Classic Shrimp Po’Boy

Recipe and photography provided by Heinen’s partner, Chef Billy Parisi.

If you are a big fan of shrimp, then this Po’Boy Sandwich is a must make. This Cajun and cornmeal battered shrimp on a hoagie with remoulade, lettuce and tomato so amazingly delicious!

I’m a huge sandwich eater and I’m always on the hunt to find the best one around. Whether it’s a muffuletta or even a steak sandwich, I want to try them all. Heck, I grew up eating lunch meat and sandwiches, so it’s a part of my upbringing as well.

What Is a Po’Boy?

A Po’Boy sandwich is a creole Cajun country classic. Founded in the streets of New Orleans during the 1920’s this sandwich features Cajun seasoning and cornmeal-battered shrimp that is fried and served on a hoagie bun with a zesty mayonnaise-based sauce, lettuce and tomato. It’s incredibly easy to make, and oh my goodness, is it just so delicious.

The Remoulade Sauce

The specific sauce that goes on a Po’Boy is known as a remoulade which is mayonnaise-based and contains a few different ingredients including mustard, relish, lemon juice and Cajun seasonings, amongst a few others. If you do a quick search, you will see that there are some variations for the sauce as well. The one that I made has a little zest to it, so feel free to hold back on those spices.

The Shrimp

I always say Heinen’s has the freshest and best selection of seafood. Not only is it better than any grocery store, but it’s better than any fish market I’ve ever seen as well. They 24 hour overnight delivery program that guarantees the fish was in the ocean and on their seafood counter within just one day! For this recipe, I used some 16-20 easy peel fresh shrimp. The number 16-20 represents how many shrimp make up 1 pound, so these were on the bigger side and they were amazing.

How to Make a Po’Boy

I am all about prepping everything first so that cooking is a breeze. I start by making the remoulade sauce and keeping it cool in the refrigerator until I’m ready to use it. Then, I slice up all the vegetables that I’m going to put on the sandwich so that they are readily available when I begin to assemble.

For the batter, I used a combination of cornmeal, flour, salt and Cajun seasonings. There are a few different seasoning blends out there like Zatarain’s and Old Bay that are great to use. From there, I dredge the peeled shrimp in buttermilk and coat them thoroughly in the batter before frying them up in oil that is at 350°F. You do not need to deep fry them, but rather can cook them so oil covers ½ of the shrimp. Also, just as an FYI, shrimp cook very quickly so maybe 1 ½ to 2 minutes per side and that’s it. I usually cook the shrimp in batches and let them drain on a paper towel before serving.

To assemble the sandwich, I put the sauce on the bottom of the hoagie bun and then load up with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles and the fried shrimp. This sandwich is seriously one of my all-time favorites and is absolutely delicious, enjoy!

Shrimp Po’Boy

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the Remoulade 

• 1 cup of mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp. relish
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp. hot sauce
• 1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
• ½ tsp. salt
• 2 Tbsp. chopped parsley

For the Shrimp

• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup cornmeal
• 1 Tbsp. Old Bay seasoning
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup buttermilk, whisked with 1 large egg
• 1 lb. peeled and deveined shrimp
• 4 hoagie buns
• 4 leaves of red leaf lettuce
• 1 sliced tomato
• ½ yellow onion, peeled and sliced
• 1 sliced pickle
• Oil, for frying

Instructions

1. Combine all remoulade ingredients in a medium size bowl and keep cool until ready to serve.
2. Preheat 1-2 cups of oil in a large frying to 350°F.
3. In a separate medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, Old Bay and salt until combined.
4. In another medium-size bowl, whisk together buttermilk with one egg.
5. In batches, dredge the shrimp in buttermilk mixture to coat and then add to the flour batter and coat on all sides.
6. Place the battered shrimp into the hot oil and cook for 1 ½ to 2 minutes per side or until done in the middle. Place on a paper towel to drain and repeat the process until all of the shrimp are cooked.
7. To assemble, spread some of the remoulade onto the hoagie. Layer on lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles and fried shrimp and serve.