Coffin Bread

Coffin Bread

Coffin Bread

Coffin bread is a popular Taiwanese street food served at night markets. Traditionally, the wedge of bread used to make the “coffin” is deep fried. A lid is cut out of the center of the bread, resembling a coffin. The coffin is filled with a seafood cream sauce and topped with cheese.
Since I didn’t want to use a pot of oil to deep fry the bread and wanted to cut back on the calories, because let’s face it: there’s nothing healthy about what’s about to happen here; I brushed the bread with olive oil and baked it until it got toasted on the 2 cut sides. Cut the top center of the bread out so you have a lid. Instead of scooping the center bread, I pushed it down inside the coffin bowl to create a sturdy bottom.
The sauce is a simple cream sauce with peas and carrots, shrimp, and a seafood mix. You can find frozen seafood mixes at just about every grocery store. They usually contain a combination of squid, mussels, octopus, and imitation crab. Once your seafood cream sauce is finished, ladle it into the coffin bread bowl and top with shredded cheese.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Taiwanese
Keyword: East Asian, main course, seafood, Taiwanese
Servings: 1
Author: Alex Gorgos

Ingredients

  • 4” slice bread cut from an unsliced loaf
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tbsp butter
  • 1/4 cup white onion finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp flour
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1/4 cup frozen peas and carrots blanched for 1 minute
  • 3/4 cup frozen seafood mix defrosted
  • 5 16/20 ct. shrimp peeled and deveined
  • 1/2 tsp white pepper
  • salt to taste
  • 1/4 cup cheddar shredded

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Slice a 4” slice of bread from a whole unsliced loaf. Brush all sides with olive oil.
    Taiwanese, main course, seafood
  • Bake the bread for 10 minutes, flipping half way through. Let the toasted bread rest.
    Taiwanese, main course, seafood
  • Melt the butter in a small pot over medium high heat. Sauté the onions for 5 minutes.
    Taiwanese, main course, seafood
  • Add in the flour and whisk. Cook for 1 minute.
    Taiwanese, main course, seafood
  • Turn the heat down to medium. Pour in the milk. Whisk until the flour is incorporated and the sauce starts to thicken.
    Taiwanese, main course, seafood
  • Add in the peas and carrots. Simmer for 1 minute.
    Taiwanese, main course, seafood
  • Add in the seafood mix and the shrimp. Simmer for 3-4 minutes until the shrimp is cooked through.
    Taiwanese, main course, seafood
  • Turn off the heat. Season with white pepper and salt.
    Taiwanese, main course, seafood
  • Take a knife and cut a square out of the center of the bread so you have what resembles a coffin lid. Press down the inside of the bread to make a bowl.
    Taiwanese, main course, seafood
Taiwanese, main course, seafood
Ladle in the seafood cream sauce and top with shredded cheese.