrange baguette slices on a baking sheet, brush lightly with olive oil, and bake for 8-10 minutes until golden and crisp. Set aside to cool.
Heat 15ml olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic and raw shrimp. Saute for 3-4 minutes until shrimp are opaque, curled, and reach a safe internal temperature of 74°C/165°F. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
Transfer the slightly cooled shrimp to a cutting board and roughly chop them into small, bite-sized pieces.
In a mixing bowl, fold together the mascarpone cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice, chopped parsley, salt, pepper, and the chopped shrimp. Mix gently until evenly combined.
Spoon roughly a tablespoon of the creamy shrimp mixture onto each cooled crostini base, spreading it slightly to the edges.
Arrange the assembled crostini on a serving platter. Garnish with an extra pinch of chopped parsley and a light crack of black pepper if desired. Serve immediately.
Chef's Notes
- Ensuring the raw shrimp are thoroughly patted dry before hitting the pan is crucial for achieving a good saute rather than steaming them in their own moisture.
- For a festive kick of heat that cuts through the rich mascarpone, add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes to the skillet while the shrimp are cooking.
- If preparing ahead of a holiday party, you can make the shrimp spread up to a day in advance. Let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before assembling so the cheese softens slightly.
Storage
Refrigerator: 2 days — Store the shrimp spread and toasted baguette slices in separate airtight containers to maintain bread crispness.
Reheating: Refresh bare crostini in a 180C/350F oven for 3 minutes. Serve the shrimp spread chilled or allowed to come to room temperature.
Troubleshooting
Crostini are too hard and difficult to bite through
Cause: Bread was sliced too thick or baked for too long
Fix: Cannot be fixed once baked. Alternatively, serve the shrimp mixture as a dip alongside butter crackers
Prevention: Slice bread precisely to 1cm thickness and monitor closely while in the oven
Spread is too runny and falls off the bread
Cause: Too much lemon juice was added, or shrimp released excessive liquid during chopping
Fix: Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to allow the mascarpone to firm up
Prevention: Drain cooked shrimp well before chopping, and add lemon juice gradually
Cultural Context
Crostini, meaning little crusts in Italian, are the foundational canvas for countless antipasti. This particular variation channels the Italian-American tradition of the Feast of the Seven Fishes celebrated on Christmas Eve, uniting the bright, briny essence of the sea with rich, comforting dairy.
