Shrimp Po Boy
Not only do I love to cook but I love food history. Learning about a food’s origin transports you to that time and place, making your meal that much more special.
Shrimp Po Boys, a Southern favorite, originated in Louisiana in the late 1920s. Workers who were on strike against a streetcar company and they were given free fried shrimp sandwiches by a local restaurant. The restaurant employees nicknamed the strikers “poor boys” and so the name “Po Boy” caught on.
Shrimp Po Boy
Traditionally, po boys are a classic sub sandwich served on a soft baguette roll with meat, usually fried seafood (oysters, shrimp, catfish, etc.).
Ingredients
- Vegetable Oil for frying
- 1.5 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 tsp seafood seasoning, such as Old Bay
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 3 tsp Sriracha
- 2 eggs
- 2 lbs medium shrimp, peeled, deveined
- 8-10 soft Hoagie Rolls, brushed with butter and slightly toasted in the oven
- Optional toppings: Mayo, hot sauce, tomato, lettuce, and/or red onion slices
Instructions
- Fill a Dutch oven halfway with oil and heat to 375 degrees F.
- Whisk the flour, cornmeal, seafood seasoning and sprinkle with salt and pepper in a small bowl and set aside. In another small bowl, whisk the buttermilk, Sriracha and egg and set aside.
- Place the shrimp into the buttermilk mixture, let the excess drip off, then dredge in the flour mixture and shake off any excess. Place the shrimp onto a wire-racked baking sheet. Repeat until all shrimp are breaded.
- Fry the shrimp in batches, not overcrowding the oil, until golden brown and cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes. Place the shrimp onto a paper-towel-lined-plate. Repeat until all the shrimp are fried. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Top toasted, buttered rolls with desired toppings and place shrimp on top.
No, po boys are not traditionally served on a soft baguette roll. They’re served on crusty french bread. Definitely don’t use the Hoagie roll listed in this recipe’s ingredient list. Also, since po boys are from NOLA, don’t use Old Bay seasoning! Use something more like Tony Chacherie’s or another Louisiana product. And shricha? C’mon!
Thanks for your input. I strive to make recipes as accessible as possible for busy families so I use “shortcuts” to create variations of recipes.