Shrimp Po Boy Recipe with Cajun Remoulade
Celebrate Mardi Gras this year with a classic New Orleans sandwich. This shrimp po boy recipe is made a little healthier with lightly breaded, pan fried shrimp and and topped with homemade cajun remoulade sauce. Makes 4 sandwiches.
Why you’ll love these shrimp po boys
I’m going to be completely honest here, the first time I ever had a shrimp po boy was when I started developing this recipe. Southern food is definitely not my forte, but not because I don’t enjoy it.
I just haven’t had much experience with it (other than a few short months spent in Texas), and I’m slowly realizing that it may be time to book a visit to some of the southern states. And, I think New Orleans might be on the top of my list as far as food is concerned.
We’ll be celebrating Mardi Gras next week, so I teamed up with some of my favorite bloggers to celebrate the occasion. Since I’ve been baking quite a bit lately (hello, brownie sundaes and chocolate chocolate chip cookies), I thought it might be nice to have a little fun with a more savory Mardi Gras recipe.
And, while I would love to make an authentic gumbo or jambalaya, I just really wanted to try something a little different. Plus, this shrimp po boy recipe will be a perfect addition to my favorite Lent recipes.
Searching for more shrimp recipes? Shrimp macaroni salad / Cilantro lime shrimp / Shrimp toast / Shrimp fettuccine / Shrimp salad
Ingredients:
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
- Shrimp – Medium shrimp are a great size for sandwiches since they’re easy to bite into, but make sure to opt for peeled and deveined, with tails removed.
- Cajun seasoning – If you don’t have a cajun blend on hand, you can mix up your own easily. Combine 1/2 teaspoon each of paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper with a pinch of cayenne or red pepper flakes if you want a bit of spice.
- Canola oil – Any neutral oil (like vegetable oil) works for great for frying the shrimp. Vegan butter will add rich, buttery flavor, but if you don’t need a vegan or dairy free option you can use regular butter
- Mayonnaise – You can use your favorite mayo, plant based or regular. If you are out of mayo you can substitute plain, unsweetened coconut yogurt.
The following is a detailed overview of the recipe steps with added tips and tricks for recipe success. For a simplified and printable version, including ingredient amounts and more formal instructions, see the recipe card below.
How to make a shrimp po boy
Make your cajun remoulade. You want to make your remoulade sauce first. This gets it done and out of the way so you can eat your shrimp po boy right away. It give the flavors in your cajun remoulade a chance to develop a bit. For my remoulade, I used canola oil mayonnaise, but if you can start with homemade mayonnaise, that would be even better.
Mix all of the ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl. I used a fork or a small whisk to mix mine, but no matter what you use be careful not to over mix. Over mixing could cause your mayonnaise to break, which results in a super running sauce.
Prepare your sandwich toppings and bread. I like to get all of my sandwich toppings and bread ready before I even start prepping the shrimp. Since the shrimp cooks so fast, I want to be ready to throw them into their sandwiches and get to the table as quickly as possible, so I slice my tomatoes – and lettuce if I need to, but I normally use shredded green lettuce – and warm my bread in the oven ahead of time.
Fry the shrimp. In a large bowl, whisk together your flour and cajun seasoning. Add the shrimp to the bowl and toss them around in the bowl (or stir) until they are all evenly coated.
Heat a large skillet to high heat. Melt 2 – 3 tablespoons of vegan butter (or canola oil) in the pan. Add the shrimp and fry until golden brown on both sides. Depending on the size of your pan, you may have to work in batches. Place the fried shrimp on a paper towel lined plate while you fry the rest of the shrimp.
Assemble your po boy sandwich. Divide the shrimp evenly between the bread and top with cajun remoulade, shredded lettuce and sliced tomatoes. Serve immediately.
If you want a more authentic experience, try topping your shrimp po boy with shredded cabbage dressed with extra cajun remoulade instead of shredded lettuce.
More recipe ideas. jalapeno margarita / beer battered onion straws / instant pot baked beans / broccoli salad with grapes / Vieux Carre cocktail
* dairy free recipe tip
Make sure you’re checking to see if your bread has milk listed in the ingredients. I like to buy the take and bake demi-baguettes when I’m going to this shrimp po boy recipe because I know they’re safe and they only take about 8 minutes to bake.
Ingredients
- 16 ounces medium shrimp (peeled, deveined and tails off.)
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning
- 2 tablespoons canola oil or vegan butter
- 1 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped green onion
- 1 tablespoon horseradish
- 1 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
- 1 teaspoon pickle juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 garlic clove (minced)
- Coarse salt (to taste)
- French bread
- Sliced tomatoes
- Shredded green lettuce
Instructions
- Mix remoulade ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour and cajun seasoning. Add shrimp and toss until evenly coated.
- Heat a large non-stick skillet to high. Add canola oil and fry shrimp, working in batches, until crispy and golden on both sides.
- Assemble sandwiches and top with cajun remoulade.
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