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Shrimp Po-Boy
Serves 2 Prep 25 min Cook 10 min Total 35 min Type Side Origin Creole

Shrimp Po-Boy

The New Orleans po-boy: a long French roll slathered with mayo and Creole mustard, piled with fried shrimp, sliced tomato, lettuce and pickles.

Serves 2 Prep 25 minutes Cook 10 minutes Units Rate

Overview

Raw shrimp marinate briefly in buttermilk and hot sauce; dredge in seasoned flour and cornmeal mix; deep-fry at 180°C until deep gold and crisp (2-3 minutes, shrimp cook fast). Long French rolls split lengthways; toasted on the cut side; slathered with mayo and Creole mustard; piled with shrimp, lettuce, tomato, pickles. Wrap halfway in paper; eat.

Ingredients

Shrimp

  • 400 g raw shell-off shrimp (large, 16-20 count)
  • 200 ml buttermilk
  • 2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce (Crystal or Tabasco)
  • 100 g plain flour
  • 50 g fine yellow cornmeal
  • 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning (paprika + cayenne + oregano + garlic powder + onion powder + salt + pepper, or pre-mixed)
  • 1 teaspoon salt

To fry

  • 1 litre vegetable oil

Po-boy assembly

  • 2 long French rolls (each 25-30 cm, soft inside, crisp crust)
  • 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons Creole mustard (or coarse Dijon)
  • 1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
  • 1 tomato (medium, sliced)
  • 12 dill pickle slices
  • 1 lemon (cut into wedges)
  • More hot sauce on the table

Method

Stage 1 - Marinate shrimp

  1. Whisk buttermilk and hot sauce in a bowl.
  2. Add shrimp; toss to coat; refrigerate 15 minutes.

Stage 2 - Dredge

  1. Whisk flour, cornmeal, Creole seasoning, salt in a wide dish.
  2. Lift shrimp from buttermilk (let excess drip); roll in the dry mix; press firmly to coat.

Stage 3 - Fry

  1. Heat oil to 180°C.
  2. Fry shrimp in batches of 6-8, 2-3 minutes, until deep gold and curled.
  3. Drain on a rack.

Stage 4 - Buns

  1. Split rolls lengthways. Toast cut-side down in a dry pan or under the grill 30 seconds.

Stage 5 - Build

  1. Spread the bottom of each roll with mayo. Spread the top with Creole mustard.
  2. Lay 2 tomato slices on the bottom.
  3. Top with shredded lettuce and pickles.
  4. Pile the fried shrimp generously over the lettuce.
  5. Squeeze lemon over the shrimp.
  6. Close.

Stage 6 - Eat

  1. Wrap halfway in paper. Eat immediately with both hands.

Notes

  • The bread is the soul: A proper po-boy uses a long French roll with a crisp shell and hollow centre. A baguette is too crisp; a soft sub roll is too soft. Find a fresh French loaf or an Italian filone.
  • Cornmeal in the dredge: Gives the New Orleans crunch. Pure flour gives a softer fried shrimp.
  • Dressed vs naked: "Dressed" = with lettuce, tomato, pickles, mayo. "Naked" = just shrimp on bread. Both are right.

Storage

  • Eat immediately. Po-boys don't keep - the bread goes soggy in 20 minutes.

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