What’s better than fried shrimp? How about a fully dressed shrimp po’boy! When you take two amazing concepts, seafood and sandwiches, and combine them, the results are extraordinary. Today I’ll show you how to make a simple shrimp po’boy.
The po’boy originates in New Orleans. Legend has it that the sandwich was made in a local restaurant and was given to striking streetcar workers. Those on strike are generally not making any money, making them poor boys!
Whatever the origin, the delicious sandwich is now immensely popular and synonymous with New Orleans. However, it can be enjoyed anywhere and is quite popular across the Gulf Coast.
Ingredients
- 1# peeled and deveined shrimp
- half cup of flour
- half cup of cornmeal
- a quarter cup of Louisiana Fish Fry Mix
- 2 eggs
- French bread/hoagie roll
- shredded lettuce
- tomatoes
- pickles
- mayo
Prepping The Shrimp Po’Boy
I am going to list frying the shrimp as part of the prep. I have already posted my fried shrimp recipe, so I will refer you there for more details. In summary, whisk the two eggs into an egg wash, mix your flour, cornmeal, and fish fry seasoning into a bowl, and coat the shrimp by first dipping into the egg wash and then the dredge.
Fry the shrimp at 350 degrees for three to four minutes or until golden brown. Once they are floating, they are probably done. Don’t overcook the shrimp, as they will come out rubbery.
With the shrimp out of the way, you can slice your bread, shred your lettuce if necessary, and cut your tomatoes into slices.
Before we assemble this sandwich, let’s talk about the bread. Po’boys traditionally come on New Orleans-style French bread. This baguette-style bread is made with less flour than the traditional variety, giving it a crispy crust and fluffy center.
If you are unable to find French bread at your local grocery store, get the best hoagie you can find. Just try to avoid the ultra-soft white bread style hoagies as they likely won’t hold up.
Now let’s talk about toasting. I’m a fan of toasting the French bread, though it is not necessary. If you would rather have the bread fresh, you can skip the first step.
Now let’s put the sandwich together!
Assembling The Shrimp Po’Boy
To toast the bread, simply slather a little melted butter on the inside cuts of the bread. Using either a griddle or a pan set to medium-high heat, gently toast the inside of the French bread.
Alternatively, you can pop the bread into a toaster oven or air fryer and get the same effect. The Aumate air fryer I recently reviewed has a toaster function with multiple settings that will get the job done.
Once the bread is toasted, it’s time to assemble the sandwich. Start by spreading mayo on both sides of the inner portion of the French bread. Next, pile in some shredded lettuce.
Pin the lettuce to the side of the bun with a row of tomato slices. To add a little extra to the sandwich, I like to season my tomato slices with salt and pepper. Slap some pickles on the tomatoes and the veggies are done.
Now comes the fun part. Stuff as much fried shrimp as you can into the po’boy! These sandwiches are known for being loaded, so don’t be shy with the shrimp. Pile the little flavor nuggets on!
The final step is optional, and that is adding hot sauce. I like spice, so I always add a little hot sauce on top. The po’boy is now complete!
What’s Goes With A Shrimp Po’Boy?
I’m a hot sauce kind of guy, but there are alternatives for shrimp po’boys. Cocktail and tartar sauce are popular options. You can even replace the mayo with a remoulade sauce.
All of the classic seafood sides go great with a shrimp po’boy. You can’t go wrong with French fries and coleslaw. Hush puppies are another good option.
Southern sides such as turnip greens, fried potatoes, and even mac and cheese make for additional good sidekicks. If you typically eat it with a sandwich, it will probably go good with a po’boy.
Healthy Po’Boy Alternatives
If you want to enjoy a good shrimp po’boy but want to watch your calories, there are ways to do it. You can start by subbing out the traditional French bread for a whole wheat hoagie.
Instead of fried shrimp, you can use grilled or blackened shrimp instead. Check out the blackening spice I made in my blackened catfish recipe for more details on blackening.
For either blackened or grilled shrimp, I would suggest going with a bigger-sized shrimp. For blackened I would go with at least a 16/20 shrimp. Small shrimp will overcook before they can be truly blackened.
For grilled shrimp on an actual grill, I would go with a 9/12. You want a good-sized shrimp that won’t fall through the grates. Of course, you can go with a smaller size if you are using a grill mat or aluminum foil. You can find grill mats relatively cheap, typically around $10 on Amazon.
[…] Check out my fried shrimp recipe! You can take that fried shrimp to the next level by making a delicious shrimp po’boy. For something different, try my spicy shrimp […]