Crispy Cornmeal Shrimp Po' Boys with Creole Mayo
Inspired by techniques from NYT Cooking and America's Test Kitchen.
Prawns are coated in seasoned flour, egg and a Creole cornmeal mix, chilled, deep-fried until golden and opaque, then piled into rolls with Creole mayo, lettuce, tomato and pickles.
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Method
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Equipment
- 3 shallow dishes
- wire rack set on a baking tray
- large heavy saucepan or deep-fryer
- deep-frying thermometer
- slotted spoon
- small bowl
- plate lined with kitchen paper
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 686 kcal |
| Protein | 37.9 g |
| Carbohydrate | 68.8 g |
| of which sugars | 5.8 g |
| of which free sugars | 3.4 g |
| Fat | 29.2 g |
| of which saturates | 4.1 g |
| Fibre | 4.4 g |
| Salt | 2.47 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
5.5 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
Metric · 4 servings
Shrimp
- 450 g raw peeled and deveined large prawns
- 100 g plain flour
- 40 g fine cornmeal
- 2 large eggs
Creole seasoning
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1.5 g fine sea salt or table salt about ¼ tsp
Shrimp
- 1.5 l neutral frying oil (sunflower, rapeseed or vegetable) for 4-5 cm depth
Creole mayo
- 60 g mayonnaise
- 2 tsp hot sauce
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Sandwiches
- 4 crusty sub rolls or 20 cm lengths of soft baguette about 70 g each
- 100 g iceberg lettuce, shredded
- 2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
- 40 g dill pickle slices
- 1
Make the seasoning and mayo. Mix all the Creole seasoning in a small dish. Whisk 1 tsp of it into the mayonnaise with the hot sauce and lemon juice, then chill.
- 2
Set up the coating. Put half the flour and half the remaining seasoning in one dish, the beaten eggs in a second, and the rest of the flour and seasoning mixed with the cornmeal in a third.
- 3
Coat the prawns. Pat the prawns dry. Coat each in flour, dip in egg and press into the cornmeal mix. Set on the rack and chill for 15 minutes so the coating sets.
- 4
Fry. Heat the oil to 180 °C in the saucepan, no more than one-third full. Fry the prawns in 3 batches for 2-3 minutes until deep golden, curled and opaque right through (63 °C). Drain on kitchen paper and let the oil return to 180 °C between batches.
- 5
Build. Split the rolls and spread both sides with Creole mayo. Layer on lettuce, tomato, pickles and the hot prawns and serve straight away.
Storage
Best eaten immediately; fried prawns lose their crunch quickly. Refrigerate any leftover prawns within 1 hour and use within 1 day. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
