Photo: Classic Fried Shrimp Po'boys Recipe
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 3 tablespoons Essence, recipe follows
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 3/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
- 2 small French bread loaves, each about 10-inches long
- 4 tablespoons melted butter
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise, or more to taste
- Red pepper sauce
- 1 cup shredded lettuce
- 1 large ripe beefsteak tomato, thinly sliced
- Sliced dill pickles, optional
- Hot sauce, for serving, optional
- Potato chips, for serving, optional (recommended: Zapp's)
Directions
Heat the oil in a large sauce pan or preheat a deep fryer to 360 degrees F. Season the shrimp with 1 tablespoon of the Essence, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the cayenne. In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour and cornmeal and season with the remaining 2 tablespoons of the Essence, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon cayenne. Dredge the shrimp in the seasoned flour mixture, coating the shrimp completely. Fry the shrimp in the hot oil, in batches if necessary, until golden brown, stirring constantly, about 4 minutes. Remove from the oil and drain on a paper-lined plate. Season with salt and hot sauce. Split the French bread loaves in half and brush both cut sides of the bread with some of the melted butter. Using a spatula, spread the mayonnaise on both sides of the bread, then sprinkle with hot sauce. Divide the shrimp evenly between the 2 sandwiches and garnish with the lettuce, tomato slices, sliced pickles and hot sauce, if desired. Serve with potato chips.
Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Combine all ingredients thoroughly.
Yield: 2/3 cup
Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch, published by William Morrow, 1993.
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By oliviap
Lancaster, CA
on March 13, 2012
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Very tasty with only a couple of aforementioned issues. The first was that a good amount of my dredge came off in the oil so at the end the shrimp were very lightly coated. Also, cook time was maybe 2-3min max, and I had what was labeled as colossal (the largest size shrimp. Just a heads up for anyone trying this for the first time.. because it is a little trickier to see when they turn opaque (versus a saute being that they're coated and the oil is bubbling around them.
Despite some of my shrimp coming out a bit overcooked the flavor was good. I would say if you like a little spice don't be afraid to add some extra cayenne because once it gets on that big bun with lettuce and tomato the flavor gets a bit toned down. I also made Emeril's Remoulade Sauce which is the first result that pops up when you type 'remoulade' in FN's search query. Recommend this combo!
By sjwalsh97_11968904
Minneapolis, 63
on March 03, 2012
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Absolutely wonderful. If they are better in N' Orleans, I don't know how!
By Onemiracle5
Austin, TX
on January 07, 2012
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Fundamental recipe to capture New Orleans flavor.
Season along the way - keeping mind that you are building flavors - because this can all turn from oh-so-fine to overkill pretty easily.
Putting hot sauce both on the shrimp and then on the mayo really did make a difference. In our case, Cholula is the hot sauce of choice, which means we can be generous.
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