This shrimp po’ boy recipe has the vibrant flavors of New Orleans, and it’s made in the comfort of your own kitchen.
Perfect for Mardi Gras festivities or a lively family lunch, this sandwich features crispy fried shrimp, juicy tomatoes, and fresh veggies tucked into crusty French bread. Topped with homemade tartar sauce, it’s a delightful taste of Louisiana that’s easy to make and sure to impress!
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This Shrimp Po’ Boy brings a piece of New Orleans to your table, combining crispy shrimps with creamy sauce and fresh bread for a satisfying meal. Whether it’s your first time trying it or it’s already a favorite, this sandwich promises a delicious experience every time.
What is a Po’ Boy?
So what is a po’ boy? A po’ boy is a sandwich originally from Louisiana. It traditionally consists of meat, in this case shrimp. People also use roast beef, ham, or other fried seafood such as crawfish, fish, oysters, or crab.
The meat is served in New Orleans French bread, known for its crisp crust and fluffy center.
In 1929, during a four-month strike against the streetcar company, the Martin brothers (restaurant owners in New Orleans) served their former colleagues free sandwiches. Hence the name po’ boy.
How to Make Shrimp Po’ Boy
First, gather your ingredients.
Ingredients
For best taste, always use the highest quality ingredients you have access to. To make this Recipe Name recipe, you will need the following ingredients:
- Medium shrimp – peeled and deveined
- Fine cornmeal
- All-purpose flour
- Creole seasoning
- Eggs
- Avocado oil
- Lettuce – I recommend Romaine lettuce or iceberg lettuce, but any will work
- Tomatoes – the big slicing tomatoes for sandwiches
- French rolls or baguettes
- Lemon (optional)
- tartar sauce: store-bought or homemade (linked)
- hot sauce (optional finisher)
Adding a dash of garlic powder or cayenne pepper can enhance the shrimp’s flavor, while substituting the tartar sauce with a spicy mayo or creamy Cajun sauce offers a nice twist.
Also: this may be the only fried anything recipe on this entire site at this point. We are using avocado oil to make it a tad more wholesome. Feel free to sub baked shrimp of you want to.
Last, I highly recommend buying your shrimp already peeled and deveined. It may be a tad pricier, but this is money well spent, as I personally hate doing this step of peeling and deveining myself.
Making Shrimp Po’ Boy
Creating the perfect Shrimp Po’ Boy involves simple steps that bring out the flavors of each ingredient.
Cooking the shrimp
Start by combining cornmeal, flour, and Creole seasoning in a small bowl. In another bowl, whisk the eggs.
Dry the shrimp, then dip each in egg.
Followed by the flour mixture to coat thoroughly.
You can place the ready-to-cook shrimp on a tray until you get them all coated. This allows you to cook them all at once.
Heat avocado oil in a skillet to medium-high heat until it sizzles. Fry the shrimp in batches until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.
Then drain on a paper towel.
Shrimp cooks fairly quickly, so be careful not to overcook.
Assembling shrimp po’ boy
To assemble the sandwiches, slice the rolls or baguette in half and spread each side with homemade tartar sauce.
Layer on romaine lettuce, tomato slices, and fried shrimp. Add a squeeze of lemon to enhance the tangy flavors. Press lightly to meld the ingredients together and serve immediately.
Leftovers
I recommend enjoying this recipe fresh for best results. If you have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Always use common sense and good judgement when it comes to leftovers. If something looks or smells off, it’s better to discard it.
I hope y’all enjoy this shrim po’ boy recipe! Let me know if you try it.
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Shrimp Po’ Boy Recipe
This shrimp po' boy recipe has the vibrant flavors of New Orleans, and it's made in the comfort of your own kitchen.
Ingredients
- 1 lb medium shrimp – peeled, deveined, tails removed
- 3/4 cup fine cornmeal
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon creole seasoning
- 2 large eggs
- Avocado oil for frying
- For servings
- 1 cup shredded romaine lettuce
- 2 tomatoes – sliced about ΒΌ inch thick
- 4 baguettes or French bread, cut into 4 even size pieces
- Tartar sauce – store bought or homemade (linked recipe)
- Lemon-optional for serving
Instructions
- Add enough avocado oil to a medium skillet for it to cover the bottom of the pan and come up about 1/4 inch. Heat to medium-high heat until the oil is sizzling.
- Add the cornmeal, flour, and creole seasoning to a shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl, crack and whisk the eggs. Dry the shrimp with a clean paper towel then dip each piece of shrimp in the egg then in the cornmeal/flour mixture and place the coated shrimp onto a clean plate. Continue until you have coated all of the shrimp.
- Once the oil is hot, add some of the shrimp to the pan, making sure not to overcrowd the pan (you will need to do this in batches). Cook the shrimp for about 2 minutes per side then set it aside on a paper towel-lined plate. Continue until you have cooked all of the shrimp.
- To assemble the PO boy sandwiches, slice the rolls or baguette in half and cover each side with some of the tartar sauce then layer on some lettuce and slices of tomato, then a few pieces of the fried shrimp. Sprinkle with a little squeeze of lemon and lightly compress the sandwiches and serve.
Recipe Notes
Nutritional information is approximate and was calculated using a recipe nutrition label generator.
How much bread you use depends on what your bakery carries. I have found I can get 2 sandwiches from one loaf. So 2 loaves will most likely make 4 sandwiches. Again, go with what you have access to.
This may be the only fried anything recipe on this entire site at this point, after hundreds of recipes over almost a decade. I stuck to the traditional version of this recipe. We are using avocado oil to make it a tad more wholesome. However, feel free to sub baked shrimp of you prefer.
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