I think I need a bigger stomach.

One that holds allllll the food.

On Monday, Audrey and I packed our bags and headed down south, to North Carolina, for a couple of days.  While this trip does have a purpose, I couldn’t help but to spend the past few days eating at my favorite locations. Some that I had the opportunity to dine at the last time I visited, and some that I haven’t been to for years.

Plain and simple, North Carolina and food is synonymous to me.

I’ve had my favorite eats in this portion of the country: from their vinegar-based barbecue to their Brunswick stew. And I love it all.

And the festivals! They are all food-based!  Chili festivals, chocolate festivals, and seafood festivals galore!

It was actually a seafood festival where I experienced my first shrimp po’ boy.  Even though I had visited New Orleans during my time in the military, I didn’t try a po’ boy until I had gone to the local seafood festival in North Carolina.

And I about died.

It was so darn good.  The buttery bun. The crispy fried shrimp.  The tangy remoulade.

Unfortunately, after moving up north, it wasn’t as though I was eating unpleasant shrimp po’ boys.

Nope.

They were just NONEXISTANT.

And while this re-make isn’t an exact replica – because trying to find a French baguette thicker than two-fingers width is almost impossible in my corner of the world – it is absolutely delicious. BUT if you can find a French baguette that’s large enough to hold all the crispy shrimp on the inside, I’d totally go for it.

You, for sure, won’t regret it.

Crispy Shrimp Po’ Boys

serves 6

for the crispy shrimp:

• 1 lb. medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 1/2 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
• kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 c. cornstarch
• 2 large eggs, whisked
• 1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 c. corn meal
• 1/4 c. canola oil

for the spicy remoulade:

• 1/3 c. plain Greek yogurt
• 2 tsp. mayonnaise (I use Duke’s)
• 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 dill pickle, diced
• 1 tbsp. dill pickle juice
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp. hot sauce

for the po’ boy: 

• 6 sub rolls (unless you can find a soft baguette-style)
• shredded iceburg lettuce
• 1 medium tomato, thinly sliced

Make the remoulade sauce by adding all of the ingredients to a small bowl and mixing until combined.  Refrigerate the sauce until you are ready to serve.

Pat the shrimp dry with a paper towel and season with the cayenne pepper, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.  Set aside.

Add the cornstarch to a shallow dish, the whisked eggs to another, and combine the pastry flour and cornmeal into a third shallow dish.*

Add the shrimp to the cornstarch and coat evenly.  Dip the coated shrimp into the whisked egg and allow excess egg to drip off.  Finally, coat the shrimp with the flour/cornmeal mixture until completely coated.  Set aside.

Heat the oil into a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Once the oil is ready, which you can test by dropping a little corn meal mixture in and see if it starts frying, add the breaded shrimp and cook for about 2 minutes per side.

Once the shrimp is cooked, move to a paper towel-lined plate to remove excess grease.

While the last of the shrimp are cooking, put your rolls into the toaster oven and toast until golden brown.  Spread butter on the inside of the bun as soon as it comes out of the toaster, so the butter melts.

Place two thinly sliced tomatoes on the bun, evenly divide the shrimp amongst the 6 rolls, and top with the iceburg lettuce and remoulade.

Enjoy!

*I’ve found that round cake pans make the perfect shallow dish during the coating process.

 

 

 

No wonder there is such a thing as food tours.