A couple years ago we were searching for a recipe to use to make shrimp po’ boys, but we don’t deep fry a lot at home so we also wanted something a little bit healthier. Don’t get me wrong, I love the golden brown, crunchy, deep fried goodness as much as the next person, but I try to save that for eating out. So we were fortunate enough to stumble upon this recipe from the Neelys on Food Network.
This po’ boy stars grilled shrimp that’s been marinaded in a garlic, lemon sauce with just a little kick. And if that’s not enough when the shrimp come off the grill we toss them in a butter sauce before adding them to the sandwich. Oh, and of course its got the classic tartar-like sauce too.
We both really like this version of a po’ boy. And if you just aren’t feeling the sandwich, just make the shrimp and the butter sauce – it’s pretty darn good on its own. Trust me, after all a good cook always tastes what she cooks before serving it.
Here’s what you need:
I started by making the sweet pickle mayo that will be our ‘tartar sauce-like’ component on this po’ boy. That way I could let it chill in the fridge while I finished the rest of the stuff. Sauces like that always seem to get better the more they sit in my mind.
In a bowl, combine some mayo, sweet pickle relish, a minced shallot, Dijon mustard, chopped capers, a dash of hot sauce and some salt and pepper.
Next, we’ll make the marinade for the shrimp. Start by throwing some olive oil and garlic into a measuring cup. Then squeeze in some fresh lemon juice (now that I have one, I can’t live without my citrus juicer -#EarnsCommission). Follow that up with smoked paprika, cayenne, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk it all together.
Thread the shrimp onto skewers (if using wood make sure you’ve soaked them for about 30 minutes first). We got about 5 shrimp per skewer. Arrange the shrimp in a 9×13 pan. Pour the marinade over the shrimp. Cover and allow to marinade in the fridge for about 20 minutes.
While the shrimp marinades, make the butter sauce. In a small sauce pan melt a half a stick of butter. Stir in some lemon juice, hot sauce, and Worcestershire. Whisk together until it’s well mixed. Set aside – if desired you can warm up again just before the shrimp come off.
Preheat your grill for medium-high heat. Add the shrimp.
Cook for 4 minutes, flipping once hallway through.
Remove shrimp from skewers and toss in the butter sauce.
Slice the baguette in half lengthwise and get it ready for the shrimp. Spread both sides generously with the sweet pickle mayo. Then add thinly sliced roma tomatoes (I chose romas because they were the perfect size for the bread, and shredded lettuce.
Now pile on the shrimp.
Close the sandwich up.
And very carefully slice it into individual servings. Be prepared for a shrimp or two to escape while you slice. You can sneak a taste of these runaway shrimp or put them back in the sandwich.
Serve immediately!
- 1-1/2 lb raw, large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- Marinade:
- ⅔ c olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 lemons, juice of
- 2 t smoked paprika
- 1 t ground cayenne pepper
- 2 T Worcestershire sauce
- 2 T hot sauce
- Salt and pepper
- Sweet pickle mayo:
- ¾ c mayo
- 3 T sweet pickle relish
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1 T Dijon mustard
- 1 T capers, chopped
- Hot sauce, to taste
- Salt and pepper
- Butter sauce:
- 4 T butter (1/2 stick)
- ½ lemon, juice of
- 1 T hot sauce
- Dash Worcestershire
- For serving:
- 1 baguette, sliced lengthwise
- Shredded lettuce
- Thinly sliced roma tomatoes
- If using wooden skewers, soak in water for 30 minutes.
- Combine all ingredients for the sweet pickle mayo in a bowl and whisk together. Taste and adjust. Refrigerate until serving.
- Whisk together the olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, paprika, cayenne, Worcestershire, hot sauce, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Thread shrimp onto skewers, approximately 5 shrimp per skewer. Place skewers in a 9x13 pan. Pour the olive oil mixture over the top. Cover and refrigerate 20 minutes.
- Make the butter sauce. In a small sauce pan, melt butter. Stir in the lemon juice, hot sauce, and Worcestershire until well mixed. Remove from heat. Set aside.
- Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
- Grill the shrimp for 4 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- Remove shrimp from skewers and toss in the butter sauce.
- Spread both sides of the baguette with sweet pickle mayo. Layer on tomato and then shredded lettuce. Top with shrimp.
- Serve immediately.
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