Shrimp Toast with Zucchini, Creamy Feta & White Beans by Foodie’s Chef Laura Brennan
August 9, 2021
I have been seeing ‘Beans-on-Toast’ recipes pop up on websites all spring and summer. It is an iconic
British dish made with small white navy beans baked in a sweet-ish sauce; not unlike our own iconic
New England Baked Beans.
With a little love and some creativity, the dish can be more than a quick, cheap bachelor’s dinner it once
was! Zucchini, onions, garlic and tomatoes are simmered together and made creamy with the addition
of crumbled feta. Grill the shrimp separately or add to the simmering vegetables to cook through and
present the finished dish with grilled slices of French bread. It’s a modern version of the original and
equally satisfying.
- Prep: 55 mins
- Cook: 50 mins
- Yields: 4-6 appetizer-sized portions
Ingredients
½ cup finely diced Vidalia or other sweet onion
1 ¼ to 1 ½ pounds zucchini
1 medium clove fresh garlic, peeled and very thinly sliced or mashed to a paste (to yield: ½ tablespoon)
6-8 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Kosher salt
1 pinch dried thyme
2 teaspoons dried oregano
½ teaspoon fennel seeds, chopped a bit
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1 can diced tomatoes, drained and juices saved
½ cup cooked white cannellini beans, rinsed & drained
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
8-10 slices French baguette bread, sliced on the diagonal
8 ounces, peeled and deveined shrimp, size 16/20 or larger
Optional: 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
½ lemon cut into wedges
Directions
Choose a 10- or 12-inch sauté pan with a cover for cooking this dish.
To dice the zucchini: Wash and dry the zucchini. Trim off the stems and bottoms of each squash. Cut
each squash into 3 or 4 inch ‘cylinder’-shaped pieces. Cut each cylinder-piece into 4 pieces lengthwise;
that is, into sticks. (At Le Cordon Bleu cooking school, these sticks are called batons.) When you have cut
all the squash into sticks, stack two or three sticks together and cut across into ½-inch dice. Continue
until all the zucchini has been ‘diced’. Set aside.
Finely dice the onion and thinly slice or mash the garlic. Set aside.
Measure out the herbs and spices. They can be combined in a small dish. Set aside.
Drain the diced tomatoes, saving the juices in a separate bowl. Set both aside.
Drain and rinse the cannellini beans. Measure one-half cup. Set aside.
Measure the 1/3 cup of feta cheese. Set aside.
Warm the sauté pan over medium heat. Add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil and the diced onions. Stir to
combine. Add a pinch of kosher salt and turn heat to low and cover the pan. Cook for 5-6 minutes or
until the onions have softened and are translucent. Add the diced zucchini and a generous pinch of
kosher salt. Stir to combine and re-cover the pan. Cook for another 5 minutes, add the sliced/mashed
garlic and the reserved spices. Add the diced tomatoes. Simmer for another five minutes. Add the
drained cannellini beans. Stir mixture to combine all the ingredients and let simmer on very low heat
while you grill the baguette (bread).
Grill or toast the baguette slices. Brush lightly with olive oil on both sides when finished. Set aside.
Rinse, drain and pat the shrimp dry on paper towels. Season lightly with a sprinkle of kosher salt.
Add the reserved tomato juices to the pan of zucchini-tomatoes-beans. When mixture is simmering add
the seasoned shrimp to the pan and stir to ‘bury’ the shrimp. Cover the pan and cook on very low heat
for 3-5 minutes or until the shrimp are cooked through. (The length of cooking time will depend on the
size of the shrimp.) When shrimp are cooked through turn off the heat and stir in the crumbled feta and
chopped parsley is using.
Taste and adjust seasonings.
To serve:
Put the shrimp, zucchini and beans on a platter and surround with the grilled/toasted baguette slices.
Drizzle the platter with a little olive oil and squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the top. Serve extra
lemon wedges on the side.
