Apr 6, 2015

Fried Crawfish Po'Boys and a Po'Boy Cookbook Review

Po'Boys are one of my favorite foods.  Nothing beats a good, dressed* Po'Boy for supper on a Saturday night.

Fried Crawfish Po'Boy w/ Cajun Power Mayo | Ms. enPlace

Roast Beef Po'Boys dripping with debris gravy* are my favorite.  But other classics like fried shrimp, catfish, oyster, or crawfish are ok with me too.

Fried Crawfish Po'Boy w/ Cajun Power Mayo | Ms. enPlace

   

I tend to pick straight on classics then quirk things up with a flavored mayo, mustard, or some other sauce.

This time around I made a garlicky, lemony mayo with lemon juice and my son's favorite thing to put on everything:  Cajun Power Garlic Sauce.

Fried Crawfish Po'Boy w/ Cajun Power Mayo | Ms. enPlace
served with a side of Creole Oven Fries

The foundation of a really great Po'Boy is the bread--a crisp crust and soft, cottony inside.   After that, pretty much anything can be made into a Po'Boy.

And that's where this book comes in.

The Southern Po'Boy Cookbook: Mouthwatering Sandwich Recipes from the Heart of New Orleans 
by Todd-Michael St. Pierre

This isn't a new cookbook; it was published in 2013.
But it does have some new po'boy ideas like a Pain Perdu (French Toast) Po'Boy for breakfast and a Cheesy Pepperoni Po'Boy to make the kids happy.

There are also twisty takes on standards.
The old carb lovers dream--the french fry po'boy (yes, there is such a thing) becomes a Poutine Po' Boy.  The classic fried catfish po'boy is sexed up into a Pecan-Crusted Trout Meunière Po' Boy.

There are roughly 52 po'boy recipes.
One po'boy per week for a year.

I have work to do.  I've only tried two so far.

The Ultimate BLT
aka The Slidell

BLT Po'Boy

This po'boy is made with basil mayo, mozzarella, bacon, and arugula (I used lettuce), and tomatoes that are slowly roasted with a garlic-herb dressing.  Two slices of bacon per po'boy just seemed skimpy so I doubled it.  The author likes to make the joke that he doesn't like a heavily dressed po'boy--he prefers a scantily clad one.  But one cup of mayo split between two po'boys was really a bit much.  Overall, this was a good po'boy and one I'd make again.  The tomatoes were my favorite part and the basil mayo was a nice touch.

Eggplant Parmesan Po'Boy
aka The Bywater
Eggplant Parmesean Po'Boy

I thought this was a clever idea for a meatless po'boy that doesn't involve seafood or frying (the eggplant is baked).  This is also a clever idea for using up leftover eggplant parmesan...which is what I would suggest.  The author makes these eggplant parm po'boys right from scratch.

This is something I noticed throughout the book.  The Plaquemines (Turkey & Stuffing Thanksgiving Po'Boy) uses Thanksgiving leftovers.  I find that many of the recipes in this book would be fun ways to serve leftovers.  I'm sure the author doesn't want to assume that you have leftover glazed ham and mac & cheese to make The Mama's Boy, leftover red beans and andouille sausage to make The Metairie, or leftover crawfish etouffee to make The Atchafalaya.  But I don't think I'll be soaking red beans overnight or baking a glazed ham to make a po'boy--no matter how much I love po'boys.

For the record, the only po'boy I'd spend hours on would be a roast beef.

At first glance, the names of the po'boys seem fun and slick.  Most of the po'boys are named after areas in and around New Orleans (The Garden District, The Marigny, The Harahan, The Treme) or are NOLA related (The Jazz Fest, The Satchmo, The Snug Harbor).

Some of the names make sense.  The St. Charles Avenue is a fried lobster po'boy with remoulade sauce.  Upscale like it's namesake.  The Havana features cuban style pork.  The Lafayette is a po'boy filled with boudin, a Cajun sausage popular in the Lafayette area.

Most of the names are just out of left field though.  And that bugs me.
Why is The Metairie called the Metairie?  Red beans are eaten all over New Orleans.  Why is The Pontchartrain--a huge source of seafood for the New Orleans area--a breakfast French toast po'boy?  Why was the name not given to a po'boy featuring seafood?  Similarly, why is the classic roast beef po'boy called The Lakeside?  And on a personal level, why is The Algiers a po'boy featuring fried scallops and chipotle sauce?  I'm not saying fried scallops with chipotle sauce wouldn't be good.  But I grew up in Algiers and can assure you that we did not eat scallops.  Or chipotle.  This not standard Algiers fare.  Like I said, it just bugs me.

Summing it up:
I found the book to be interesting because of my passion for po'boys.  The food pictures and artwork, showing New Orleans scenes, make me want to eat po'boys all day and spend some time in my hometown.  I don't know that I'll really follow many of the recipes as they are written, but the book did give me a lot of jumping off points for branching out when it comes to the good ole po'boy.



Print It

Fried Crawfish Po'Boys w/ Cajun Power Mayo

for the mayo:
1/2 cup Blue Plate Mayonnaise
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp Cajun Power Garlic Sauce

Mix together in a small bowl.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

for the po'boys:
1 12" French Bread
oil for frying
1 lb crawfish tails
3/4 cup flour
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
10 oz of your favorite fish fry (I use LA NOLA style fish fry)
shredded lettuce
sliced tomato
pickle slices (optional)

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Cut the bread in half lengthwise, leaving a "hinge" on one side.  Cut the bread into two equal pieces to make two po'boys.  Place on a cookie sheet and bake for about 10-12 minutes to warm and crisp the bread.  Remove and set aside.

Heat oil to 350 degrees.  While oil is heating, dust the crawfish with flour and shake off the excess.  Combine the egg and milk.  Dunk the crawfish in the mixture, then coat with fish fry.  Shake of the excess and carefully add to hot oil.  Fry until golden brown.  Drain on paper towels.

Spread the bottom side of each po'boy with the mayo.  Pile on the crawfish.  Top with lettuce, tomato, and pickle (if using).

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*FYI:
Dressed means to order a Po'Boy with mayo, lettuce, tomato, etc.
Debris Gravy is a rich roast beef gravy, filled with little bits of beef (the debris).  It's the best part of a roast beef Po'Boy.

Products and sources:
(note: these are NOT affiliate links)
Louisiana Fish Fry: New Orleans Style w/ Lemon
Cajun Power Garlic Sauce
Louisiana crawfish tail meat
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More Crawfish...
Crawfish Stuffed Grilled Peppers
Crawfish Omelets
Crawfish Calabacitas








Linking with:
What'd You Do This Weekend
Yesterfood
The 21st Century Housewife Hearth and Soul Blog Hop
Lou Lou Girls Miz Helen’s Country Cottage Celebrate It!
Olives-n-Okra
My Turn for us
Share your recipes on Morsels of Life: Five Friday Finds

12 comments:

  1. Great post Michelle! I have never heard of Cajun Power Garlic Sauce. I need to try that stuff. Your sauce sounds delicious. I look forward this and all the future Po'boys you create. One a week sounds like a great goal.

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  2. Thanks, Denise. I hope to reach my goal no matter how it hurts!

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  3. This sounds like a fun cookbook! One a week, huh? Train through the pain, Michelle! ;) You can do it! Treasure Box Tuesday is much improved with you there. :)

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  4. So ... you are saying the Slidell was HEAVY on mayo and light on bacon? I'm glad to see you at least doubled the bacon :) Good grief ... whats a sandwich with 2 wimpy pieces of bacon?? The basil mayo sounds good and I'm thinking it's time to start doctoring up the mayo I make! thanks for sharing!

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  5. Double the bacon is always a plus!

    Thanks Michelle.

    Linda

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  6. Hi Michelle,
    This is a great review and I love the Poboys, your recipe looks awesome! Thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and have a great week.
    Come Back Soon!
    Miz Helen

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  7. This so good! I'm drooling right now. Pinned and tweeted. We appreciate you being a part of our party. Please stop by on Monday at 7 pm. Happy Saturday! Lou Lou Girls

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  8. This sounds like a fun book, the 2 po' boys that you've made sound delicious, as does the crawfish one, yum! Thanks for sharing at What'd You Do This Weekend? I hope you will join us again this Monday!

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  9. Looks like a very nice book, thanks for sharing with Hearth and soul blog hop. pinning.

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  10. I have been meaning to come over and comment on here! I miss you! Glad to see you've been busy creating yummy recipes, like all these po'boys! Some soft fluffy bread with decadent crispy fried fillings and lots of dripping sauce...I love it! The messier the better.

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  11. I have never tried a Po'Boy. After seeing your pics I feel like I have been missing out on a lot! Definitely have to try this...

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Thanks for stopping by! I appreciate your comments.