Ah, the shrimp po' boy. People go on pilgrimages to New Orleans to get their hands on one.
Known for its crusty-but-not-too-crusty roll, lightly fried shrimp, and tangy sauce, the po' boy is one of those sandwiches that seems out of reach to the home cook if only for the idea that it's far too delicious to be made in the confines of any old home kitchen.
But fear not dear reader, all you need is a bit of Sandwich Theory.
THEORY: THE PO' BOY IS ALL ABOUT THE BREAD
As with the bánh mì before it, the bread used here is absolutely vital. You're looking for a classic French bread roll—the kind you'd use when making French bread pizza.
THEORY: THE BATTER MUST BE LIGHT
In a perfect po' boy, the shrimp are allowed to be shrimp—they are not, in other words, imprisoned in a thick coating of batter. In fact, in the best po' boys, the shrimp are simply dipped in buttermilk that's been spiked with a combo platter of spices: cayenne pepper, garlic powder, paprika, dried oregano, dried thyme, and onion powder. Then they're fried in canola oil at 350°F until lightly golden brown. That's it.
THEORY: THE LETTUCE SHOULD BE SHREDDED
Yes, that's shredded iceberg lettuce you see in the photo. "But wait," you might say, "Didn't you once pan iceberg lettuce in your BLT column, questioning it's very classification as a green?" I did, but this is different. In the BLT, lettuce is a star player. Here, it's a back-up dancer, used primarily for its texture (read: crunch), not its flavor.
THEORY: MAYO ALONE IS NOT ENOUGH
Mayo is the foundation of many great sandwiches, and the po' boy is no different. Except that in this case, regular ole' mayonnaise gets an assist from a host of other ingredients to form a rémoulade. While it may sound like a fancy French sauce, all you're really doing is adding delicious things—mustard, vinegar, Tabasco, capers, parsley, and scallions—to mayo in order to make an extra-flavorful sauce.
THEORY: THERE IS ONLY ONE HOT SAUCE
Finally, a po' boy needs to be spicy. If you're making a true shrimp po' boy, the only real hot sauce you should be using is Crystal, made from aged red cayenne peppers in Louisiana. It packs a flavor that's slightly milder than Tabasco, with an added bit of bright acidity.
