Po' Boy

As you can see, there are few things different around here this week. I’ve made a few changes and want to expand the scope of the blog. I plan to keep the blog going after the baby is born, and while certainly the pregnancy and all that entails is certain at the very top of the priority list, I do have other interests and thoughts I’d like to share with you. And this week is the big roll out! So without further ado, let’s see what’s in store:

One of my main passions is food. Though you probably wouldn’t know it from looking at me. But I love to cook, and in fact I do most of the cooking at home. This of course isn’t to say that the wife doesn’t help, but it’s something that I can do for her.  So with summer in full swing, I decided to branch out and try something new. Well, several new things. I decided that I was going to try several new dishes (some coming from recipes, some straight from my head, and some a combination of both) and report on the results to you. So here is week one’s dish: The Po’ Boy Sandwich.

A Po’ Boy sandwich is a Cajun classic. Its origins and name are straight out of New Orleans. The story goes that during a streetcar strike, a restaurant served free sandwiches to the striking workers who they referred to as “poor boys.” The sandwich took on the name and with the native dialect became the “Po’ Boy.”

There are, in my opinion, three distinctive features of the Po’ Boy: the bread, the sauce, and the filling. Yes, I’m well aware that could be said of any sandwich. Let’s get into the specifics and see what I mean.

First up the bread. Po’ Boys are traditionally served on a French baguette type of bread. It has a crispier crust and a soft interior that to me just says good sandwich bread. I’ve seen other breads used, but it’s that long, slender bread that helps immediately identify the sandwich in question.

Then comes the sauce. I’ve had Po’ Boy that only have mayo, and while certainly not bad, if I’m taking the reins, I want to step it up a bit. Most online recipes call for a type of sauce known as remoulade. There are a number of variations with most containing mayo, horseradish, and seasonings. The recipe I decided on was basically a spiced up fry-sauce, but more on that later.

Finally, the filling. For me, there’s nothing like shrimp. Though chicken is a close second (especially if I’m eating at Popeyes). I’ve seen other variations with different fish and sausages as well. The key here is to really hit home on the Cajun. If you’re going with fish, go with fried catfish, for sausage it better be Andouille. I’ve seen some that are just roast beef or ham, but to me that just sounds more like a sub than an actual Po’ Boy.

So how did it come together in my kitchen? Let’s take a look:

Go ahead, lick the screen. You know you want to. 

I’ll start off by saying that I was rather pleased with the way it turned out. There were a couple of missteps: the bread I had bought the day before had gone rock hard by the time I tried to use it, and the Andouille I’d bought to pair with the shrimp remained forgotten in the fridge. But if you have all the ingredients actually in place, you’ve got a quick fix that is filled with flavor.

As I mentioned before, I used an online recipe for the sauce. About halfway through making it I realized that this was just a fancied up fry-sauce, but that’s ok. It tasted great .I didn’t have any horseradish on hand (because, yuck) and instead took a radish to the food processor to get some of that kick, but with an agreeable flavor. I let mine sit in the refrigerator for a bit to let the flavors combine; otherwise it takes no time to put it together.

I was surprised how quickly the shrimp came together. I think the longest part was peeling and deveining them, which could be easily remedied by purchasing the “all ready to go” stuff. Following another online suggestion, I coated the shrimp with blackened seasoning, dunked them in egg and buttermilk, dredged them in a mix of flour and cornmeal, and then into a cast iron skillet filled with hot oil. Our shrimp weren't huge (haha, get it?) so they cooked in just a few minutes. The crust was nice and crispy and I really liked the addition of the cornmeal.

With the addition of tomato and lettuce, the sandwiches were ready to go. I buttered and toasted the bread for a bit of an extra crunch and piled everything on. The addition of some Zapps New Orleans style chips meant that the good times were ready to roll. The flavors were all there, and one sandwich was definitely filling. I was surprised how mild the heat was. After eating most of the sandwich, I could feel a slight burn built up in my mouth, but not bad at all. I’d even go out on a limb and say my family might even be ok with them (note: my family are notorious [at least to me] spice shunners).

Hopefully next time I’ll remember to pull out the Andouille and brown that up to go with the shrimp, and I’ll probably add a bit more of the Cajun seasoning, but yes, there will indeed be a next time. With a rather quick prep time (which you could further shorten by using pre-breaded shrimp, but you wouldn't want to do that would you?) this makes a great, flavorful weeknight-friendly meal.

So there you have it, the first edible experiment was a success. We've got a new recipe for the rotation, and can easily enjoy a bit of the bayou with the benefit of not having to book a big…quick, what’s a synonym for vacation that starts with a ‘B’?