Avocado and Chile-Spiced Fried Eggs on Shrimp Toast

Ingredients:

For thai-dressed avocado:
2 teaspoons finely chopped shallot
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 1/2 teaspoons Asian fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 fresh Thai chile, thinly sliced, including seeds
1 firm-ripe 6- to 8-oz avocado

For shrimp toast:
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 lb peeled and deveined shrimp
1 tablespoon water
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 lb peeled and deveined shrimp
1 tablespoon water
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3 scallions, thinly sliced
4 slices firm white bread, crusts removed

For chile-spiced eggs:
1 scallion, finely chopped
3/4 teaspoon Asian garlic chile sauce (preferably Lan Chi or Sriracha)
1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 eggs
A handful of cilantro sprigs

Instructions:

Dress avocado:
Stir together shallot, lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, and chile. Thinly slice avocado and spread out in a shallow bowl, then drizzle with dressing. Let stand while making shrimp toast and eggs.

Make shrimp toast:
Preheat broiler.

Cook garlic in oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat, stirring, until pale golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer garlic with oil to a food processor (reserve skillet for eggs) and pulse with shrimp, water, sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper until coarsely chopped. Add scallions and pulse once or twice just to combine.

Toast bread, then divide shrimp mixture among slices (about 1/3 cup each), spreading it in a thick, even layer. Cut in half diagonally and arrange on a baking sheet. Broil shrimp toast 4 to 5 inches from heat until topping is cooked through, 8 to 9 minutes.

Make eggs while shrimp toast broils:
Cook scallion with chile sauce in oil in skillet over medium heat, stirring, until scallion begins to sizzle, about 1 minute. Crack eggs into skillet and fry as desired.

To serve: Put 2 shrimp toasts on each of 4 plates and top with avocado. Top with fried eggs and scatter cilantro over eggs.

Serves 4.

Recipe by Maggie Ruggiero via gourmet.com