motleyfood:

by Trish

Wanna bring the bayou to your apartment without having to flood the place? po’ boy sandwiches are your answer! A Louisiana staple, po’ boys are fried seafood on a hoagie with lettuce, tomatoes, and mayo. Adding to the po’ boy sandwich is supposedly heresy, in which case I should warn you that this post is sacrilege. I chose to pan fry the shrimp and swapped out regular mayo for a chipotle variety. Authentic it is not. But really tasty? That it certainly is.

Chipotle mayo managed to sneak its way onto this sandwich because it’s been my favorite condiment of the summer. It’s tangy and spicy, truly addictive. It’s great on burgers or pulled pork sandwiches, and can stand alone as a dip for chips and veggies. I bought a plastic squeeze bottle, filled it with the stuff, and since that day it’s found its way onto nearly everything.

When buying shrimp you’ll often notice numbers on the bag, such as 41/50 or 16/20. This isn’t the number of shrimp in the bag though. It’s the average number of shrimp you’ll get in a pound of the given size. Thus, the lower the number, the bigger the shrimp because you’re getting fewer shrimp for the same weight. Because I don’t like paying the premium for bigger shrimp, I usually stick to the 41/50 or 31/40 bags. For this recipe in particular, you don’t want to go too big with the shrimp or the sandwich will be hard to eat.

Shrimp Po’ Boys

This creole seasoning recipe makes a lot, but you can add it to just about anything. Mine has since ended up on ribs, roasted potatoes, and in a barbecue sauce. Go nuts. I used a mixture of hot paprika and smoked paprika, either is fine, but scale back the cayenne if you go with the hot stuff.

Time: 30 minutes (including making the rub and chipotle mayo)
Makes 2 sandwiches

Creole Seasoning

• 2 1/2 teaspoons paprika 
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder 
• 1 teaspoons black pepper
• 1 teaspoons cayenne 
• 1 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoons dried thyme

Chipotle Mayo

• 1 cup Hellmans mayonnaise (or another quality mayo)
• 2 chipotles from a can, finely chopped
• I clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. You can add more of the liquid from the can of chipotles for a spicier spread, or add more mayo to tone it down. Store in the fridge. 

Shrimp Po’ Boy

• 1/2 pound raw shrimp, tails and shells removed
• Creole seasoning (recipe above)
• 1/4 cup of cornmeal
• Vegetable oil for cooking
• 2 soft hoagie rolls, or hot dog rolls
• 1 ripe tomato
• 1 cup ice berg lettuce
• Chipotle mayo (recipe above)

1. Make the chipotle mayo and creole seasoning, set aside. 
2. Thinly slice the tomato. Shred or chop up the lettuce. 
3. Preheat a couple of tablespoons of oil in pan over medium. Toss the shrimp with a couple of tablespoons of the creole seasoning until coated, then add the cornmeal and toss again. When the pan is hot, shake off the excess corn meal and add them to the pan. The shrimp should sizzle when they touch the hot surface. Depending on the size of your shrimp you may have to cook them in two batches.
4. Cook 1-2 minutes per side. The shrimp will cook very quickly, careful not to overcook them! If in doubt, cut one shrimp open to make sure it’s cooked all the way through. Remove from heat.
5. To assemble: Put a healthy slather of chipotle mayo on each side of the bun. Nicely line one side with tomatoes, then some lettuce. Pile on as many shrimp as the bun can hold, then a couple more.

I only had 4 shrimp on this sandwich so the pictures would be pretty, but before I scarfed it down I totally added a couple more. It’s supposed to be messy!