Shrimp Po Boy

This Shrimp Po Boy Recipe is made with medium-sized shrimp that have been seasoned and fried crispy, piled on a French baguette, and topped with a creole-inspired, creamy remoulade sauce!ย 
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The Lowdown on My Shrimp Po Boy

Closeup of Jocelyn in pink dress smiling

This authentic Shrimp Po Boy recipe has the same flavors as the Po Boy’s you will find on the streets of New Orleans.

I have spent so much time in New Orleans now that I claim it as my home away from home. And, when I get NOLA sick, I make this Shrimp Po Boy to keep myself sane.

It’s got crispy cajun-fried shrimp on a French baguette with all the classic fixin’s, lettuce, tomatoes and pickles that’s drizzled with a Creole remoulade sauce making it the real deal boos.

Get into it, Boo!
– Jocelyn

Shrimp Po Boy Ingredients

Bread, fresh shrimp, tomatoes and lettuce, spices, cornmeal and lemon juice in white bowls on white countertop

For the Remoulade Sauce:

  • Mayonnaise: The base of the sauce. If you want something lighter, Greek yogurt works, but it wonโ€™t have the same richness or taste.
  • Dill pickle relish: If you donโ€™t have relish, finely chop some dill pickles.
  • Lemon juice: Bottled works in a pinch, but fresh is best.
  • Hot sauce: Adds heatโ€”use whatever brand you like or skip it if youโ€™re not into spice.
  • Capers: These give the sauce a little briny kick. If you donโ€™t have them, you can leave them out.
  • Paprika: Smoked or regular both work, but smoked paprika gives the sauce more oomph.
  • Creole or Dijon mustard: Creole mustard has a bit more spice, but Dijon works fine too.
  • Worcestershire sauce: Adds umami and a little sweetness.
  • Garlic: Fresh is best, but garlic powder works if thatโ€™s what you have. Use 1/2 teaspoon per clove.

For the Fried Shrimp:

  • Shrimp: Medium-sized, peeled, deveined, and tail-off makes them easier to eat in a sandwich.
  • Kosher salt: Seasons the shrimp before frying. Regular salt works too, but use a little less.
  • Paprika, garlic powder, cayenne, black pepper: The spice blend that gives the shrimp flavor. If you want less heat, cut back on the cayenne.
  • Flour and cornmeal: The combo gives the shrimp a crispy, slightly crunchy texture.
  • Buttermilk: Helps the breading stick and keeps the shrimp tender. If you donโ€™t have it, mix 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar into 1 cup of regular milk and let sit undisturbed for 10 mins. Homemade buttermilk!
  • Hot sauce: Goes into the buttermilk for extra flavor.

For the Poโ€™ Boy Assembly:

  • French bread: Something soft on the inside with a little crunch on the outside works best. A good baguette or hoagie roll also does the trick.
  • Dill pickles: Classic for that extra tang.
  • Shredded lettuce and sliced tomatoes: Keep it simpleโ€”crisp iceberg and ripe tomatoes work best.

How to make Classic shrimp po boys

Ingredients in a clear bowl to make remoulade sauce for shrimp poboy recipe on white countertop
1
Add all remoulade ingredients to a bowl.
Fried poboy remoulade mixed in a bowl ready to serve
2
Mix everything together and chill in the refrigerator until you are finished frying the shrimp.
Spices in a small glass bowl before mixing together
3
Add the salt, paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and black pepper.
Shrimp spice blend in a glass bowl on white countertop
4
Mix together then divide the spice mixture in half.
Seasoned shrimp on a white plate on a white countertop
5
Season the shrimp with half of the spice mixture.
Cornmeal, flour and seasoning mix in a glass bowl on white countertop
6
Add the flour, cornmeal and the rest of the spice mixture together in a bowl.
Cornmeal fry mixture in a glass bowl on white countertop
7
Mix until combined.
Buttermilk and hot sauce in a glass bowl
8
In a separate bowl, mix the buttermilk and hot sauce together.
Raw shrimp added to a buttermilk mixture in a glass bowl on a white countertop
9
Dip seasoned shrimp in the buttermilk.
Shrimp added to a cornmeal flour mixture in a glass bowl
10
Coat with the cornmeal mixture shaking off any excess. If you like a thicker coating you can repeat this step.
Breaded shrimp on a white plate before frying
11
Once breaded, chill the shrimp in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
Fried shrimp for a poboy recipe coming out of hot oil after being fried
12
Pour the oil into a deep, wide pot to the depth of about 2 inches. Heat the oil to 350ยฐ Fahrenheit. Working in batches, fry shrimp until golden brown about 3-4 minutes per batch.
Fried shrimp draining on paper towels
13
Transfer to paper towels to drain.
Dressed shrimp po boy recipe on a white plate openfaced
14
Build your sandwich by adding remoulade to the bread then dress your sandwich with lettuce, tomato, and pickles then finally pile on the shrimp.

What to serve with fried shrimp po boys

Recipe Variations and Additions

  • Gluten-Free: Swap out the flour in the shrimp batter for gluten-free and replace the bread with your fave gluten-free option.
  • Add Blackened Flavor: Coat the shrimp in this delish homemade blackened seasoning and sear for some serious spicy kick.
  • Use Garlic Bread: Instead of regular French bread, use homemade garlic bread for your bread base.
  • Add Fried Green Tomatoes: Replace the tomato slices with fried green tomatoes.
A fried shrimp poboy open faced on a white plate on white countertop ready to serve

Tips for making the best homemade shrimp po boy

  1. Get the Right Shrimp: You want plump shrimp you can eat in one bite. If your shrimp are too big, they make your sandwich difficult to eat. Look for size 16/20 shrimp (basically this means there are 16-20 shrimp per pound). Buy shrimp that are peeled and deveined with the tails off.
  2. Oil Temp is Important: Heat the oil to 350ยฐF to ensure the shrimp fry quickly and come out super crispy and not soggy from absorbing oil.
  3. Make the Remoulade Ahead: I would make this a few hours or even a day ahead so those flavors can really come together and pop.
  4. Let the Batter Rest: Let the shrimp rest in the refrigerator for 20 minutes before frying. This helps the coating to stick to the shrimp better. You donโ€™t want all of your delicious, crispy coating falling off the shrimp as you fry them.

How to store & reheat shrimp po boys

It’s best to store all of the components separately. Add the shrimp to an airtight container after it cools and pop in the fridge. Keep the fresh veggies and remoulade in separate containers in the fridge. Finally, add your bread to a ziptop bag and keep at room temp.

The shrimp should last up to 2 days. The bread should stay fresh about 1-2 days, and the remoulade lasts the longest staying all good for about 5 days.

When you want to reheat the shrimp, I prefer using an air fryer at 350ยฐF for 4-5 minutes or oven at 375ยฐF for 8-10 minutes flipping halfway to keep the crunch popping. Just don’t microwave boos.

A fried shrimp po boy close up on a white plate ready to enjoy in white background

More New Orleans inspired recipes

A fried shrimp po boy close up on a white plate ready to enjoy in white background

Shrimp Po’ Boy Recipe

This Shrimp Po Boy Recipe is made with medium-sized shrimp that have been seasoned and fried crispy, piled on a French baguette, and topped with a creole-inspired, creamy remoulade sauce!ย 
4.65 from 157 votes
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course: Main Course
Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

For the Remoulade Sauce

  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tbsp dill pickle relish
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tsp hot sauce
  • 2 tsp capers roughly chopped
  • 1 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp Creole mustard or Dijon
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 garlic cloves minced

For the Fried Shrimp

  • 3 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 2 lbs raw medium shrimp (about 45), peeled, deveined and tail off
  • Canola or Vegetable oil for frying
  • 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup yellow cornmeal
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 3 tbsp hot sauce

For the Po'Boy Assembly

  • 4 French loaves 8 inches long, split horizontally
  • dill pickles for garnish
  • Shredded iceberg lettuce
  • Sliced tomatoes

Instructions

For the Remoulade Sauce

  • Mix everything together and chill in the refrigerator until you are finished frying the shrimp

For the Fried Shrimp

  • Mix the salt, paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and black pepper together then divide the spice mixture in half
  • Season the shrimp with half of the spice mixture
  • Mix the flour, cornmeal and the rest of the spice mixture together in a bowl
  • In a separate bowl, mix the buttermilk and hot sauce together
  • Dip seasoned shrimp in the buttermilk, then coat with flour mixture shaking off any excess. If you like a thicker coating you can repeat this step. Chill the shrimp in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
  • Pour the oil into a deep, wide pot to the depth of about 2 inches. Heat the oil to 350ยฐ Fahrenheit
  • Working in batches, fry shrimp until golden brown about 3-4 minutes per batch. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

To Assemble Po'Boy

  • Build your sandwich with on the French bread with mayonnaise or Remoulade, dress your sandwich with lettuce, tomato, and pickles then pile on the shrimp.

Notes

How to store & reheat shrimp po boys

It’s best to store all of the components separately. Add the shrimp to an airtight container after it cools and pop in the fridge. Keep the fresh veggies and remoulade in separate containers too in the fridge. Finally add your bread to a ziptop bag and keep at room temp. When you want to reheat the shrimp, I prefer using an air fryer at 350ยฐF for 4-5 minutes or oven at 375ยฐF for 8-10 minutes flipping halfway to keep the crunch intact. Just don’t microwave boos.

How long will shrimp po boys last in the fridge?

The shrimp should last up to 2 days. The bread should stay fresh about 1-2 days, and the remoulade lasts the longest staying all good for about 5 days.

Can I freeze this shrimp po boy recipe?

You can freeze the fried shrimp. Place them in a single layer on a baking sheet to freeze individually, and then transfer them to a ziplock freezer bag. They can last up to 2 months in the freezer. Just keep in mind that they will more than likely overcook so they won’t be the same texture after reheating. Just keepin it real.

Nutrition

Calories: 2044kcal | Carbohydrates: 281g | Protein: 101g | Fat: 58g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 30g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 395mg | Sodium: 5299mg | Potassium: 1442mg | Fiber: 15g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 1138IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 450mg | Iron: 21mg
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Filed Under:  Cajun and Creole Recipes, Dinner, Lunch, Mardi Gras, Seafood, Stovetop, Super Bowl and Game Day Party

Comments

  1. Absolutely fantastic! The remoulade was especially tasty. Didnโ€™t have dill pickle relish on hand so I threw in a bit of pickle juice instead. Next time I will make a bigger batch because I couldnโ€™t get enough. ๐Ÿ™‚ The shrimp is spot on too – perfect amount of breading and combination of spices. I didnโ€™t need a ton of oil to fry them either which I liked. I had some leftover shrimp which reheated fine in the air fryer the next day – 400 degrees for about 8 minutes. (Canโ€™t beat the shrimp fresh out of the oil/fryer thoughโ€ฆ ) Thank you for the delicious recipe!

  2. We made this last night and the shrimp alone is to die for! We will definitely put it in our normal rotation. I do want to test a few to see how well it would hold up in an air fryer though.

  3. Omgosh I made this because I had too much shrimp ( is that even possible?)and it was aaamazing thank you for sharing what will need to be a go to sandwich at least once a month thank you thank you thank you.

  4. Thanks I’ll try your recipe. Exactly like you said. I miss the proper Cajun cooking. A good Cubano a good veche, a good marsala. I look forward to making your dish.

  5. Most excellent! Recipe results in a taste that reminds me of the best of the Gulf Coast at home. Fresh or frozen shrimp are no matter. Double coat for the extra pop. Thanks for these great tastes.

  6. Just read Where the Crawdads Sing and was inspired to try a few of the recipes it mentioned. First taste of a po’boy and wow, how good are they?! Will definitely be making this again. Remoulade was sensational. Added a bit of grated lemon and subbed in greek yoghurt for the buttermilk dip as I didn’t have any. Ridiculously delicious. Thank you!!

  7. I love to cook, and I cook a lot. I don’t often leave comments or ratings about recipes, because I don’t usually use recipes as they are written, but instead pick and choose parts of recipes. This recipe deserves five stars (plus) any way you want to go about it. I have used the recipe exactly as written, and it is exceptional as is. I’ve recently developed an allergy where I can no longer use buttermilk, so instead I’m cooking blackened shrimp and leaving the rest of the recipe as is. I looked for a couple of years for a good remoulade recipe before I found this one, and it is just the best. Thank you so much to Jocelyn and Demetra for this ๐Ÿ™‚ Happy cooking!

4.65 from 157 votes (57 ratings without comment)

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