برچسب: Shrimp

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.

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

1. Prep the shrimp. Shell, devein, and rinse the shrimp. Pat dry with paper towels to remove any excess moisture.
2. Prep the dipping stations. In one bowl, beat the eggs. In another bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, and seasonings.
3. 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).

4. 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.
5. 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.

6. 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.

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.