An Inspired Cook

Recently I came across two separate recipes that I felt had to go together.   One was Paul Prudhomme’s classic Barbecued Shrimp and the other was a Remoulade Slaw straight from the new Cooking Light magazine.  Instantly I knew these two would go together to be the perfect Po’ Boy sandwich.  But this isn’t your typical Po’ Boy, in that it isn’t deep fried, but lightly seasoned and pan fried in butter for a delicate crisp shrimp that is encased in a french roll with a spicy remoulade slaw and sliced cherry tomatoes.  I made this one for Joe who loves the spicy food of Louisiana.

You’ll need some slaw or shredded cabage, mayonnaise, dijon mustard, worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, shallots, horseradish (or in my case dried horseradish dip), and some hot pepper sauce.

Finely dice 1 tablespoon shallot.

In a medium bowl start to combine shallot and 3 tablespoons mayonnaise.

Add to that 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce and 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard.

If you have prepared horseradish, add 1/2 teaspoon.  I used Penzey’s dried horseradish dip mix and it works great as a substitute.  Also add a few dashes of hot pepper sauce, as much as you like.

Finally, add in the grated garlic, and a little lemon zest.

Stir it all together.

Add 2 – 2 1/2  cups of the coleslaw mix.  Set that in the fridge to let all the flavors mingle together awhile.

I changed up the seasoning a bit from Chef Paul’s original recipe.  I seasoned the shrimp with salt, black pepper, white pepper, cayenne pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, thyme, oregano, Aleppo pepper and flour.  The butter is for pan frying.

Combine the dry spices in a small bowl.

Add 1/4 cup flour and mix together.

This seasoned flour is going to taste great as a coating for the shrimp.

These shrimp came from Costco which were already peeled and deveined.  All I needed to do was take off the tails, rinse and pat dry with a paper towel.  Normally I would season all the shrimp and cook in a big skillet but today everyone had different schedules.  So right now I’m taking out just enough shrimp for one sandwich which was about 8 – 10 shrimp per Po’ Boy.

I heated a small skillet to medium high with 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter, then added the shrimp to the pan.  In just a minute or two the shrimp start to turn pink.  At that point time to turn them over for another minute or two.

Just about perfect.  Don’t overcook or they might be rubbery.  Since I had more to cook, I left the remaining butter in and just added another pat of butter to the pan when I was ready to cook the next batch.

Since they are all buttery, I sat them on a paper towel first to remove some of the excess oil.

I toasted a french roll and scooped a little of the remoulade slaw on the bottom then layered the shrimp over top.  I sliced a few cherry tomatoes and sprinkled some green onion over top.

How bout that!


Shrimp Po’ Boys with Remoulade Slaw  (Shrimp inspired by Paul Prudhomme’s spice blend for BBQ Shrimp)

1 pound medium Shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed
1/4 cup Flour
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon White Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Paprika
1/4 teaspoon Onion Powder
1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/4 teaspoon Thyme
1/4 teaspoon Oregano
1/4 teaspoon Aleppo Pepper
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
6 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
4 French Rolls, cut in half and toasted
sliced Tomato, optional
sliced Green Onion, optional
Remoulade Slaw, recipe follows

Combine dry spices in a small bowl.  Combine with flour and mix well.

Pat shrimp dry, then dredge in the flour mixture.  Heat butter in a skillet over medium high heat.  When butter has melted, start adding shrimp to the pan.  Cook just until the shrimp starts to turn pink, then turn over to cook an additional 1- 2 minutes.

Remove shrimp to a plate lined with a paper towel to remove any excess oils.  Arrange each sandwich by placing some remoulade slaw on a toasted french roll.  Lay 8 –  10 shrimp over the slaw and top with tomato slices and green onions if desired.

Makes 4 sandwiches.


Remoulade Slaw  (adapted from Cooking Light Magazine July 2012)

3 tablespoons Mayonnaise
1 tablespoon minced Shallots
1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
1/2 teaspoon Prepared Horseradish
1/4 teaspoon Hot Pepper Sauce (such as Franks or Tabasco)
1/4 teaspoon Lemon Zest
1 clove Garlic, grated on a microplane grater
2 1/2 cups packaged Coleslaw mix

Combine first 9 ingredients in a medium bowl to make remoulade sauce.  Add coleslaw mix and toss to coat.  Cover and refrigerate.