Fried Shrimp Po' Boys

I love shrimp po' boys. They are relatively simply sandwiches, consisting of fried seafood and served on a baguette with lettuce and some sort of aioli. I've never been to Louisiana to sample the real deal, but we have a couple of good places here in South Florida. Since I had a loaf of fresh bread and some shrimp, I decided to try making them at home. I also made some fresh potato chips to go along with the sandwiches. I was really happy with the outcome.


Shrimp
20 medium sized shrimp, cleaned with tail removed
1 c. Panko bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
1/2 c. flour seasoned with salt and pepper to taste
Oil for frying

Coat shrimp in flour, egg, and bread crumbs. Carefully drop them into hot oil to deep fry. Do this in 3 batches so that the pot does not become crowded. Fry for about 3 minutes, until the shrimp are golden. Allow finished shrimp to rest on paper towels to absorb excess oil.

Aioli
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/8 tsp. onion powder
1/8 tsp. paprika
1/8 tsp. Cayenne pepper
a few dashes of Tabasco sauce
1 c. mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients. (I don't like spicy food, but my husband does. So I only added garlic, onion powder, salt and pepper to mine)

Potato Chips
4 large potatoes
Oil for frying
Sea Salt

Peel potatoes and slice into thin strips. I used the slicing attachment on my food processor so that I had even slices. Break up the potatoes into 2 batches. Fry the first batch for 2 minutes, then pull them out. Add the second batch and fry for 2 minutes. Pull the second batch out of the oil. Then re-fry each batch for 5 minutes, or until crispy and brown on the edges. I find that I get a crunchier potato by pre-frying everything first. Toss the finished potato chips liberally with sea salt.

To Assemble:
Spread aioli on both sides of the bread. Add shredded lettuce and fried shrimp to the sandwich. Squeeze fresh lemon onto sandwich and serve with potato chips.

Serves 2