Shrimp Po Boy

This shrimp po boy sandwich features plump, juicy shrimp that’s dredged in flour and cornmeal then fried to a crispy golden brown and piled high with fresh tomato, lettuce, pickles, and creamy sauce snuggled between a bun.

Why this recipe works

Shrimp Po Boy is a Louisiana classic seafood sandwich. It’s jam-packed with crisp, tender fried shrimp layered with shredded lettuce, sliced pickles, and tomatoes sandwiched between a soft roll with a delicate crumb. Don’t forget to slather that bun with sauce, in our case, our favorite Alabama White Sauce. 

Ingredients you will need

Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.

Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions

SHRIMP – We use large uncooked shrimp that’s been peeled, deveined, and the tails removed. We prefer to use fresh shrimp, but frozen shrimp will also work. Allow them to thaw before beginning if using frozen. 

SEASONING – Many shrimp po boy recipes use cajun seasoning, however, we love the way Old Bay tastes on this sandwich (of course it tastes delicious on shrimp). You can substitute with cajun seasoning instead if you prefer.

How to Make Shrimp Po Boy

These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.

1. Rinse shrimp and drain on paper towels while you prepare the breading.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour and cornstarch.
3. In a second medium bowl, combine yellow cornmeal and 1/2 the Old Bay. Remove 2 tablespoons of the flour mixture and mix it with the cornmeal mixture.
4. Using gloved hands, dredge shrimp on both sides in the flour mixture. Place shrimp on a wire rack.
5. After dredging, to the remaining flour mixture, add egg, salt, milk, and the remaining 1/2 of the Old Bay.
6. Dip flour dredged shrimp first into the egg mixture, then into the cornmeal mixture. Gently knock off excess cornmeal.
7. Place breaded shrimp on a wire rack to rest while you heat the oil.
8. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
9. Turn heat down just a little to maintain the heat. Drop shrimp in one at a time and cook 1 minute per side, turning twice, a total of 4 minutes each.
   
   EXPERT TIP – By the time you have added the last shrimp to the skillet, the first ones you added will be ready to flip.
   
   
   
10. Remove shrimp and drain on paper towels.
11. Assemble sandwiches: Spread some Alabama White Sauce onto both sides of the bun. Layer shrimp, tomato, pickles, and lettuce. Serve with potato chips.

Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips

Serving Suggestions

Slather with your choice of plain mayonnaise, Alabama white sauce, or Remoulade sauce with layers of tomato, pickles, and lettuce. The type of bun you choose is important in a really good shrimp po boy, traditionally something along the lines of a French baguette is used. You can pile the ingredients into a French bread roll, hoagie bun, or sausage bun. Serve with potato chips or french fries.

Here’s a fun little “behind the scenes” look at what goes into photographing our recipes. Here, Chef Antoine is posing for Lindsay while she photographs the picture you see at the top of this post. We have a lot of fun bringing these recipes to you and just wanted to share this little glimpse!

More Shrimp Recipes

• Shrimp Tacos
• Shrimp Pasta
• Shrimp Fajitas
• Air Fryer Shrimp
• Honey Walnut Shrimp
• Popcorn Shrimp
• Shrimp Boil
• Butterfly Shrimp

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Shrimp Po Boy

Shrimp Po Boy is a Louisiana classic seafood sandwich. It's jam-packed with crisp, tender fried shrimp layered with shredded lettuce, sliced pickles, and tomatoes sandwiched between a soft roll with a delicate crumb.

5 from 5 votes

IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!

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Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: American

Servings: 3 sandwiches

24 minutes mins

Calories: 712

Author: Amanda Davis

Ingredients

• ▢ ½ pound large uncooked shrimp peeled, deveined, tails removed
• ▢ 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil

Breading

• ▢ ½ cup all purpose flour
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
• ▢ 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon Old Bay seasoning divided
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ ¼ cup milk
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt

For Serving

• ▢ 3 hoagie rolls or french baguette slices/sausage buns
• ▢ Alabama white sauce
• ▢ shredded lettuce
• ▢ sliced tomato
• ▢ sliced pickles

Things You’ll Need

• ▢
  Large skillet
• ▢
  Tongs
• ▢
  Wire cooling racks
• ▢
  Vinyl gloves

Before You Begin

• The nutrition facts listed do not include tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, or sauce.
• We loved how our Alabama White Sauce tasted on our Shrimp Po Boys! Alternatively, you can use Thousand Island Dressing, Mayonnaise, or even Horseradish Mayo.

Instructions

• Rinse shrimp and drain on paper towels while you prepare the breading.
• In a medium bowl, combine flour and cornstarch.
• In a second medium bowl, combine yellow cornmeal and 1/2 the Old Bay. Remove 2 tablespoons of the flour mixture and mix it with the cornmeal mixture.
• Using gloved hands, dredge shrimp on both sides in the flour mixture. Place shrimp on wire rack.
• After dredging, to the remaining flour mixture, add egg, salt, milk, and remaining 1/2 of the Old Bay.
• Dip flour dredged shrimp first into the egg mixture, then into the cornmeal mixture. Gently knock off excess cornmeal.
• Place breaded shrimp on wire rack to rest while you heat the oil.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until shimmering.
• Turn heat down just a little to maintain the heat. Drop shrimp in one at a time and cook 1 minute per side, turning twice, a total of 4 minutes each. TIP: By the time you have added the last shrimp to the skillet, the first ones you added will be ready to flip.
• Remove shrimp and drain on paper towels.
• Assemble sandwiches: Spread some Alabama White Sauce onto both sides of the bun. Layer shrimp, tomato, pickles, and lettuce. Serve with potato chips.

Nutrition

Serving: 1sandwich | Calories: 712cal | Carbohydrates: 94g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 186mg | Sodium: 1250mg | Potassium: 542mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 159IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 205mg | Iron: 6mg

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