Fried Shrimp Po’Boy

That two-pound bag of frozen shrimp turned out to be a great investment: four dinners-for-two.  Having already prepared a risotto and a lemon-shrimp pasta dish, my thoughts turned fried (full disclosure: fried food is never that far from my mind).  I pictured a sandwich in my head, and the result was pretty much exactly as imagined.  This seldom happens (did you know “seldomly” is not a word?  I did not).

I’ve used this red pepper aioli as dipping sauce, salad dressing and now, condiment, working it into meals whenever I can.

So for a great sangwich, read on…

What’s in it (for 2):

• 14 large shrimp; deveined, shells and tails removed
• flour, for dredging
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1 1/2 cups fat for frying, mas o menos
• 1 large beefsteak tomato, sliced
• 3 leaves Boston lettuce
• 2 Portuguese rolls, split and grilled in butter

For the aioli:

• 1 large red pepper, roasted and sliced
• 3/4 cup mayonaisse
• 1 large clove of garlic, roughly chopped
• juice of half a lemon
• salt and pepper to taste

How I did it:
To prepare the aioli, add the roasted red pepper, mayo, chopped garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper into a food processor and process until smooth. Dip a finger and adjust lemon, salt and/or pepper ’till you get it how you like it.  Refrigerate this until you’re ready for it.

Wash and pat dry the shrimp, season with salt and pepper.  And then standard dredging sequence: flour, egg, panko, oil.  I had some parmigiano reggiano in the fridge, grated some and added it to the panko, along with some salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.  What do you need to say about parmigiano reggiano?  It makes the world a better place.

With the shrimp sizzling in oil, line your grilled roll with lettuce leaves and tomato slices.

Flip the scrimps after a few minutes, and when golden on both sides, remove to a paper towel-lined plate, hit with salt and let cool.  Place them on the bed of lettuce and tomatoes and drizzle with aioli.

Boo ya! Po’ boy, y’all!