Shrimp Po’ Boy Sandwich

Shrimp Po’Boy Sandwich – Crispy and crunchy shrimp piled mile high on a buttered toasted french roll, stuffed with crunchy cabbage, fresh tomatoes, and drizzled with a lip-smacking homemade remoulade sauce. Crazy delicious!

Contents… What is a Po’Boy? What was the Original Po’Boy Sandwich? Po’boy vs Sub Recipe Ingredients Alternative Ingredients Recipe Variations Storage Instructions What Sauces Go with Shrimp Po Boy? Assembling the Shrimp Po’Boy Sandwich What to Serve Them With? More Easy Southern Bites To Try How To Make Shrimp Po Boy Sandwich? Watch How To Make It

Shrimp po’boys are by far the most quintessential sandwiches in New Orleans cuisine – hands down. It was one of my favorites, during my pregnancy and I ate it shamelessly – no guilt AT ALL.  I long for those days. But it ain’t happening now.

This shrimp po’boy recipe is made with battered shrimp, served on a toasted garlic French roll filled with crispy cabbage or lettuce and fresh tomatoes. And to make it irresistible, a creamy remoulade sauce tops all the goodness inside.

I’m telling you it can’t get better than this!

What is a Po’Boy?

Po’boy is a popular sandwich from Louisiana. Traditionally served on a French baguette or French bread with a crisp crust and soft and light center. And stuffed with meat like roast beef and fried seafood such as shrimp, crab, oyster, and fish.

What was the Original Po’Boy Sandwich?

Martin Brothers gave away sandwiches to the Electric Street Railway strikers in 1929 and called it “poor boy sandwich”. As they always blurted out “here comes another poor boy” whenever a striker goes to their restaurant.

These sandwiches originally have fried potatoes, gravy, and bits of roast beef stuffed inside a French bread.

Po’boy vs Sub

Po’boy like this shrimp sandwich is New Orleans’ pride. The French bread is being sliced in the middle and is filled with meat and fried seafood. Usually roast beef, shrimp, fish, or oysters along with tomato, pickle, lettuce, and mayonnaise dressing.

On the other hand, Sub also known as submarine sandwich is made with a long roll of French or Italian bread. Stuffed with cheeses, veggies, seasonings, sauces, and a variety of meats like ham and salami.

Recipe Ingredients

The list is pretty long but they are mostly basic spices your probably already have in your kitchen. And I guarantee you the ingredients below will make the best-tasting shrimp po’boy sandwich you’ll ever have. 😉

Shrimp Batter

• Shrimp – I suggest you find the freshest shrimp and the large ones too, to make this an irresistibly delicious shrimp sandwich. Don’t forget to peel and devein the shrimps to make them clean. 
• Flour – is an essential ingredient to make the perfect coating for this po’boy recipe. It makes our shrimp crispy and crunchy. 
• Corn Meal – adds sweet flavor notes and distinct flavors when mixed with flour. Perfect for this shrimp sandwich.
• Garlic Powder – I personally like using garlic powder coz’ it distributes the garlicky flavor in the flour mixture evenly, compared to using the fresh minced garlic.
• Onion Powder – same with garlic powder. It brings out the best flavors of onion without using the fresh one.
• Cayenne Pepper – spice up your life, I meant your shrimp po’boy, with a teaspoon or two (or more!) of cayenne pepper for added heat.
• White Or Black Pepper – it gives the dish the right amount of heat needed to amp up the flavor of any dish.
• Salt – go easy on the salt. It can make any dish flavorful, but too much salt can ruin it as well.
• Buttermilk – it makes the batter airy resulting in crunchy and crispy shrimps perfect for this po’boy recipe. It also helps the shrimp to absorb all the flavors from the seasonings.
• Egg – together with buttermilk, works as a binder so the flour mixture sticks to the shrimps as you fry them.

Remoulade Sauce

• Lemon – the freshly squeezed lemon juice adds an interestingly bright and citrusy flavor to this shrimp sandwich.
• Mayonnaise – it’s creamy, smooth, and velvety. The perfect condiment and base for dressings, sauces, or dips.
• Garlic – nothing beats the aroma and intense taste of fresh minced garlic. See how I mince my garlic here.
• Dijon Mustard – this tangy, sharp, and strong condiment is often shown as a yellow paste. The perfect addition to this sauce.
• Hot Sauce – you can’t go wrong with a little kick of heat! Be careful not to burn your tongue though. 😉
• Relish – chopped pickles that add sweetness to this sauce and balance all the flavors.
• Green Onion – chopped it finely to fully release all the fresh flavors. An amazing addition you shouldn’t skip. 😉
• Worcestershire Sauce – This thick sauce serves multiple purposes. It’s often used as a sauce base because it holds sweet and strong flavors.
• Creole Seasoning – this one is optional but highly recommended. It’s a blend of spices and herbs that completes any dish magically. You can also try Blackened Seasoning for flavor variation. 😉

Assembly

• Hoagie Or French Rolls – I like them a little toasted on the outside with a soft and fluffy center, perfect for Immaculatebites Shrimp Po’Boy version.
• Butter – any toasted bread needs butter to make it scrumptious and divine. Tastes even better when infused with crushed garlic. Aah! So mouthwatering!
• Sliced Cabbage Or Shredded Lettuce – adding them fresh to add some color and texture to our delicious shrimp po’boy sandwich.
• Tomatoes – the added sweetness and tartness of the sliced tomatoes complete this shrimp sandwich deliciously. 😉

Alternative Ingredients

Don’t fret if you’re missing out on any ingredients. You can easily substitute them or just make them from scratch. Oh! Yes!

• Buttermilk – say goodbye to store-bought buttermilk and try this homemade instead. Made with only 2 ingredients. How cool is that? 😉
• Creole Seasoning – you can make any dish more flavorful and enticing with my homemade version. Try it now!
• Blackened Seasoning – also goes well with shrimp as seasonings besides the classic Creole Seasoning. You can also try it with other recipes like Blackened Spatchcock Chicken and Blackened Shrimp and Pasta.
• Mayonnaise – who would have thought making mayonnaise from scratch is surprisingly this easy? And the best part is, you can make it in 10 minutes with simple ingredients like egg and lemon juice. Yes!

Recipe Variations

• Grilled or Smoked Oysters – taste the ocean with fresh oysters added to your po’boy sandwiches. 
• Blackened Shrimp – if you want some flavor variations besides Creole Seasoning.
• Pan-Seared Salmon – level up your sandwich into a fancy salmon po’boy. This one is sure to be a new crowd-favorite in no time. 
• Fried Catfish – same crunchiness and crispiness, what’s not to love? 😉

Storage Instructions

The key to storing leftover Shrimp Po’Boy Sandwich is to store the ingredients separately to keep them fresh.

• Bread – wrap them in foil or store them in a bread box or an airtight container. They can last for about 2-3 days at room temperature if properly stored.
• Shrimp – place them in an airtight container or wrap them in foil. They can stay fresh inside the fridge for about 3-4 days.
• Remoulade Sauce – can be stored inside the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Pro Tip: Fry or bake the shrimps to reheat. The air fryer works too and can bring back the crispiness of the shrimps.

What Sauces Go with Shrimp Po Boy?

Plain mayonnaise or any mayo-based sauce goes well with shrimp po’boy. But you can take it up a notch with the best shrimp po’boy sauce – the Remoulade Sauce.

It is a mayonnaise-based condiment with a mildly sweet and sour taste. Making it the ideal pairing for seafood along with mayo, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce (the three base ingredients), and Cajun seasonings for spice and depth.

Assembling the Shrimp Po’Boy Sandwich

• Like any other sandwich, start with slicing the French Bread almost all the way through.
• Spread Remoulade sauce on the inside of the bread (or skip this part if you want your Remoulade Sauce drizzled on top).
• Add the shredded lettuce or sliced cabbages, followed by the shrimps, and then the slices of tomatoes.
• Close the bread by slightly pressing both sides to compress the sandwich a little. Now, all you need is a cold beer to enjoy this scrumptious shrimp sandwich. 😉

What to Serve Them With?

Though shrimp po’boy sandwich is already a complete meal on its own, you can still enjoy them with light snacks like these recipes below.

• Fish and Chips
• Air Fryer Chin Chin
• Beer Battered Onion Rings
• Southern Cheese Straws
• Baked Crispy Potato Wedges

More Easy Southern Bites To Try

• Fried Okra
• Buttermilk Biscuits
• Air Fryer Hush Puppies
• Southern Style Corn Bread
• Tea Cakes

How To Make Shrimp Po Boy Sandwich?

Coating The Shrimps

• Preheat a deep-fryer – to 375 degrees F or in a large saucepan pour vegetable oil – halfway.
• Mix the flour and seasonings – in a large bowl mix together, cornmeal, flour, garlic & onion powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper. (Photo 1)
• Mix buttermilk and eggs – and set aside. (Photo 2)
• Dip the shrimp into the flour mixture – Dip shrimp in buttermilk mixture and lightly deep into the flour mixture. (Photos 3-4)

Frying the Shrimps

• Fry shrimps until crispy – Then fry the shrimp in the fryer or saucepan a few at a time. Fry until slightly brown and crispy, about 3 to 4 minutes or more depending on the size. These big chunks took about 6 minutes per side. (Photo 5)
• Remove from the fryer – with a slotted spoon and place on a dish with a paper towel to ensure crispness. Repeat with the remaining shrimp. (Photo 6)

Making the Remoulade Sauce

• Combine the ingredients in a bowl – In a serving bowl combine, lemon juice from squeezed lemon, mayonnaise, garlic, relish, green onions, mustard, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Creole Seasoning, salt, and pepper.
• Cover and place in the refrigerator – Cover with plastic wrap and let the flavors mellow in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.

Assembling the Shrimp Po Boy Sandwich

• Toast the bread – Place bread in the oven and lightly toast.
• Make the garlic and butter mixture – While bread is toasting, combine crushed garlic, and butter, then microwave in a safe dish for about 1 minute.
• Spread on toasted French bread.
• Proceed with the assembling of the sandwich – add the shrimp, sliced cabbage or shredded lettuce, sliced tomatoes, and drizzle with Remoulade Sauce. 

Watch How To Make It

This post was first published in April 2017 and has been updated with a video and additional information.