Shrimp Macaron

“The smell of oil in the kitchen meant one thing — Mom was making Menbosha.”

I still remember those nights.
The scent of frying oil would drift down the hallway,
and I'd know: Menbosha night.

My mother would press shrimp paste between two slices of white bread, cut them into perfect squares, and fry them until they turned golden and crisp.

I'd burn my fingers grabbing one too early, but that first bite — hot, crunchy, soft in the middle — it always felt like home.

My Shrimp Macaron is a tribute to that memory. But instead of nostalgia alone, I brought refinement. The bread is now a thin sourdough crisp, the shrimp turned into mousseline. And instead of soy sauce or ketchup, I serve it with Peruvian aji amarillo — a bright, citrusy contrast that cuts the richness and wakes up the palate.

This isn't just a reimagined appetizer. It's my way of honoring a childhood flavor while letting it grow up with me. A memory turned into a bite-sized story.

— Chef Andrew Joo