Sunday, February 10, 2013

Shrimp Po' Boy: Fat Tuesday Eats!

For those of you that don't know, Fat Tuesday is THIS Tuesday!  Last year I waited until the last minute to decide to cook up something in honor of Fat Tuesday.  Give me a holiday with food...and I want to celebrate it!  So, I realized I couldn't completely ignore Mardi Gras, now could I?!  After searching for recipes that looked entirely more complicated and time consuming than I had time for (I literally waited until that night to even get anything to make!), I was hungry and just wanted something quick...but delicious (as always!).  So, instead of relying on Google searches, I decided to think upon my OWN experience from my trip to Nawlin's a few years ago.  WHAT was the BEST, most CLASSIC, and TASTY thing I ate there that would also be EASY to replicate???  The lightbulb went off...SHRIMP PO' BOY!!!  That was the FIRST thing I ate when I visited New Orlean's...and it was by far the most amazing po' boy I've ever eaten since!  So, I took the easy road out and bought a box of frozen fried popcorn shrimp, some hoagie rolls, some chipotle ranch dressing from Wal-Mart (their brand too!), lettuce, and tomatoes.  Within a matter of 15-20 minutes I had whipped up what turned out to be a pretty tasty meal!  I was beyond impressed with how good it turned out for how simple of a meal it was.  No, it's not the most healthy meal.  No, it's not COMPLETELY homemade (semi-homemade is STILL better than fast food though!).  But YES, I WILL be repeating this again this year!  The shrimp could probably be made healthier if you bought them fresh and cooked them in a skillet instead of having them fried.  But c'mon...that's NOT how they serve 'em Nawlin's style!  If you're gonna celebrate FAT Tuesday, you may as well celebrate it!  I think this year I'm also going to attempt a real remoulade sauce instead of using the chipotle ranch.  Stay tuned for how it turns out!  So, I know what tasty dish I'LL be feasting on come Tuesday...how about you???!!




Shrimp Po' Boy
Serving Size: 1 person (that's the way a single girl rolls!)

10-20 fried popcorn shrimp (really, however many you want to pile on!)...I just use the frozen boxed kind!...you can also saute them in a skillet if you prefer non-fried shrimp
1 hoagie roll
2-4 Tablespoons (or to taste!) Marketside (Wal-Mart brand) Chipotle Ranch dressing (found in the produce section)...or use remoulade sauce (stay tuned for the recipe!)
3 tomato slices (optional)
Iceburg lettuce leaves (however much you prefer)

Cook the shrimp according to directions on box (or cook per your preference, if using fresh shrimp).  Warm hoagie roll in microwave for approximately 10-15 seconds (toasting it didn't allow it to be as pliable once all the stuff was piled on!).  Slather each side of the hoagie with chipotle ranch dressing, using more or less per your preference (I err on the side of "more please!").  Top the bottom half with lettuce (if using), tomatoes (add salt and pepper at this point if you like your tomatoes with some!), and then top off with the shrimp.  Drizzle some more chipotle ranch dressing on top of the shrimp, if preferred.  TRY to cover with the top half of the hoagie.  Eat and enjoy!

Hope you have a happy and tasty Fat Tuesday!

Bon Appetit,