I’m originally from Louisiana and, with Mardi Gras just around the corner here, I’ve been getting a hankering for some of those classic flavors from my home state. Over on Simply Budgeted, I’ve posted about my gumbo and king cake. These are just great comforts this time of year and are so iconic for Louisiana and for the season.
Here, though, I wanted to focus on something no less iconic, but a little more pedestrian. In Louisiana, and other parts of the Gulf Coast, the sandwich of choice is the po’ boy. In other parts of the country, this may be called a submarine, a hero, or a hoagie. Nevertheless, you wind up with meat, veggies, and condiments all shoved into a 6- to 12-inch long bun. Po’ boy, short for “poor boy”, is such an amazingly appropriate term for this type of sandwich. If you are a worker who is low on funds, but who needs a good lunch to power through a day of manual labor, what better than a hunk of bread shoved full of whatever you can find?
The po’ boy starts with a fresh french roll, crusty on the outside, fluffy within. In continues with meats like roast beef or fried oysters. It is then topped with lettuce, tomatoes, and Creole mustard or some variant. My absolute favorite, though, is with fried shrimp, tomatoes, and cole slaw. YUM!! The shrimp has to be hot and crispy, the cole slaw creamy but tangy, and the tomatoes as fresh and juicy as possible. Serve with a side of crispy potato chips and you’ve got quite a meal!
The best part for me, of course, is sharing that time with my kids. My girls are really starting to enjoy their time in the kitchen. They understand that they are pretty limited in what they can do, but that, if they watch and hang around, I’ll always find something for them. Plus they get to try a few things before everyone else! Since I had the oil hot for the shrimp, I decided to make some fresh potato chips. Here they are watching and patiently waiting for the chance to munch on a few. Whatever gets ’em hooked, right?
Here’s my simple recipe for putting together this incredible sandwich. Enjoy!
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp white sugar
- 1 tsp celery seed
- 6 cups cole slaw mix
- Oil for frying
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups seasoned bread crumbs
- 2 lbs peeled, deveined shrimp, 31-40 count
- salt and pepper to taste
- 6 crusty French rolls, 6-12 inches each
- 4 roma tomatoes, sliced
- In a large mixing bowl, combine first 4 ingredients. Add cole slaw mix and coat with the dressing. Set aside.
- In a 3.5 qt heavy pot, heat 3-4 inches of oil over medium-high heat. The oil should be at about 375 degrees.
- Place flour, eggs, and bread crumbs into three separate bowls. Season the flour and eggs with salt and pepper. Mix well.
- In small batches, coat the shrimp thoroughly in flour, shaking off the excess. Transfer to the eggs, draining off the excess. Transfer to the bread crumbs and coats thoroughly. Once again, shake off the excess.
- Carefully drop into the hot oil. Fry for 5-7 minutes or until the shrimp are golden brown and delicious. Remove to paper towels to drain. Immediately season with salt. Continue until all shrimp are fried.
- To serve, slice open the rolls. Place a layer of tomatoes, followed by 9-12 shrimp and a generous helping of cole slaw. Enjoy!
What’s your favorite sandwich? How do you encourage your kids to get involved in the kitchen? Leave a comment and share your story.
I LOVE Shrimp Po’ Boys! I pinned this so I could find it later! Thank you for linking up on Kids in the Kitchen!
Shrimp Po’ Boys are one of my favorites! This just reminded me of home!
oh this sounds so good
yummy crusty shrimp! love it! And yes! Tangy cole slaw! so good!
Oh that sounds (and looks) delicious! You know, I always wondered exactly what a po’ boy was. I knew it was a type of sandwich but that was the extent of my knowledge. Thanks for enlightening me!
I’ve only recently learned of the practice of putting cole slow on hotdogs, po’ boys, etc. – and I love it. I just don’t see it done frequently in the Midwest, though.
OMG, you had me at shrimp! And I love po’ boys! Never been to New Orleans, but I’ve had what seems to be reasonable copies. And I love putting cole slaw on sandwiches, we always do that in NY. Thanks for a great recipe, this will be well worth the time! Pinned & planned! Yum!
I want some of the shrimp poboy for dinner! Looks so tasty!
I love shrimp made that way, looks great. A nice change from everyday plain dinners.
You come from the land o good cookin! We call them grinders, in general! Those look soo good, if your post said you are a famous chef, I’d truly believe it – Emeril, watch out! The girls are cute, helping out!!!
Shrimp is definitely my favorite food, I can eat it any way you can cook it, but there is nothing better than fried shrimp. This recipe has made me hungry.
I’ve Got To Try Your Shrimp Po’ Boy Recipe! I’ve Never Had It With Coleslaw, Sounds Delicious!
You said the magic words up their- fried oysters. I LOVE those. My husband doesnt ‘get’ oysters and refuses to even try them. The po boy looks delicious!
I am such a shrimp lover. This sandwich looks so delicious. I have pinned it for later. Thanks for the great recipe.