Anatomy of a Po’ Boy

with the recipe for our Shrimp Po’ boy

 

Beyond a shadow of a doubt my desert island meal would be a BIG,  FAT,  FRIKKIN’ PO’ BOY.

 

 

The only problem is I’d have a hell of a time narrowing it down to just one kind.  Roast beef?  Fried shrimp?  Fried oyster? Oh, the agony!  And of course it couldn’t be just any old po’ boy,  but would have to be some tricked-out version I concocted myself.  In fact it would have to be the end-all,  be-all of po’ boys,  offering a mouthful of perfection (regardless of authenticity) in every succulent bite.

 

Yes,  I love Po’ Boys so much that I even dragged my wife,  the baby and our GM down to New Orleans last year – just to eat Po’ Boys!

 

A few of my all-time favorite po’ boys (in New Orleans) going clockwise from the top left:  Roast Beef Po’ Boy from Parkway Tavern,  Fried Shrimp Po’ Boy from Domilise’s and the BBQ Shrimp Po’ Boy from Liuzza’s On The Track.

 

It was probably out of this deep,  deep craving,  my quest for perfection and beyond,  my absolute reverence for the sandwich that has its own Preservation Society,  and nostalgia for the times I’ve spent wolfing down the beast in my hometown that I decided to do this:

 

 

Yes,  I along with the Wife  (business partner/co-Mother of our children/photographer of this blog)  am opening an entirely new restaurant to pay our homage to the Greatest Sandwich in the World and exorcise my evil,  crazed sandwich-making demons. I can not wait to share my new creations with y’all!!

 

So, before I throw down my recipe for our super popular Shrimp Po’ Boy I would like to offer you my explanation of what a po’ boy is by sharing an actual excerpt from our employee manual penned by yours truly:

 

 

 

Fried Shrimp Po’ Boy (Brenda’s Way)
For six sandwiches you will need:
Six French Rolls (at the restaurant we use a local company called Bordenave, which I never see in the supermarkets.  I think the Vietnamese French rolls at most Asian markets in town are more than suitable.)
Melted Butter
About 2-1/2 LB of raw shrimp, peeled, deveined and held in milk (size is up to you, we use 41-50’s)
Cornmeal Dredge (recipe follows)
Shredded Lettuce (we use romaine hearts, but iceberg is just fine too)
Sliced Tomatoes
Chipotle Remoulade (recipe follows)

 

Cornmeal Dredge
1 C Flour
1/2 C Cornmeal
½ Tsp Cumin
½ Tsp Garlic Powder
½ Tsp Ground Coriander
½ Tsp Onion Powder
¼ Tsp Cayenne
½ Tsp Black Pepper
1 Tsp Paprika
½ Tsp Granulated Salt
Simply mix everything together to combine evenly.

 

Chipotle Remoulade
2 Tb Minced Capers
2 Tb Minced Red Onion
1 ½ TSP Minced Chipotles En Adobo
2 C Mayo
¼ TSP Sugar
¼ TSP Lemon Juice
Salt To Taste
Whisk everything together.

 

To make the po’ boys:   Lightly butter the insides of the rolls and toast buttered side down on a griddle.  Meanwhile remove the shrimp from its milk bath,  dredge in the cornmeal mixture and deep fry for for about 3 minutes.  (We use soybean oil at 350*).  To assemble the sandwiches,  on the bottom of the rolls place shredded lettuce,  then a layer of sliced tomato,  a heap of fried shrimp and a big dollop of the remoulade over the shrimp.

 

Welcome to Shrimp Po’ Boy Heaven 🙂