My husband, while not Cajun himself, IS from north Louisiana. We also lived in New Orleans for a few years when we first got married. We all call Louisiana our US home now. And we all love some good Cajun food! Oddly, being mostly rice based, its been a little hard for me to replicate in our Asia home. Much of it benefits from seafood and good sausage, both of which are hard for me to get overseas. You'll remember though, that I figured out a China Hack for how to make a passable Cajun sausage of our own last year. That did open up some good options for sure. We also found shrimp a few times this year which seemed fresh enough and affordable enough in our land-locked city. So first up, in my attempts to share some Cajun love around here this year--Shrimp Po'Boys with a homemade remoulade sauce. Some people prefer to use cocktail sauce on po'boys, while others prefer to just shake on some hot sauce like a Tabasco. Dress it how you like, these little shrimp make an amazing sandwich (or just for eating on their own)! Enjoy! And Happy Mardi Gras!
Fried Shrimp Po'Boys
500g (~1lb) shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 cup buttermilk (milk soured with 1 Tbs vinegar or lemon juice)
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
French bread, cut into sandwich size and sliced lengthwise
Canola oil for frying
Shredded lettuce and chopped tomato, opt
Prepare shrimp and keep cold until time to use. In a small bowl, make your spice mix by stirring together all 8 spices, peppers, and salt. Set aside. Prepare a 2nd bowl with the buttermilk and in a third bowl mix together the cornmeal and flour.
Drain shrimp of excess water. Toss shrimp in the spice mixture. Allow to sit while you heat an inch or so of oil in a frying pan over a medium high heat (360-375F if you use a thermometer). When oil is hot, batter the shrimp by dipping them in the buttermilk and then quickly into the cornmeal and flour mixture. Fry in oil for 2-3 minutes--until golden brown and shrimp are cooked through. Remove to a paper towel lined plate and serve quickly!
To serve, open sandwich bread, spread with a good amount of remoulade (recipe below), load with several shrimp (this will depend on size of shrimp), top with lettuce and tomato if you like, and enjoy!
Homemade Remoulade (adapted from John Besh)
enough for 4 sandwiches
1/4 c mayo
1 Tbs Dijon or grain mustard (I use Ikea one)
1 1/2 tsp prepared horseradish
3/4 tsp white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp parsley
1/4 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp Tabasco or other hot sauce
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp paprika
pinch of cayenne
Stir together and chill until ready to use.
Notes: This same method and seasoning would work for fried fish po'boys. China people--I linked a Taobao buy for the horseradish. Its a small jar for a great price that will last you FOREVER. It is what you would use to make your own cocktail sauce with ketchup if you prefer that.
Fried Shrimp Po'Boys
500g (~1lb) shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder
1 cup buttermilk (milk soured with 1 Tbs vinegar or lemon juice)
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
French bread, cut into sandwich size and sliced lengthwise
Canola oil for frying
Shredded lettuce and chopped tomato, opt
Prepare shrimp and keep cold until time to use. In a small bowl, make your spice mix by stirring together all 8 spices, peppers, and salt. Set aside. Prepare a 2nd bowl with the buttermilk and in a third bowl mix together the cornmeal and flour.
Drain shrimp of excess water. Toss shrimp in the spice mixture. Allow to sit while you heat an inch or so of oil in a frying pan over a medium high heat (360-375F if you use a thermometer). When oil is hot, batter the shrimp by dipping them in the buttermilk and then quickly into the cornmeal and flour mixture. Fry in oil for 2-3 minutes--until golden brown and shrimp are cooked through. Remove to a paper towel lined plate and serve quickly!
To serve, open sandwich bread, spread with a good amount of remoulade (recipe below), load with several shrimp (this will depend on size of shrimp), top with lettuce and tomato if you like, and enjoy!
Homemade Remoulade (adapted from John Besh)
enough for 4 sandwiches
1/4 c mayo
1 Tbs Dijon or grain mustard (I use Ikea one)
1 1/2 tsp prepared horseradish
3/4 tsp white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp parsley
1/4 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp Tabasco or other hot sauce
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp paprika
pinch of cayenne
Stir together and chill until ready to use.
Notes: This same method and seasoning would work for fried fish po'boys. China people--I linked a Taobao buy for the horseradish. Its a small jar for a great price that will last you FOREVER. It is what you would use to make your own cocktail sauce with ketchup if you prefer that.
I just wanted to say thank you for this blog!! A few weeks ago I saw your recipe for ricotta cheese, which gave me the courage to make my first lasagna since moving to China a year and a half ago, something I thought would be impossible forever! Ever since then, I've been perusing your blog for more inspiration of so many things I CAN make here after all!! So far I've made the Cajun dirty rice and the Moroccan chicken stew and they were both great! Thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteOh I'm so glad its helpful! That's my goal!
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