Submarine, Sub, Grinder, Hero, Hoagie, Zeppelin, Zep are the many names for sandwiches made with a length of an Italian bread split horizontally and filled with cold cuts, cheese, veggies and dressing. But the undoubted king of the sandwich world is the Po’ Boy sandwich from New Orleans. At first glance Po’ Boy looks like just another submarine sandwich served in chewy Italian bread but the Po’ Boy is served in French baguette. The thin crispy crust and a soft light interior makes it stand apart from the crowd. The sandwich is served according to the length of the baguette. Extra long loaves measure 32 inches, and sandwiches come in full length or half, quarter or shorties (shorter than quarter). The second difference is in the filling of the sandwich. The original Po’ Boy was filled with fried oysters or shrimp. Common variations include soft shell crab, catfish and crawfish, spicy Louisiana sausage such as andouille, fried chicken and shredded seasoned beef. The third and last distinction is that Po’ Boy is a hot sandwich and not just composed of cold cuts, the fillings in the sandwich are served hot.
Like any popular food, it is important to know its origin and history. The Po’ Boy sandwich originated in the late 19th century. Po’ Boy was initially called an oyster loaf, named after its filling. In 1922, two brothers Bennie and Clovis Martin quit their job as New Orleans streetcar conductors and opened a coffee shop in the city’s historic French market. Though the shop was small, the location in the heart of the French Quarter was prime and the brothers did a brisk business. In the summer of 1929, the negotiations between the transit company and the streetcar racers broke down resulting in a strike and transit shut down. When the strike breaking thugs were brought in to take the more than thousands of jobs left vacant, the situation turned violent and despite the loss of the transit system, the public favoured the union and supported the workers. As former streetcar conductors, the brothers also supported by announcing that they would feed any hungry striker, who could not afford to pay. The Martin brothers more than kept their promise, not only feeding the union men through the long and bitter strike, but working with local baker to develop an even longer bread loaf measuring about 40 inches in order to make the sandwiches that were especially more filling.
According to Martin brothers, whenever they saw a hungry striker headed their way they would say “here comes another poor boy” and start making a sandwich. The brothers’ generous gesture became popular instantly and soon the sandwich represented the identity of the city’s heart and soul. Later the “poor boy” was shortened as “Po’ Boy” in local accent.
Seafood and chicken Po’ Boys are made with breaded and fried ingredients, but if you don’t want to bread and deep fry, then oven roasting is a tasty alternative. Just remember – you are going to serve this sandwich hot, so time and plan the cooking accordingly. A beef Po’ Boy is made using cheaper cuts of beef and slow simmering them in beef broth with garlic, paprika, bay leaf and thyme and spices until you can shred it with a fork and load it onto the bread.
The next step is to get the dressing right. Fried seafood Po’ Boys are usually dressed with a drizzle of melted butter and pickle slices. Fried chicken and shredded beef Po’ Boys are served with gravy. Many Po’ Boys are served dressed with lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise or re-moulade sauce and pickles with a sprinkle of Louisiana hot sauce. Sausage and meat versions are also served drizzled with mustard and the customer chooses regular smooth or grainy mustard. French fries are the standard side dishes. Po’ Boy is a leading attraction for all the visitors and it is an all time local favourite in New Orleans. There is an annual Oak Street Po’ Boy festival in November in New Orleans and is one of the city’s best attended events.
Shrimp Po’ Boy
Ingredients
Shrimps (26-30) 400 gm
Buttermilk 1 cup
Louisiana hot sauce 2 tbsp
All purpose flour 1 cup
Yellow cornmeal ¾ cup
Cayenne pepper ½ tsp
Oregano ½ tsp
Thyme ½ tp
Garlic powder ½ tsp
Salt to taste
Black pepper powder to taste
Mayonnaise ¼ cup
Vegetable oil to fry
For sandwich
French baguette 1 no
Tomato 2 no
Iceberg lettuce, shredded 1 cup
Pickle few slices
Fried potato 100 gm
Method
Peel, wash and devein the shrimps and keep aside in a bowl
Add buttermilk, hot sauce, salt and pepper to the shrimp and toss to marinate well, refrigerate for an hour
In a separate bowl combine, flour, cornmeal, cayenne pepper, oregano, thyme, garlic powder and pepper, salt and set aside
In a separate bowl whisk mayonnaise with 2 tbsp of hot sauce to make a smooth sauce, set aside
In a heavy bottom pan, heat about 2 inches of oil over medium heat
Drain the marinated shrimp of any excess marinade and toss them in flour mixture to coat well
Fry the shrimp until golden brown and thoroughly cooked, remove the shrimps and place them on kitchen paper towel to remove excess oil
Take the French baguette and slit it horizontally keeping one side intact to hold the bread together
Spread the mayonnaise mixture, on the bottom half, divide the fried shrimp, top with slice tomato, shredded lettuce and sliced pickles.
Cover with the other half and slice into half and serve with crispy fried potato
DIFFERENT: Shrimp Po’ Boy, unlike other sandwiches, is served hot. Photo by the author
