Email to Cat      

Fried Shrimp Po'Boys

Source of Recipe

From "Mosquito Supper Club" by Melissa Martin


Recipe Introduction

"Some folks grew up eating hamburgers or pizza, but on the bayou, we eat po'boys: French bread stuffed with fried seafood. Po'boy is short for 'poor boy,' because it was a sandwich to feed poor workers. The classic hard-time po'boy is the French fry po'boy, served with roast beef debris or gravy; it was widely eaten when folks couldn't afford other fillings. A po'boy is just a sandwich. I like my po'boys stuffed with seafood. Fried seafood po'boys can be filled with anything that swims. The most popular options are oysters, fish, crawfish, soft-shell crabs, and shrimp. Any shrimp will do for this recipe, but smaller shrimp pack much more flavor than the larger varieties. Buy shrimp graded 26/30 or 40/50 (which means 26 to 30 or 40 to 50 shrimp per pound, respectively). Traditionally, the bread should be an oversize soft French baguette, but you can use your favorite bread, if you'd like."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 1 pound small or medium shrimp, peeled
â—¦ Peanut oil, for frying
â—¦ 4 large egg yolks
â—¦ 1 tablespoon hot sauce, preferably Original Louisiana Hot Sauce, plus more for serving
â—¦ 1 tablespoon yellow mustard, plus more for serving
â—¦ 2 cups cornmeal, preferably freshly milled
â—¦ 1 cup cornstarch, preferably organic
â—¦ 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
â—¦ 2 teaspoons kosher salt
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper
â—¦ 2 soft baguettes or loaves of French bread, split lengthwise
â—¦ Mayonnaise, ketchup, shredded iceberg lettuce, tomato slices, and dill pickle slices, for serving


Recipe

To devein and butterfly the shrimp, run a sharp knife gently along the top of the shrimp to remove the black stripe running down the center, slicing just deep enough to allow the shrimp to open up like a book or a butterfly (do not fully cut through the shrimp or into the tail). My mom calls this technique sandbacking, or removing the sand.

Fill a large heavy-bottomed pot with 4 inches of peanut oil and heat the oil over medium-hight heat to 375° F. Alternatively, use a tabletop fryer.

In a shallow bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, hot sauce, and mustard. In a separate shallow bowl, combine the cornmeal, cornstarch, cayenne, salt, and black pepper.

To properly dredge the shrimp, designate one hand your wet hand and the other your dry hand. Use your wet hand to dip a shrimp in the egg yolk mixture, being sure to coat it evenly and letting any excess drip off, then place it in the cornmeal mixture. Use your dry hand to coat the shrimp evenly with the cornmeal mixture, then place it on a baking sheet. Repeat to dredge the remaining shrimp.

When the oil is hot, add a dozen shrimp and fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the shrimp to paper towels or brown paper bags to absorb excess oil. Repeat to fry the remaining shrimp.

You're going to have to choose your own adventure here when it comes to assembly. I coat the cut sides of the bread with some homemade mayonnaise, a touch of yellow mustard, and a touch of ketchup, then layer on some shredded iceberg lettuce, 2 slices of tomatoes seasoned with salt and cracked black pepper, a lot of pickles, and the fried shrimp and douse it all in hot sauce. To be completely honest, I also like to dip each bite of my po'boy in ketchup. Lord knows why, but that's how I like to eat it.


Makes 4 po'boys