Shrimp Po’ Boys!! Crispy cajun seasoned fried shrimp (prawns) stuffed into rolls with crunchy lettuce, tomato, pickles and a generous slather of tangy remoulade sauce. This famous Louisiana classic is one heck of a sandwich!
PS Shrimp = prawns for us Aussies, but I’m sticking with the American name here because calling it a Prawn Po’ Boys just feels wrong! 🙂
Shrimp Po’ Boys (prawns)
I really want to tell you that Po’ Boys are the first thing I hunted down when I touched down in New Orleans, but fried chicken won out purely because it was closer to my hotel and impatience got the better of me!
But Po’ Boys came shortly thereafter, and boy oh boy, New Orleans sets the bar high for memorable sandwiches. I will never forget the first bite I had of the crusty bread stuffed to bursting with the crispy fried shrimp, crunchy lettuce and tangy sauce. Messy, generous and SO good!
Po’ Boys are having a bit of a moment here in Sydney and after recently paying a ridiculous amount for a disappointing one (soggy shrimp, overcooked, bland seasoning) I decided it was time to take matters into my own hands and make my own. Yes the crispy shrimp has to be fried but it’s actually a lot less hassle than most fried foods – they get batch coated (rather than one by one), and they’re shallow fried rather than deep fried, it doesn’t splatter or spit.
I think it’s pretty darn close to the real thing – I’d love to know what New Orleans locals think! Have I done your famous Po’ Boys justice??
What are Po’ Boys?
I’m glad you asked! Po’ Boys are New Orleans’ famous overstuffed sandwiches made with crusty French bread and fillings ranging from slow cooked beef to crispy fried oysters and fish. Shrimp (prawns) is one of the most popular versions. The name is short for “poor boy”, said to date back to 1929 when two New Orleans brothers served sandwiches to streetcar workers, calling them “poor boys”. The name stuck, and so did the sandwiches.
Ironically, here in Sydney, there is nothing “poor” about the price tag of Po’ Boys – $30 up!!! You can make this entire recipe for 4 people for that amount.
Ingredients in Shrimp Po’ Boys
Here’s what you need to make Shrimp Po’ Boys. You’ll find everything at regular grocery stores, or there’s easy substitutions that won’t compromise the end result.
1. For the crispy cajun seasoned shrimp
The shrimp (prawns) are coated in a flour coating that is boldly spiced with cajun flavours. It makes the shrimp so tasty, they’re hard to resist snacking on!
Shrimp / prawns – Use frozen for convenience, thaw thoroughly and pat dry before use. We need medium ones so they are not too big to stuff into the sandwich, though prawns in bags labelled “large” are also fine. I wouldn’t use small because they cook through way too quickly, before the outside has time to get crunchy. Also, it’s just a pain handling a gazillion little prawns!
Fine cornmeal – Traditionally used for the shrimp coating, this is dried ground corn which gives the shrimp extra crunchy little gritty bits. Honestly though, you can’t taste it so just substitute with cornflour/cornstarch, I couldn’t even tell the difference. If you really want to be authentic, make sure to use fine ground cornmeal, not coarse (works, but more visible). I found mine at Harris Farms (Sydney).
Flour – Just plain flour / all-purpose flour.
Cajun spices – Pantry spices! How good is that! The cayenne gives the shrimp the faintest warmth, feel free to omit it if you prefer.
Egg – This is to make the coating stick on the prawns.
2. for the remoulade sauce
The sauce for Po’ Boys is typically mayonnaise or a tangy remoulade, a Louisiana-style sauce made with mayonnaise, mustard, pickles and spices that goes especially well with crispy fried seafood. I’m going with the latter – it really is tasty!
Mustard – Remoulade is traditionally made with Creole mustard, which is tangy, grainy and has a little spicy kick. Since it’s hard to find here in Sydney, I use Dijon OR yellow mustard mixed with wholegrain mustard instead. I’ve made this with both and honestly can’t pick a favourite! I like the warmer yellow colour you get from regular yellow mustard, but Dijon has a slightly more sophisticated flavour. Either works beautifully, especially with all the other flavours going on in the sauce!
Mayonnaise – Use whole egg mayonnaise or kewpie, which have a smoother flavour than regular mayonnaise which tend to be too sweet and/or too vinegary.
Horseradish cream – Adds a little sharp, peppery bite that gives the remoulade an extra kick without making it chilli-hot. Use prepared horseradish cream, not fresh horseradish, which is much stronger.
Pickle juice – Literally, from the jar of pickles for the pickles we use in the sandwich.
Hot sauce – Tabasco, or any other hot sauce you want. You can omit it, if you want to make this not spicy.
Garlic – Finely grated or crushed using a garlic press.
Paprika – Just sweet / regular paprika. Not smoky and not hot.
3. for the sandwich
You can either use rolls, or cut a long French stick into 22cm/9″ lengths.
Bread rolls – Use any white bread roll you want. We will be lightly toasting them to make the crust lightly crispy – not too crisp.
Tomatoes and lettuce – The vegetables that are typical in Shrimp Po’ Boys. Use iceberg or cos/romaine lettuce.
Pickles – finely sliced. I do it on the diagonal to make the slices larger.
How to make Shrimp Po’ Boys
Here’s how to make it. We do need to fry, but it’s not deep frying, it’s just shallow fried. Less oil, less mess!
Remoulade – Mix the ingredients in a bowl and set aside while you make everything else.
Warm rolls – Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan forced). Warp the rolls in foil (2 in each parcel), put them on a tray then turn the oven off. This will warm the rolls through and keep them warm without over-toasting while you cook the shrimp.
Whisk the egg in a bowl and put all the shrimp in, then mix to coat in the egg.
Cajun coating – Mix all the Cajun coating ingredients in a separate medium size bowl. Then lay some of the egg coated shrimp onto the flour mixture in one layer (however many you can).
Coat – Toss the bowl to coat the shrimp in the flour mixture. Or use a spoon.
Shake off excess – Grab a handful of shrimp and lightly enclose your fist around them to adhere the coating on well. Then shake around in your hand, using your fingers as a colander, to shake off excess flour.
Coat all shrimp – Place them on a plate, repeat with remaining shrimp. Coat them all in the flour and lay on the plate.
Fry 2 – 3 minutes – Heat 2 cm / 0.8″ oil in a heavy based skillet or pot to 180C/350F (if you drop a pinch of flour in, it should sizzle straight away). Then cook the shrimp in batches for 2 – 3 minutes until deep golden. There is no need to turn the shrimp, just place them in and leave them there for the full cook time. Don’t cook too long, we don’t want to overcook the shrimp! For medium / large shrimp, 2 minutes should be long enough, up to 3 minutes to get enough colour on the coating and make it crispy.
Drain – Scoop the prawns out with a slotted spoon or spider onto a tray lined with paper towels to drain the excess oil. Repeat and cook remaining shrimp.
Assembling the Po’ Boys
Split the rolls in half and spread with butter. Then spread the base with 1 tablespoon of remoulade.
Stuff as follows – Layer of sliced pickles, then tomato, shredded lettuce, pile on shrimp/prawns (as much as you can!), drizzle the shrimp with remoulade sauce. Close lid and devour!
I could eat a Po’ Boy anytime, but it seems especially fitting for weekends and parties. I like that you can coat all the shrimp / prawns in the Cajun seasoned flour and have it ready to fry, then it fries up in just 5 minutes. In the world of crispy fried things, these Po’ Boys are way down on the less-mess-less-effort-less-stress end compared to, say, handling large pieces of bone in chicken or the recipes where I really insist on double frying and things that need to be battered one-by-one just before dropping into the hot oil.
Frying makes anything tasty, but it does require commitment. So it’s nice to be sharing one that isn’t such a big deal. And you end up with one heck of a sandwich! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Shrimp Po’ Boys (prawns)
Ingredients
- 500g/ 1 lb large shrimp/prawns , peeled and deveined – either frozen and thawed (Note 1)
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt , for sprinkling cooked shrimp/prawns
- 2 – 3 cups canola oil or other plain oil, for cooking
Cajun coating:
- 1/3 cup fine cornmeal , or cornflour/cornstarch (Note 2)
- 1/3 cup plain flour / all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt , + extra for sprinkling
- 1 tbsp paprika , sweet/regular
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 3/4 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper , optional (for barely-there spiciness)
Remoulade sauce:
- 2 1/2 tbsp Dijon or yellow mustard – Creole mustard if you've got it! (Note 3)
- 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard (ie with the little mustard seeds in it), or more smooth mustard (Note 3)
- 1 1/4 cups whole-egg mayonnaise (Note 4)
- 2 tsp prepared horseradish (horseradish cream)
- 1 tsp pickle juice (ie juice from a jar of pickles) or white vinegar
- 1 tsp tabasco
- 1 large garlic clove , finely grated
- 2 tsp paprika , sweet/regular
Sandwich:
- 4 crusty white rolls , about 20cm / 8" long – or 2 French sticks cut
- 1/4 cup dill pickles , finely sliced on an angle
- 2 tomatos , halved and sliced
- 2 cups (packed) shredded cos lettuce (romaine) or iceberg
- Salted table butter , softened, for spreading on rolls
Instructions
ABBREVIATED RECIPE:
- Toss all shrimp in egg, then coat in Cajun coating. Fry 2 – 3 min. Spread warmed rolls with butter, then base with remoulade. Pile in this order: pickles, lettuce, tomato, shrimp, drizzle with remoulade. Enjoy!
FULL RECIPE:
- Remoulade – Mix the ingredients in a bowl and leave in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to let the flavours meld.
- Lightly warm rolls (Note 5) – Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan-forced). Wrap the bread in foil (2 rolls per parcel) and put them in the oven. Turn the oven off. This will warm them through and make them lightly crispy. You can leave them there for up to 45 minutes.
- Cajun coating – Mix the ingredients together in a medium bowl.
- Pat dry – Pat the shrimp (prawns) dry with paper towels. This helps it stick better. (I just do this in the colander I thawed them in, just sort of moving them around!)
- Egg – Whisk the egg in a separate medium bowl. Put all the shrimp into the egg and mix to coat.
- Coat shrimp/prawns – Pick up a shrimp with your hand and let the excess egg drip off, then place into the Cajun flour bowl. Do as many shrimp as you can do so they are in a single layer on the flour mixture. Pick up the bowl and toss to coat the shrimp in the flour. Grab a few shrimp in your hand and lightly squeeze to adhere the coating well, shake off excess flour (using your fingers as a colander!), then put on a plate. Repeat with all remaining shrimp.
- Fry – Heat 2cm / 0.8" of oil in a heavy based skillet or large pot over medium high heat to 180°C/350°F. Fry half the shrimp for 2 – 3 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel lined plate to drain. Repeat with remaining shrimp. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt.
- Stuff – To assemble the sandwich, split a roll but don't cut all the way through. Spread the base with butter then 1 tablespoon of remoulade. Layer with pickles then tomato and shredded lettuce. Stuff with as many shrimp as you can, then drizzle with a generous amount of remoulade. Devour immediately!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Jaffle
Jaffle’s first bushwalk!
A whole new playground for Mr Jaffle, he was in a tizzy of excitement, sniffing every single leaf, investigating every fallen log, jumping onto rocks for no apparent reason!
Occasionally he’d run ahead and disappear out of sight, but before I could call for him he’d come bolting back, and I swear I could almost hear him thinking “hurry up, hurry up!”
No bushwalking as we head into summer though. Too many snakes. Jaffle cannot be trusted! He thinks everything was put on this earth to be his personal toy.
He is so beautiful. Yes Keep him away from the bush, as the snakes are already coming out. We do not take our dog(toy poodle) anywhere that may have snakes.
Back in 2012 I remember visiting New Orleans (from Australia). Spent a morning at the New Orleans School of Cooking learning how to make Gumbo and Pralines. But went to Stanley’s on Jackson Square (twice) to eat their magnificent fried oyster po boys with Crystal hot sauce and washed down with an Abita Amber beer. Will defo give these a try Nagi – will the same recipe work with oysters?
USA Foods in Melbourne sell the creole mustard, amongst their store full of…USA foods.
Good to know! Thanks Lee! 🙂
I lived in New Orleans for over 14 years….I miss the food!!! Your recipe is amazing and very traditional….But as a quick shortcut…one of my favorite poboy stops made the fried shrimp just like you, but used mayo and pepperjack cheese instead of the involved remoulade sauce…just sayin’ if you are in a rush or cant find somethin’ itll do in a pinch!!!!
Hi Becky, any tip is always welcome, especially coming from someone who lived in New Orleans! Thanks so much for sharing!
I have so much fun reading these wonderful recipes. Whether familiar or quite complicated, in my imagination I’ve successfully finished the dish and I’m getting raves from everyone as I read! Thank you Nagi and JB for the best! Quick question. Can the shrimp be air fried?
Thank you for your kind comment Martha! We haven’t tried air frying the shrimp, but I think it should work well. You’d probably need to cook them in batches to avoid overcrowding and keep them nice and crispy. Let us know if you give it a go!
Love anything Cajun or Creole! How about a really good Hurricane recipe like they make in New Orleans? I can get close, but they are not quite the same.
Hi Raelene, are you referring to the cocktail?
Hello, Nagi and Jaffle! Thanks for giving me smiles today looking at Jaffle’s pictures! 🙂
You’re welcome! Thank you Marca!
My son and I will have this soon (hubby and daughter are allergic 😔).
Nagi and JB, please keep doing what you do as your fans love you 🥰
Your recipes and instructions allow us home-chefs to twist family favs, try a new cuisine or tackle a challenging dish that can easily be purchased (e.g. Mille-Feuille). The best compliment to you both is the enjoyment on my family and friend’s faces when savouring your delicious recipes.
Oh, but of course, Jaffle updates are my first read🐾
Hi Nancy, thank you for your beautiful message! Knowing our recipes bring joy to your family and friends is exactly why we do what we do. Hope you and your son enjoy this one!
I love all the recipes. I may not try all of them but I do get ideas of how to create my own shortened versions or the way Nagi opens a pantry and mixes it up to find a lovely meal. I’m not picky about where in the world it comes from or if it’s a street food from some county. Thank you both Nagi and BJ for your lovely ideas. And of course dog stories.
Hi Joan, thank you so much for your lovely message! That’s exactly what we love to hear and if we are inspiring you to get creative in the kitchen, it’s a win for us!
Nobody wants to listen to your negative comments. If you don’t like it, don’t make it. If you must leave the site, happy trails! We all enjoy being here! Beautiful dogs, happy and talented Nagi and good food.
I think the Carmen comment you are referring to is just to be ignored as rage-bait nonsense. It makes zero sense nor applies to this website in any way. Let’s all just give a hearty wave as those who don’t appreciate these awesome delights leaves the island 😉 (I recently suggested Nagi hand out bibs to tour the website because I wind up drooling on my tablet every time I come here and can scarcely wait to try the recent recipes!).
I love that you have created a recipe for this. Thank you Nagi!
You’re welcome Marisela! Thank you for the lovely message 🙂
I love Shrimp Po’ Boys and usually use Snoop Dogg’s recipe (yes, really!) but yours looks really authentic and I’ll give it a go!
Jaffle’s such a big boy now! We’re bringing our new rescue GSD home on Sunday – 10 months since we lost our old boy and waiting to see what our old girl makes of having a companion again.🤞🏻
Nothing wrong with a bit of Snoop Dogg Annette!! 🙂 I hope you like Nagi’s version just as much!
The Jaffman now a fully fledged bushie……not only snakes but ticks my son had a tick on his under carriage as a boy 😅
This recipe looks delicious and got me thinking of Cajun food and gumbo. Any chance you could share a gumbo recipe, Nagi? I would love to try your take on it.
Thank you for your blog. It lifts my spirits and fills my table.
We love Cajun food so much too! Gumbo is a great idea Theresa, but making an authentic one here in Australia is a bit of a challenge as andouilles sausages are hard to find.
I have infinite faith, JB, that Recipetineats can find a way to overcome any culinary challenge 🤪 You guys are miracle workers and you make it seem so easy. I’m sure you can’t be stymied by a few hard to find ingredients.
The videos, the recipes, the blurbs and explainers about ingredients and method give so much support as I mentally prepare and then make the dish. After I’ve looked at the Jaffle pics, of course. Thanks again.
I’m from the South, and I think oysters are more authentic. They were abundant and cheap food for the common people. Also FYI I keep a jar of Polski Ogorki liquid in the fridge for holding plenty of dill.
However, I love this recipe and can’t wait to give it a go.
You’re right, the oyster version is so good as well! I hope you don’t wait too long 🙂
I think I am in love
It’s so good! When are you making them Ian?? 🙂
Making tomorrow, JB, I’ve only ever thought to cook oysters this way.
For the cornmeal do you think I could put some polenta in a food processor and make it finer? Would that work?
Good morning Sunshine and yes, it will work because I have done thus before.
I it the coarser one and if you have a small food processor (because it’s small quantity), yes it should work.
Can’t wait to make this one. Thank you again for giving me another recipe to add to my growing list of favourites.
You’re welcome Lesley!! We hope you like the Po’ boys!
What the Americans (and British) call shrimps are just that, a very small insignificant version of the delicious large plump objects we call prawns. Sorry Nagi, but no comparison.
Certainly true in the UK, Brian: us Brits use ‘shrimp’ for the tiny ones we mix with mayo or pile onto hot buttered toast.
In the US, they call any crustacean of that kind a ‘shrimp’ and then differentiate by size, so you get small, medium, large and jumbo shrimp. Even the massive Tiger prawns we love will be called colossal shrimp in the US.
Doesn’t matter what they’re called really – I’m off to buy some and a baguette after the rugby and will have this for tea later
No we have prawns in England, we dont call them shrimp
Morecambe bay shrimp are the tiny ones in the UK, sometimes referred to as brown shrimp I think, and we have normal sizes prawns like the ones in this recipe and jumbo prawns readily available.
Yanks know what a prawn is, Paul Hogan educated them decades ago. ‘Prawn Po’boy’ sounds even better.
Can’t wait to make this one. Thank you again for giving me another recipe to add to my growing list of favourites.
The naming is regional around here. Shrimp in the south. In the Pacific NW we call them Prawns. We also have something called bay shrimp in Oregon but they are small. About 1/2 inch.
Hi Brian, I’m with you on the Australian prawns! Though in some parts of the US, shrimp is also the word used for the same ones. Different names, same delicious seafood!
I have been following you since 2019. But i will be unfollowing you. Too much American rubbish food, where everything is either a sandwich, taco, wrap or not made from scratch. Why have you gone Americian?
I think Nagi likes to try food from all around the world and then try to recreate it for home cooks. American food got very “junky” because of the mass production and market for fast foods. Nagi then takes these back to the basics and makes them from scratch so they are healthier and more wholesome but can still be fun. That’s how I see it for what it’s worth.
Fast food and mass production are part of our food culture, sure, but they don’t define our cuisine. We’re a melting pot of cultures, with so many different regional cuisines and food traditions, and millions of us cook from scratch every day.
I love Nagi and think she’s awesome, but I don’t think she’s taking American food back to basics or making it more wholesome by cooking from scratch, because that’s something plenty of us already do.
If anything, she’s introducing some of our regional dishes to Australians and other international audiences who might not have been familiar with them before.
This is a disappointing and arrogant comment to make – Nagi is bringing food from all over the world to us and making it accessible in a way we can make at home. Followers like you need a good hard look in the mirror. God bless.
That’s your opinion, and your prerogative, but I think it’ll be your loss.
Nagi has plenty of amazing recipes from around the globe on her website and some of the most delicious dishes which are inspiring and easy to follow. I always use her recipes, Italian, Mexican, French, Swedish – yes those meatballs, for new dishes and have never been disappointed.
Carmen, you haven’t even tried the recipe, so why give it a bad rating? Nagi has literally thousands of recipes of all types to choose from and her latest recipes include a wide variety of dishes that are not American inspired.
If there is too much American rubbish then just don’t make it. Enjoy the resource that Nagi provides for free. However, you do you Carmen.
Get a grip….as you can see from comments left after ALL of her recipes that she is catering to everyone..I’m sure you will be missed.
This is the internet Carmen, not a recipe swap at the local school fete.
I think you’re completely missing the point of her recipes. What makes them so wonderful is that they’re approachable, practical, and enjoyable for people of all cooking abilities. She shows that cooking from scratch doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming to produce delicious results. She inspires people to cook at home, try new things, and enjoy the process without spending hours in the kitchen. That’s something to appreciate, not criticize. And dismissing sandwiches, tacos, or wraps as “American rubbish” is rather unfair, especially when American cuisine is so diverse and influenced by cultures from around the world. Good cooking isn’t about how elaborate or sophisticated a dish appears. It’s about creating delicious food that people genuinely enjoy. If her recipes make everyday cooking easier, more accessible, and more enjoyable for so many people, I’d say she’s doing a fantastic job!
Nagi is an International Recipe Creator who is world renowned! Your response is unwarranted and completely unnecessary. You could have chosen the respectful choice and simply not said anything. The majority of her recipes that I have tried have been quite successful and delicious; others not so much. However, I don’t make it personal and call out one particular part of this beautiful world that we live in. Unfortunately, there’s enough negativity in it that you don’t need to add to it over a simple recipe. Now, go have a Hurricane with this Po’Boy!!
I’m not understanding. Recent recipes have been for Napoleons (French ultra-pastry) and are a labor of love, Vietnamese delights (Bun Cha), soups (handmade), stew, pasta, terrine…other French and international dishes, aplenty. On the Bun Cha, I was the one that commented that those meatballs would be excellent as Banh Mi (a Vietnamese sandwich) because all the layered flavor sensations can be experienced in each bite that way (vehicle). Also, please be aware that people are in a busy lifestyle era…and pointing out that you can get a homemade, mouthwatering meal on the table – that has options for how it is served such as pasta, sandiwiches, etc. – in a reasonable time frame instead of opting for junk takeout is a huge blessing. As someone who cooks organics and gourmet-level but Does Not enjoy it, I still look at her recipes with a “How can I achieve this result faster and can I just shove it in a pita or on some tortilla chips and call it done so I can get back to other things (or out of the kitchen)?” We live in a tacos and wraps era currently…but that is the last thing I would think of coming here. Most everything here is made from scratch; I try to cut the corners! JB is French and I love all the international explorations of epicurea that Nagi exposes us to. Perhaps you left your comment on the wrong website because nothing you said makes any sense. Luckily, the internet probably has a website you’d prefer elsewhere. We love this one and wouldn’t change a thing…and we’re lucky to have it and their expertise and, finally, healthy food with Flavor.
No need to announce your departure- just go. For your info, NOLA (I lived there for a few years after Katrina) doesn’t serve “junk food.” It’s food is nationally – and even globally renown culinary masterpieces – creole food is so good. I’ve traveled all over the world, and NOLA is hands down one of the best food destinations I’ve been fortunate to try. Nagi’s shrimp Po’Boy looks like a good approximation – she even got the remoulade right. Next, Nagi, suggesr you try a debris Po’Boy, my personal fave (roast beef and drippings). Yum!
What makes you think all wraps, sandwiches, etc. are “American”? Why not just unsubscribe instead of publishing your unhappiness on her web site?
I think it is just a rage-bait-er. I have noticed lately people sniping this way thru the comment section? Clearly after attention. Let’s not waste our time giving them any. They operate by taking incendiary/opposing snipes. 🙄 “Goodbye” is the only response needed here!
Carmen & her negativity will not be missed. Buh, bye!
There is literally pretty much a weekly French dish at this point from JB – and the most recent dishes outside of that include kofta, slow-cooked lamb ragu, golabki, kale salad and more. I don’t know where you get the idea that all this is ‘American’, let alone ‘rubbish food’ given that this is indeed made from scratch with veg, pickles, etc.
Bye Felicia!