The Ultimate New Orleans Inspired Sandwich for Shrimp Lovers!
This quick lunch or supper sandwich packs a flavorful punch of Creole-inspired flavor for an easy meal that’s ready to eat in just 20 short minutes.
IMPORTANT UPDATE: November 1, 2022
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If you’re a fan of shrimp and easy, simple meals full of flavor, these Po’ Boy sandwiches need to be at the top of your menu favorites!
These sandwiches really couldn’t be any easier to make.
Our trick to making this simple sandwich lies in one of my favorite ingredients: Buffalo Bleu Dip and Dressing.
You’ll start by making a Louisiana remoulade dressing for the sauce. A descendant of classic French remoulade sauce, Louisiana remoulade gets its jazzed-up flavor from the spice added. And to make it super-simple, this version uses Buffalo Bleu Dip & Dressing seasoning to give its zesty cajun flare.
Next, the tender shrimp are prepared simply by adding a couple of tablespoons of cornmeal and, you guessed it, more of the Buffalo Bleu Dip & Dressing seasoning. This blend of blue cheese powder, sea salt, onion, garlic, cayenne pepper, and other herbs and spices is the perfect all-in-one ingredient for making the spicy coating.
I then pan-fried the shrimp for 2-3 minutes until crispy before piling them up on a toasted French-style baguette with the remoulade dressing, lettuce, and tomato for this amazingly delicious Po’Boy!
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What is a Po’Boy Sandwich?
In its simplicity, the deceptively humble sandwich called a Po’boy is filled with roast beef or fried seafood (often crab, shrimp, catfish, or oysters dipped in a cornmeal batter and seasonings) scooped on a baguette with lettuce, tomatoes, and remoulade sauce.
This southern favorite originated in Louisiana in the late 1920s, but it has a unique history for a sandwich with such modest ingredients.
If you’re among my readers who love culinary history as much as I do, I urge you to keep reading because I can’t complete this post without mentioning this sandwich’s rich past.
But if you’re hungry and can’t wait to sink your teeth into this cajun-inspired, knock-your-socks-off sandwich of shrimpy goodness, click on the button below to jump to the recipe card to start making and eating this Po’Boy right now!
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A brief history of the Po’Boy
As in many culinary legends, the origins of when it started being called a “Po’Boy” are not too specific because many narratives have attached themselves to the famous sandwich over the years. But the most common consensus to explain the term “Po’Boy” in sandwich history, at least in New Orleans, comes from two brothers and their story.
As the story goes,
In the mid-1910s, two brothers, Bennie and Clovis Martin, moved to New Orleans from Raceland, Louisiana, to work as streetcar conductors until they opened Martin Brothers’ Coffee Stand and Restaurant in the French Market in 1922.
The restaurant specialized in French loaf sandwiches with anything you wanted on them. Still, it wasn’t until 1929, when the Amalgamated Association of Street and Electric Railway Employees of America, Division No. 194, went on a four-month-long strike, leaving over a thousand union streetcar workers without a source of income, that the sandwich became known as a Po’Boy.
The Transit Strikes...
It was a time of national unrest. Transit strikes throughout the nation provoked emotional displays of public support, and the 1929 New Orleans strike ranked among the nation’s most violent strikes.
On July 1, 1929, the streetcar motormen and conductors began their strike after increasingly heated contract negotiations. However, when the company brought in “Strikebreakers” (career criminals “brought in” from New York) on July 5 to run the cars, brickbats and jeering crowds of strike supporters stopped them.
More than 10,000 New Orleanians gathered downtown to watch the strike supporters disable and burn the first car operated by the strikebreakers.
Support for the Union Local...
Small and large businesses donated goods and services to the local union. Among those in support were the Martins. The brothers had spent years working as streetcar operators and as members of the union’s street railway employees.
Among many letters supporting the strike workers sent to the striking carmen, Division 194 was the Martins’ letter. It promised, “Our meal is free to any members of Division 194.” The letter concluded: “We are with you till h-*l freezes, and when it does, we will furnish blankets to keep you warm.”
Martin Brothers Letter courtesy of Louisiana Research Collection, Tulane University Libraries.
Making Good on Their Promise...
The Martins provided sandwiches to the strikers to make good on their promise. Stories recalled Bennie Martin saying, “We fed those men free of charge until the strike ended. Whenever we saw one of the striking men coming, one of us would say, ‘Here comes another poor boy.’”
By the start of the Great Depression, the carmen had lost their jobs and the strike.
In the end, the continuing generosity of the Martins and their sandwiches proved to be a wise business decision that earned them fame and new customers.
To hear and read more about the Po’Boy and Streetcar Stories, visit neworleanshistorical.org.
Did you enjoy this Buffalo Shrimp Po’Boy sandwich with its Cajun-inspired flavor from the deep South?
Let me know. I would love to hear your thoughts.
XXO
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Buffalo Shrimp Po'Boy
@ GfreeDeliciously
EQUIPMENT
- Nonstick Skillet
- Cutting Board
- Utensils (Measuring Cups and Spoons, Knife, Whisk, Tongs)
INGREDIENTS
- 2 foot-long Against the Grain Gourmet Baguettes or four sub rolls
- 1 heart Romaine Lettuce thinly sliced
- 1 Tomato sliced thin
The Sauce
- ½ cup gluten-free Mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
- 1 tablespoon Buffalo Bleu Dip & Dressing*
- ½ Lemon juiced
- 1 teaspoon Capers
- 1 teaspoon Garlic minced
INSTRUCTIONS
For the Remoulade Sauce
- Make the sauce by whisking the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon Blazin’ Buffalo Blend, lemon juice, capers, and garlic in a small bowl and set aside.
For the Fried Shrimp
- Pat the shrimp dry. Toss with cornmeal and 1 ½ tablespoon Blazin’ Buffalo Blend seasoning.
- Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Arrange shrimp in a single layer and cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side until opaque and no longer pink.
To Assemble the Po’Boy
- Cut the baguettes (or rolls) in half, and open and toast them if desired.
- With the baguette open, add a dollop or two of the remoulade sauce to each side of the bread, spread evenly to cover, then layer with lettuce and tomato before adding the cooked shrimp. Drizzle with additional sauce if desired. Serve and enjoy!
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