Please give a sandwich to a poor boy
The Po’ Boy is likely the most famous sandwich from N’Orleans.
But it isn’t the best. See the Muffuletta for that.
The story of origins
There are some legends about how the Po’ Boy came to be. Given the colorful past of the city, each seems to have credibility. I enjoy hearing the tale more than getting the truth.
One version
Madame Begue was famous for her French Market breakfasts. She would split a French loaf-a baguette-lengthwise, butter both sides and fill it with meat or seafood. She sold these sandwiches in her food stall in the market.
Local men, looking for work, would stop at and ask her, plead really, “Please give a sandwich to a po’ boy.”
Another version
Bennie and Clovis Martin offered their sandwich-also in the French Market-to any one of 10,000 public service union members on strike in protest to the change from buses to streetcars.
Two more
This goes on an enymological journey into the phrase pour boirre, which was a corruption of pourboire, a tip or a gratuity. A tip for good service to keep the staff happy relates to the last version.
The other name given to the sandwich was “Peacekeeper”. Husbands who, for whatever reason were on the outs with the wife, would bring home a Peacekeeper to appease the put-out wife.
Make the sandwich already
Po’ boys are classically fried oysters or shrimp. Chicken nuggets work as well as maybe-Gasp!-fried tofu. The real key is the star of the show is fried.
A note about frying oysters. A) they spit in the fryer. 2) I like a simple flour/cornmeal crust, seasoned of course, and that’s it. No batters or 3-step breading processes here.
Drop the oysters in the breading, roll them about a bit and they’re good to fry.
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Po' Boy Sandwich
The Po' Boy is a great lunch or party sandwich. You can prep the veggies the day before if it is a party or just make one for yourself. Call in sick even.
Ingredients
The Ingredients for the sandwich
- French bread
- Tomatoes
- Mayonnaise
- Ketchup
- Creole or whole grain mustard
- Shredded lettuce
- Thin sweet or red onion slices
- Dill pickle slices
- Salt and pepper
Breading for oysters
- 1 Can Select raw oysters
- 1 C Flour
- 1/2 C Medium coarse corn meal
- Salt and pepper or Danny's Seasoning Salt
Breading for shrimp or chicken
- Shrimp, peeled and tails off
- 1" cubes of chicken breast (fat free thighs work)
- Buttermilk
- 1 C Fine bread crumbs
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
The fixin's first
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Prepare all the garnish ingredients ahead. Slice the tomatoes and onions, I like the onions almost so thin you can read through them. Iceburg is fine but use Romaine if you wish.
Prepare the oysters
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Turn the fryer to 350° F
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Place the flour, cornmeal and seasoning salt in a bowl and mix to combine.
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Place a few oysters at a time into the mixture. Lift the flour mixture and sprinkle it over the tops of the oysters to fully coat them. Turn them over to make sure all the parts of the oyster are coated with the mixture.
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Carefully place the oysters in the fryer. Have your bowl lined with paper towels and seasoning salt ready. Oysters do not need to fry too long.
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Take the oysters out, tip into lined bowl, season and go make a sandwich.
Bread and fry the chicken or shrimp
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Place the shrimp or chicken in the seasoned buttermilk. For ease of eating I remove the shell and tail.
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Life the meat from the buttermilk, and using the edge of the bowl, let the excess fall back inside the bowl.
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Place the shrimp or chicken into the seasoned mixture, a few at a time, and coat well. Remove to a screen rack over a sheet pan to catch crumbs.
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Allow the breaded meat to rest 5 minutes then fry to golden brown. Turn the food into a paper towel lined bowl and season.
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Make your sandwich.
Assemble the sandwich
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Slice, butter and toast the bread in a 450° oven. Just nicely golden brown will do.
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I prefer mayonnaise on both sides as an extra moisture barrier. Add your preferred garnishes with the star in the middle. Fold it together and eat.
Recipe Notes
Danny's seasoning salt is my answer to Lawry's. Mostly exactly the same, but I took out the sugar. It is very easy to make, a good project for young fingers seeking something to do in the kitchen.
The simple origins of the sandwich mean, to me, simple but excellent meat or fish and bread. The rest can be as you prefer. For the reasons of provenance, I do not use Remoulade Sauce, but that's not a reason you can't.
Which is your favorite Po’ Boy, chicken or shrimp or oyster?
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