Juicy fried shrimp is loaded into crusty French bread rolls and piled high with lettuce, tomato, and pickles. Slather on some tartar sauce, and you’ve got the shrimp po boy sandwich of your dreams.
Eating deep fried shrimp po boys aren’t for the faint of heart (or high of blood pressure).
New Orleans’ legend has it that the sandwich was created to feed streetcar workers during a 1920s strike. The restaurant owner behind this cheap and cheerful sandwich would call out “here comes another poor boy!” whenever someone stopped by for a meal — and the name stuck.
A shrimp po boy is made by stuffing crusty French bread with succulent seasoned fried shrimp, lettuce, pickles, and tomato. A generous amount of tartar sauce is the rich and creamy glue that holds everything together.
I know you’d rather be sipping a Hurricane in The Big Easy right now, but until you can book that plane ticket this deep fried shrimp po boy will have to tide you over.
Heidi’s tips for recipe success
- Season the shrimp well for maximum Cajun flavor. I use a homemade blend of paprika, basil, thyme, garlic, and cayenne but you can use a store-bought blend if you prefer.
- Bread all of the shrimp and have them ready to go before you start frying. They take just a few minutes to cook perfectly golden and crispy on the outside, while staying tender and juicy on the inside.
- Make assembly quick and easy by preparing the tartar sauce and toppings in advance then keep the shrimp warm in a 200°F oven until ready to serve.
What’s in This Recipe?
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Shrimp — choose medium-sized shrimp, which have 41 to 60 shrimp per pound
- Yellow cornmeal — the secret ingredient to creating that crispy, crackly deep fried coating around the shrimp
- All-purpose flour — browns beautifully in the oil and helps the cornmeal stick to the shrimp
- Dried herbs and spices — the fried shrimp is loaded with Cajun flavor by using a combo of sweet paprika, basil, thyme, garlic, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper
- Eggs — coat the shrimp in beaten egg before dredging in the seasoned flour mixture
- Oil — choose a neutral oil with a high smoke point, otherwise it will burn and your shrimp will be no bueno (I always use canola oil)
- French rolls — crusty on the outside, pillowy soft on the inside
- Tartar sauce — instead of the more traditional remoulade, I slather the rolls with creamy homemade tartar sauce
- Toppings — keep it simple with crunchy iceberg lettuce, sliced tomato, and dill pickles
Ingredient Swaps and Substitutions
- Flour — a gluten-free all-purpose flour should work if you need to keep the shrimp gluten-free
- French rolls — swap with a loaf of actual French bread (NOT a baguette)
- Tartar sauce — use your favorite homemade or store-bought remoulade for a more traditional taste of New Orleans
- Yellow cornmeal — can be substituted with white cornmeal, but the corn flavor won’t be as pronounced
How to Make Fried Shrimp Po Boys
- Prep the shrimp. Shell, devein, and rinse the shrimp. Pat dry with paper towels to remove any excess moisture.
- Prep the dipping stations. In one bowl, beat the eggs. In another bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, and seasonings.
- Preheat the frying oil. Pour about 3 inches of oil into a large Dutch oven. Turn the heat to medium-high and be patient while the oil warms up.
Heidi’s Tip: Shrimp can become tough and dry if overcooked. To avoid this, you need to fry them briefly at a high heat (350ºF).
- Bread the shrimp. Working with just five or six shrimp at a time, dip them in the beaten egg and then dredge through the flour mixture. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, then repeat until the shrimp have all been breaded.
- Deep fry until golden. Again, working with just a few shrimp at a time, slide them gently into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown, flipping only once. This should only take about 2 minutes total.
Heidi’s Tip: I like to transfer the fried shrimp to a 200ºF oven to keep them warm while I continue deep frying in small batches. This keeps them crispy without overcooking them.
- Assemble and dig in. Pile the fried shrimp into toasted French bread rolls slathered with tartar sauce. Layer with as much lettuce, tomato, and pickle as you like.
Recipe Tips
- Prep the tartar sauce and toppings in advance. To make assembly easier day-of, whisk together the tartar sauce a day or two ahead of time. Slice the tomato and lettuce and refrigerate in separate containers until ready to use.
- Choose larg(er) shrimp. Medium shrimp are perfect for po boy sandwiches because they’re not so large that they take forever to fry, but they’re also not so small that they overcook easily.
- Use a cooking thermometer. Without one, you run the risk of frying the shrimp in oil that’s too cold (the breading would soak up the oil and become gummy rather than crispy) or too hot (the breading would likely burn and the shrimp might overcook).
- Deep fry and eat ASAP. Fried shrimp po boys are best straight from the hot oil. Over time, the shrimp lose their crispiness and it’s tough to revive that crunch later on.
Storage Tips
Store the po boy fixings and shrimp in separate containers. The shrimp will last up to 5 days in the fridge, but they’ll lose their crispy texture fairly quickly.
What to Serve With Shrimp Po Boys
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
Shrimp Po Boys
Juicy fried shrimp is loaded into crusty French bread rolls and piled high with lettuce, tomato, and pickles. Slather on some tartar sauce, and you’ve got the shrimp po boy sandwich of your dreams.
Servings 4 sandwiches
Ingredients
- 1 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined (41/60 per pound)
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon granulated garlic
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 eggs
- canola oil, for deep-frying
- 4 soft French rolls
- tartar sauce, for serving
- shredded iceberg lettuce, for serving
- tomato silces, for serving
- sliced pickles, for serving
Instructions
-
Rinse the shrimp and pat dry. In a medium bowl, mix the cornmeal, flour, sait, paprika, basil, thyme, garlic, cayenne pepper, and black pepper. in another bowl, whisk the eggs until blended.
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In a large Dutch oven or heavy saucepan, pour the oil to 3 inches deep and heat over medium-high until oil registers 350°F with a cooking thermometer.
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Preheat the oven to 200°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and place a large wire rack on another baking sheet and set next to the stove. Dip 5-6 shrimp into the eggs, then toss in the flour mixture, shaking off the excess. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining shrimp.
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In batches to avoid crowding, slide the shrimp into the hot oil and deep-fry until golden brown, turning once, about 2 minutes. Use a wire skimmer to fish the fried shrimp from the oil, place them on the baking sheet lined rack, and place in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining shrimp.
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Remove the shrimp from the oven and toast the rolls, split side up, 1-2 minutes. Spread the cut side of each roll half with tartar sauce. Layer the roll with lettuce, tomato, shrimp, pickles, and serve.
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