Oh Lawdy it’s fat Tuesday! Forget the New York cold… it’s time for ragtime music, creole goodness and the joie de vivre of New Orleans. Fat Tuesday is all about celebrating life’s guilty pleasures. When it comes to great food, the good people of Louisiana are artists of perfection. Luckily, Smithtown Today has a secret source straight outta the Bayou, equipt with authentic Fat Tuesday recipes, delivering a New Orleans Mardi Gras straight to the dinner table.
Shrimp Po Boy Sandwich:
The famous Po boy sandwich gets it name from the great depression, when people had to eat cheap. The sandwich; also known as a poor boy, consisted of the basics: French bread, crispy shredded lettuce, sliced tomatoes, remoulade and whatever you could catch while fishing. The key to making a dynamite Po Boy is the trilogy, a great french bread roll, the remoulade and mastering the creole seasoning.
Shrimp Po Boy Fixins:
- 4 submarine size baguettes or french bread loaves
- Shredded iceberg lettuce
- Sliced Tomato (salt and pepper the slices if your cholesterol is on the up and up)
- recipe for remoulade
- Fried Shrimp
For the Shrimp:
- 24-28 medium shrimp shelled and deveined
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 3 or 4 eggs
- 2 cups milk
- 2 ½ tbs of cayenne pepper
- 2 ½ tbs of garlic powder
- 2 ½ tbs of paprika
- 2 ½ tbs of onion powder
- salt and pepper
- 6 cups Vegetable oil for frying
Combine flour with cayenne pepper, garlic powder, paprika and onion powder and mix well. Divide the flour mixture into two separate mixing bowls. Salt and pepper the clean shrimp in a medium sized mixing bowl. In another mixing bowl, whisk the milk and eggs until thoroughly beaten. Line up the bowls so you have one flour, one egg wash and one flour bowl. Pour vegetable oil into a deep frying pan and heat until a drop of flour placed in the pan sizzles.
Flour a handful of shrimp, with one hand from the first bowl, place into the egg wash. Using your other hand, remove the shrimp from the egg wash and place in the last bowl of flour, making sure to coat the shrimp evenly. Place the shrimp into oil until browned on both sides. Repeat steps until all the shrimp is fried. Tip: if you are not a deep fry diva, flour the shrimp and set aside on a cookie sheet coated in flour seasoning.
Remoulade sauce:
Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk until combined. Refrigerate.
- 8 ounces mayonnaise
- 4 tbs lemon juice
- 2 tbs horseradish
- 2 tbs pickled relish
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp white pepper
New Orleans Beignets
- 1 cup lukewarm water
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 egg beaten (room temp)
- 2 tbs unsalted butter (Softened) or shortening
- ½ cup evaporated milk
- 4 cups of bread flour (substitute all purpose if need be)
- 3 tsp instant active dry yeast
- vegetable oil for cooking: enough to cover beignets when frying
- powdered sugar for dusting
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar, salt, eggs, evaporated milk, and blend well. Mix two-thirds of the flour and beat until smooth. Add the butter/shortening. Knead dough on floured work surface, incorporating remaining flour as necessary, until dough is smooth, elastic and no longer sticky, about 10 minutes. Form into an oval and turn the dough into a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and chill for 3 to 4 hours or overnight, up to 24 hours.
Remove from refrigerator and roll out on a lightly floured board to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut into approximately 3-inch squares, triangles, or circles. In a deep fryer or large pot, heat vegetable oil to 365° F. Fry 3 of the beignets at a time, for 2 to 3 minutes or until they are puffed and golden brown on both sides. Turn them in the oil with tongs once or twice to get them evenly brown. The beignets will rise to the surface of the oil as soon as they begin to puff. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve warm with fresh fruit and dark coffee.
Tip: The dough can be kept for up to a week in the refrigerator. Just punch down when it rises. It can also be frozen if you shape beignets before freezing.