Shrimp Po’Boy
One of the classic lunch meals in New Orleans is the po’boy… a crusty French loaf filled with whatever you like. One of the more popular po’boy is deep fried shrimp served with lettuce and sliced tomatoes (onions optional). The shrimp po’boy can be served with mayonnaise or rémoulade and seasoned with a healthy dose of hot sauce.
In addition to fried seafood po’boys (shrimp, oysters, catfish, soft-shell crab, etc.), hot roast beef with gravy (similar to an Italian beef) is also a popular po’boy offering. Basically anything you want can be turned into a po’boy!
Here’s my adaptation for a Big Easy shrimp po’boy…
1/2 pound large shrimp (21/ 25), completely peeled and deveined
2 (8-inch) French rolls, sliced lengthwise
Cajun seasoning (see recipe)
Vegetable oil for deep frying
Cajun rémoulade sauce (if you don’t want to make your own “Frog Bone” is good)
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup panko breadcrumbs (or yellow cornmeal)
1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
1 large tomato, thinly sliced
Dill pickles (I prefer bread & butter but dill is traditional)
Hot sauce (your favorite; I like Crystal’s for this)
For the Cajun seasoning:
2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cayenne chile
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon granulated onion
Combine all of the seasoning ingredients in a small bowl. (I think commercial blends tend to have too much salt so I prefer to make my own. I usually make up a big batch so I have it on hand.) This recipe makes about 2 1/2 tablespoons of seasoning, enough for this recipe.
For the rémoulade:
1 cup good-quality mayonnaise
1 tablespoon ketchup or chili sauce
1 tablespoon Creole (or coarse/ whole grain) mustard
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 to 2 teaspoons ground cayenne chile (or hot sauce to taste)
1 teaspoon well-drained horseradish
1 teaspoon capers, rinsed, drained and chopped
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
Combine all of the ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Whisk well to combine. (This is better if made in advance and allowed to mellow in the refrigerator overnight.) This sauce will keep for one week, covered and refrigerated. It is also great for grilled artichokes, burgers, boiled shrimp, crab cakes or fried/ grilled fish.
To prepare the po’boy:
Put two inches of oil in a deep skillet (I use a Calphalon 2 1/2-quart skillet and it takes about a quart of oil) and heat to 350 degrees F. (Use a deep-fry thermometer to be sure the oil is at the correct temperature.)
Combine the shrimp and two tablespoons of the seasoning blend in a bowl. Toss to coat. Pour the buttermilk in another bowl. In another bowl combine the flour and breadcrumbs. Dip the shrimp in the buttermilk and then coat with the flour mixture. Fry shrimp, in batches, until golden, about three to four minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a paper towel lined plate and continue in batches until all the shrimp are done. (Be sure not to overcrowd the pan and allow the oil to come back to temperature before adding more shrimp.)
Hold the shrimp in a preheated 225 degrees F. oven until all the shrimp are cooked. Warm the rolls in the oven.
Spread about one tablespoon of the rémoulade on each side of the cut rolls. Equally divide the shrimp and place on the roll. Drizzle with hot sauce and a sprinkle of the spice mix. Top with lettuce and sliced tomatoes. Serve with dill pickles and potato chips.
Cajun spice mix
Shrimp... peeled, deveined and seasoned
Not the breading station I'd like to have but it works
Oil checked with a Thermapen... perfect!
After a few minutes frying... the shrimp are golden brown & delicious
Nobody ever said this sandwich wasn't messy... but oh so good!
