I had some shrimp to cook and Sean just wanted some simple fried shrimp. I, on the other hand, wanted to jazz things up a little bit and decided to make some po’boys. Well, they are about as close as I can get to it anyway, since I don’t have the bread from Louisiana, but the recipe was pretty darn good anyway. If you’re going to go through the effort to do the shrimp, you absolutely need to make your own remoulade. It tastes awesome, takes minutes to do and is completely worth it, trust me.

Shrimp Po’Boy Sandwiches

1 pound medium shrimp, shelled, deveined and with tails removed
3/4 cup fine cornmeal
3/4 cup flour
1 Tbsp Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
Vegetable oil for frying
1/2 head lettuce, shredded
2-3 tomatoes, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
4 small French sandwich rolls

Remoulade
1/4 cup mustard, preferably Creole mustard
1 1/4 cups mayo
1 teaspoon pickle juice or vinegar
1 teaspoon hot sauce 
1 large garlic clove, minced and smashed
1 Tbsp sweet paprika
1-2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning

For the remoulade, mix all the ingredients together in a medium bowl until they are well blended. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving so the flavors meld.

Pour 1/4 inch of oil in a deep-frying pan or Dutch oven and heat the oil over medium high until a candy thermometer inserted reads 375 degrees.

Meanwhile, mix the cornmeal, flour, Cajun seasoning and salt in a large bowl. Working with several shrimp at a time, place the shrimp in the beaten egg and then in the cornmeal mixture. Shake off any excess and place the shrimp in the hot oil, frying until golden on both sides, about 2-3 minutes total. Remove the shrimp to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Repeat the process with the remaining shrimp.

To assemble the sandwiches, slice the rolls and smear the remoulade on the insides of both halves. Lay a layer of lettuce over the remoulade on the bottom of the sandwich, then place a few shrimp over the lettuce. Cover the shrimp with two or three slices of tomato and press the top of the roll down on the bottom to compress the sandwich a little. Repeat with the remaining rolls, accompaniments and shrimp and serve.

It tasted great. Michelle didn’t eat a sandwich but still dipped the shrimp in the remoulade and loved it. It makes enough remoulade so you’ll have extra to use for something else later on. I served this with fries to keep it simple.

That’s what I made last night. Tonight I think is going to be a leftovers night since we have lots of them. Tomorrow is shopping day, where we will hit Adams Farms and the farmer’s market so I am not sure what we will come up with. Check back and see what we find. Until then, enjoy your day (it’s beautiful here today) and enjoy your meal!