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The Sandwich 100 · make it at home

Fried shrimp po'boy, dressed

40 min · 2 po'boys

Cornmeal-crusted shrimp fried hot and crisp, stuffed into light, crackly New Orleans French bread 'dressed' with lettuce, tomato, pickles and mayo. The bread should be airy enough to crush when you bite.

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The real one

You need

• 450 g (1 lb) medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 240 ml (1 cup) buttermilk, 1 tsp hot sauce
• For the coating: 120 g (3/4 cup) fine cornmeal, 60 g (1/2 cup) flour, 2 tsp Creole seasoning, 1/2 tsp salt
• Neutral oil for frying, about 1 liter
• 2 New Orleans-style French loaves or light, thin-crusted baguettes (about 25 cm / 10 in each)
• Mayonnaise (or remoulade), shredded iceberg lettuce, sliced tomato, dill pickle chips
• Hot sauce and lemon to serve

How to make it

1. Soak (15 min): Stir the shrimp into the buttermilk with the hot sauce and leave 15 minutes.
2. Heat the oil (10 min): Heat 5 cm (2 in) of oil in a heavy pot to 180 C (350 F). Mix the cornmeal, flour, Creole seasoning and salt in a bowl.
3. Coat and fry (8 min): Lift the shrimp out a handful at a time, toss in the coating, shake off the excess, and fry in 2 or 3 batches until golden and curled, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on a rack and salt right away.
4. Warm the bread (3 min): Split the loaves and warm them 3 minutes in a 180 C (350 F) oven so the crust crackles.
5. Dress it: Spread both sides with mayo, add lettuce, tomato and pickles, then pile in the shrimp. Close, press, and eat with hot sauce and a squeeze of lemon.

Tips

• Swap the shrimp for oysters, or for roast beef with 'debris' gravy for the other classic.
• If the oil drops below 175 C (345 F) the coating goes greasy; fry in small batches.

Chef Amazing's own home version, in our words; not any shop's recipe.