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This New Orleans BBQ shrimp po-boy is the real deal! Based on the recipe for deliciously flavorful, buttery BBQ shrimp from a classic New Orleans restaurant, these po-boys are a quick trip down to the Big Easy.
What Makes This Recipe So Good
- If you’ve ever eaten at Liuzza’s in New Orleans, you know exactly what I’m talking about here, and you know just how incredible this shrimp is. Years ago, when my husband and I were dating, he made me promise over and over that I’d go with him to his favorite New Orleans restaurant (Liuzza’s) and try their BBQ Shrimp po-boy. Being from Memphis, when someone says BBQ shrimp, I picture shrimp covered in a sweet, tangy, smoky, rich sauce… so I ordered something else, because I can get BBQ at home. Imagine my surprise when he ordered his beloved sandwich and out comes shrimp glistening, oozing, positively bursting with BUTTER, no BBQ sauce to be seen. I may or may not have eaten most of his shrimp po-boy.
- So, after falling in love with this sandwich, you KNOW I had to recreate that amazingness back at home. I found a copycat recipe and worked to recreate every single aspect perfectly. Now, I’m sharing all of that goodness with you! Of course, nothing beats enjoying the original in that New Orleans atmosphere… but if you can’t physically be there, this’ll get you close.
Chef’s Tips
- This recipe is for BBQ shrimp po-boys, which are the full sandwich. That being said, the buttery BBQ shrimp is delicious all on its own, so if you’re not into bread, consider skipping it. You can also serve the bread on the side and use it to sop up the rich sauce after you’ve eaten all the shrimp.
- Shrimp cooks fast (like 2 to 3 minutes), so have the bread prepped and ready before you start cooking the shrimp. Trust me, you do not want overcooked shrimp. It’s tough and rubbery and all-around unpleasant.
- So how do you know when the shrimp are ready? They’ll curl slightly, forming a “J” shape. If you’ve got “O”-shaped shrimp, they’re overcooked! Perfectly cooked shrimp are also opaque white or pink. If they’re still translucent or grey, they’re undercooked; bright white means they’re overcooked.
More New Orleans Inspired Recipes
- BBQ Shrimp (New Orleans Style)
- Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
- Shrimp Gumbo
- Instant Pot Jambalaya
- Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta Soup
- Instant Pot Jambalaya
- Cajun Shrimp Bisque
- Shrimp and Grits
- Shrimp Etouffee
- Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice
- Keto Gumbo
New Orleans BBQ Shrimp Po-Boy
With buttery shrimp inspired by a famous New Orleans restaurant, these po-boys are an instant trip right down to the Crescent City.
po-boys
Equipment
- Sharp knife
- Medium skillet
Ingredients
- 4 hoagie rolls or small baguettes see Notes
- 2 medium lemons
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon paprika optional, see Notes
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ tablespoon Louisiana-style hot sauce see Notes
- ½-1 teaspoon salt to taste
- 2 pounds shrimp peeled, deveined; see Notes
Instructions
- Prepare bread by cutting off ends of rolls or baguettes. Hollow out bread using spoon or fingers. Set hollowed-out bread aside.
- Cut one lemon into thin slices. Cut other lemon into wedges. Set lemons aside.
- Heat skillet over medium heat. Once pan is hot, add butter and melt completely.
- Add olive oil, garlic, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, paprika (optional), dried thyme, hot sauce, salt, and lemon slices to skillet with melted butter. Stir well and simmer over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add peeled shrimp to skillet. Stir to coat shrimp and cook 2 to 3 minutes or until shrimp turn pink and are just cooked through.
- Spoon cooked shrimp into hollowed-out bread and drizzle with extra butter sauce. Serve warm with lemon wedges. Alternately, serve shrimp in skillet or serving dish, with lemon wedges and bread on side.
- The shrimp will keep cooking in the butter sauce even after you remove the skillet from the heat. If it’ll take you a minute to fill the bread, transfer the shrimp to a bowl first so they don’t overcook.
- Bread: French pistolettes are ideal but can be hard to find. Hoagie rolls or small baguettes will work in their place.
- Paprika: Paprika is NOT a typical ingredient in the Liuzza’s shrimp po-boy. It’s just to give the shrimp more of a Cajun look and a little kick, so it’s totally optional here.
- Hot Sauce: I recommend using Crystal Hot Sauce, Louisiana Hot Sauce, or Tabasco.
- Shrimp: If you’re making po-boys, use smaller shrimp. If you’re serving the shrimp on their own or with bread on the side, use larger shrimp.
- Make it Low Carb/Keto: Skip the bread and enjoy the BBQ shrimp all on its own. For low carb, serve with low carb bread on the side to sop up any leftover butter sauce.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Serving Size: 1po-boyCalories: 704calProtein: 53gFat: 40gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 426mgSodium: 1023mgPotassium: 821mgTotal Carbs: 38gFiber: 3gSugar: 5gNet Carbs: 35gVitamin A: 979IUVitamin C: 31mgCalcium: 249mgIron: 4mg
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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Made these last night and they were amazing! We used 1 lemon in the sauce and the lemon flavor was overwhelming, so personally we’ll cut that back to half or even skip it completely next time. We didn’t even use the second lemon since the flavor was so strong. Otherwise a fantastic shrimp po-boy recipe and we’ll definitely make it again soon!
Thank you for the feedback, J! So happy y’all enjoyed the recipe. Let us know how it tastes with the lemon cutback!
I made this tonight for my New Orleans born and bred Son-in-law! It was terrific and He had seconds ! Yes, two Po-boys! I ate at,
Liuzza’s at the track,in November and this was and has been my favorite dish. Thank You so much for giving me a recipe that even my Son-in law can enjoy in tampa ! Only thing hard to come by, is the bread. But we made due with French bread from Publix not Orleans bread but with all the sauce and great shrimp no one was complaining!
I’m so glad you liked it and it was Cajun-approved! 🙂 I miss Liuzza’s so much but this has to do. Agreed on the bread, I can never find *exactly* what I want, but like you make do with what we can find. Thanks for taking the time to comment and again – glad you liked!!
are the ratios of ingredients listed above per poboy, or should I quadruple the ingredients for 4 poboys?
The ratios are for four poboys. The only thing you need to quadruple is the shrimp. So if you were to make the recipe for four, keep everything the same, just use 2 pounds of shrimp. Let me know how you like it! If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask!
omgosh this looks delicious!
Totally was. How can you go wrong with butter and white bread?!
Hi Cheryl! OMG sorry I used this delectable post to comment on your latest relationship post…hahaha! That is a well written piece of prose….it really hits right to the core of EVERY relationship. I think I will be a regular reader, if not a fan, of your enjoyable blog. Just love its down-to-earth vibe!!
REBECCA
http://www.redtagchiclosangeles.com
Thank you!! I have been wrestling with code all morning to fix that darn comment form, so I’m glad you worked around it 🙂 I’m so glad you can relate to this. I haven’t been in many really long-term relationships–nor has he–so we’re always like, “Is this…. normal?” Ha!