Crispy Cornmeal Shrimp Po' Boys with Creole Mayo
By Joe
Source: NYT Cooking and America's Test Kitchen.
Prawns are coated in seasoned flour, egg and a Creole cornmeal mix, chilled, deep-fried until golden and opaque, then piled into rolls with Creole mayo, lettuce, tomato and pickles.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Make the seasoning and mayo. Mix all the Creole seasoning in a small dish. Whisk 1 tsp of it into the mayonnaise with the hot sauce and lemon juice, then chill.
- 2
Set up the coating. Put half the flour and half the remaining seasoning in one dish, the beaten eggs in a second, and the rest of the flour and seasoning mixed with the cornmeal in a third.
- 3
Coat the prawns. Pat the prawns dry. Coat each in flour, dip in egg and press into the cornmeal mix. Set on the rack and chill for 15 minutes so the coating sets.
- 4
Fry. Heat the oil to 180 °C in the saucepan, no more than one-third full. Fry the prawns in 3 batches for 2-3 minutes until deep golden, curled and opaque right through (63 °C). Drain on kitchen paper and let the oil return to 180 °C between batches.
- 5
Build. Split the rolls and spread both sides with Creole mayo. Layer on lettuce, tomato, pickles and the hot prawns and serve straight away.
Storage
Best eaten immediately; fried prawns lose their crunch quickly. Refrigerate any leftover prawns within 1 hour and use within 1 day.
EU nutrition claims
- Source of protein: 4.4 g protein per 100 kcal, about 18% of energy (needs ≥ 12%)
- Low sugars: 2.1 g sugars per 100 g (limit ≤ 5 g)
Per 100 g of the finished dish, worked out from the nutrition per serving and the lowest likely cooked weight (about 280 g a serving), so the true values are, if anything, lower. Thresholds from the Annex to EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. How we decide
Free sugars
3.4 g per serving
6.8 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 13.6 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- 3 shallow dishes
- wire rack set on a baking tray
- large heavy saucepan or deep-fryer
- deep-frying thermometer
- slotted spoon
- small bowl
- plate lined with kitchen paper
Nutrition per serving Calculated from USDA FoodData Central
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 693 kcal |
| Protein | 30.6 g |
| Carbohydrate | 69.9 g |
| of which sugars | 5.9 g |
| of which free sugars | 3.4 g |
| Fat | 32.2 g |
| of which saturates | 4.4 g |
| Fibre | 4.5 g |
| Salt | 3.72 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
4.4 g High protein needs ≥ 5 g per 100 kcal (20% of energy) and ≥ 10 g per serving
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
