Slider-Style Shrimp Po' Boys Recipe

While the very first New Orleans po'boy sandwiches were made of roast beef with gravy, today they come in many varieties including fried oyster, soft-shell crab, sausage, meatball, and even banh mi-style as well as the original beef. One popular po'boy is made with fried shrimp and it's a favorite of recipe developer Erin Johnson. As she tells us, though, "I love fried shrimp and po'boys, but don't always want a large sandwich."

For this reason, she worked up these slider-sized sandwiches to make for what she calls a "perfect compromise." These smaller po'boys would be great as appetizers or something you'd add to a game-day spread or buffet. Should you prefer a larger sandwich, however, this same recipe can be used to make a traditional shrimp po'boy. All you need do in order to convert the sliders, Johnson says, is to "Follow the same steps, but serve [the shrimp] on a large french bread roll."

These not-so-simple sandwiches have a number of different components, each involving several different ingredients. For the remoulade sauce, you'll be mixing mayonnaise with brown mustard, horseradish, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, hot sauce, pickle juice, and green onions. The shrimp itself will be marinated in buttermilk, dipped in cornmeal and flour, and fried in oil. You'll also need some rolls for the sandwiches as well as lettuce and tomatoes for a topping.

One ingredient this recipe does not call for is salt, something Johnson says she doesn't typically add as she feels the dill pickle juice and buttermilk are salty enough. She does allow though, that you should "let your taste buds be your guide," though, and suggests that you could salt the shrimp either before or after cooking it.

Stir the mayonnaise and mustard together, then season this mixture with 1 teaspoon paprika and ½ teaspoon of both the onion and garlic powders. Spice things up with a teaspoon of the hot sauce, or use more than a teaspoon if you like. As Johnson suggests, "If you prefer a spicier dish, add additional hot sauce." Finish things off with the pickle juice and green onions, then refrigerate the remoulade sauce (for this is what you now have) for the time being. This sauce is the one recipe component that can be made in advance as Johnson notes that it should last for up to 2 days in the refrigerator.

Stir the rest of the hot sauce into the buttermilk, then use this mixture to marinate the shrimp for at least 15 minutes. Put the shrimp into the refrigerator while it marinates.

Meanwhile, you can mix the cornmeal with the flour. That way, once the 15 minutes are up, all you'll need to do is to roll the shrimp in this mixture until it's coated, then it will be all ready to fry.

Heat the oil to 350 F, using a deep fry/candy thermometer to check the temperature. Once it hits the mark, drop in a few prepared shrimp and fry these for 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until they are golden brown. Keep working in batches until all of the shrimp are fried, letting the cooked ones drain on a wire rack set inside a pan.

Spread the remoulade over both the top and bottom halves of your slider rolls. Build the sandwiches by layering the bread with the lettuce, tomatoes, and fried shrimp.

While the sliders in this recipe aren't very large, if you don't think you'll be able to eat all eight of them at a single sitting, it's best to just cut down the recipe as it does not make good leftovers. The reason for this, as Johnson explains, is that "The shrimp will get tough and the batter soggy if reheated."