Shrimp Po' Boy Sandwich

The culture of New Orleans, Louisiana and its' food is diverse to say the least. And originating from New Orleans is the Po' Boy sandwich. A hallowed out loaf of French bread filled with oysters, prawns (shrimp) or a meat and gravy make up the classic forms of this sandwich. I've so often seen them done on the cooking shows I watch and I am looking forward to this. Something out of the everyday you know.
Loaves of bread - French baguette to be exact went on sale today for a mere one dollar. I still had 1/3 or more of a bag of shrimp in the freezer that had been on sale, so this dinner isn't costing tons, regardless that it is shrimp. The cost came out to $6.71 for two people each. My logic is: you can't go out and get the same thing, the same amount of shrimp on each sandwich for less than that. Our local seafood drive in charges $14.95 for 6 fried shrimp, tiny side of cole slaw and a small amount of fries and a dinner roll. So today we leave the budget comfort zone; we try something new and imagine ourselves eating this sandwich at a bistro table in New Orleans.

Recipe Tips:

1. When defrosting the shrimp make sure you do it in cold water.
2. Remove the shells (keep the tail and the last section of shell closest to the tail on)and make sure all the black veins are removed.
3. Save the shells in a container in the freezer to use at some point in making seafood stock.
4. The spices used in the breading - you will need extra to sprinkle on the shrimp as a marinade.
5. You can use a 3 inch deep skillet to fry, filling a little over half way with the oil.
6. Fry the shrimp at 330-340 degrees and maintain that temperature throughout the frying process.

Shrimp Recipe

• 1 - 2 pound bag of frozen shrimp
• Oil for frying - canola, vegetable whatever oil you like.

For the Breading:

• 2 cups white flour
• 1 cup corn flour
• 2 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. white pepper
• 1 tsp. table salt
• 1 tsp. granulated garlic
• 1/4 tsp. finely ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper

For the egg wash:

• 3 large eggs
• 3 tbsp. water

Spice rub for the Shrimp:

• 2 tbsp. paprika
• 1 tbsp. granulated garlic
• 1 tbsp. onion powder
• 1 tbsp. chili powder
• 1 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp. salt

1. After you have prepped and cleaned the shrimp, sprinkle the shrimp with a good amount of seasoning. Stir to coat shrimp and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes or longer to marinate.
2. While the shrimp are marinating, set up a breading station. In one dish or bowl mix all of the dry ingredients along with the spices.  In another dish or bowl, whisk together the eggs and water.
3. Dip each shrimp into the egg mixture allowing the excess egg to drip off, then dredge in the flour and shake off the excess flour. Lay the shrimp on a plate or small sheet pan and refrigerate for about 10 minutes. Do not throw the breading mixture away as you may need to re-coat the shrimp after refrigeration as the shrimp will appear somewhat wet.
4. Next, get your oil ready. Over medium heat, heat the oil to a temperature of 340 degrees using any kitchen thermometer you have to check the temperature. At this point if you need to re-dredge the shrimp in the flour do so.
5. Carefully place the shrimp in the hot oil, frying for about 2 minutes per side until golden brown. Fry the shrimp in small batches and remove from the oil and drain on paper towels.

Sandwich Assembly:

I slathered mayonnaise on both sides of the bread after hallowing out the top and bottom. After you add in the shrimp, you can put the two halves together with toothpicks to hold the sandwich. Cut the size(s) you want for portions. My portion was less but I could barely finish it. Very filling. Extremely tasty.

And you don't have to plate it fancy:

I just had to have a few extra shrimps (as Emeril would say) on the side - they were so darn good!