What is a Poor Boy?
A poor boy is a traditional sandwich with deep roots in New Orleans, Louisiana. The sandwich is made out of french bread with a thin, crisp crust and a light and fluffy inside, stuffed with meat like roast beef or seafood like fried shrimp.
Do not forget to get your poboy fully dressed! What could a fully dressed sandwich mean? Simple, fully dressed poor boy, includes lettuce, mayo, pickles, and tomatoes.
What is the history behind the Poor Boy?
In mid-1922, two brothers left their jobs as street car conductors to open their restaurant, Martin Brothers French Market and Coffee Stand. Seven years later 1929, at the start of The Great Depression, the Poor Boy Sandwich was invented at the Martin Brothers French Market.
It all started when the New Orleans Streetcar Conductors went on strike. The Martin brothers knew the conductors did not have much and promised the strikers free meals. The brothers stated, “We are with you till h*ll freezes, and when it does, we will furnish blankets to keep you warm”. When a striker walked into the restaurant, the restaurant workers said, “Here comes another poor boy!” while preparing them a sandwich.
The first Martin Brother Poor Boy consisted of many of their leftover ingredients like fried potatoes, gravy, and leftover pieces of roast beef on french bread.
Slowly the sandwich started to gain traction and appeared all over the city in newspapers and served at other restaurants. Today the poor boy has been shortened to po’boy, po-boy, and poboy. Even though this sandwich has reached far beyond New Orleans, but there is still something special about po’boys in The Big Easy!
Mama’s Favorite Po’Boy Recipes
Fried Shrimp Po’Boy
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs medium shrimp (peeled)
- 2 eggs
- .25 cup milk
- 12 oz Slap Ya Mama Cajun Fish Fry
- 6 tbsp butter (melted)
- vegetable oil
- French bread, enough to make 4 po-boy buns, each 8” long
- remoulade sauce
- shredded iceberg lettuce
- sliced tomatoes
- sliced dill pickles
- Slap Ya Mama Pepper Sauce
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
- With a thermometer attached to the side of a heavy pot or deep skillet, fill pot with vegetable oil, about 2” deep and heat to 350 degrees F.
Shrimp
- While waiting for the oil to heat, whisk eggs and milk together in a bowl making an egg wash. In a medium-sized bowl, place Slap Ya Mama Cajun Fish Fry. Now dip shrimp in egg wash, then coat evenly with fish fry batter. Working in batches, fry shrimp until golden brown, about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a paper towel covered plate to drain.
Bread
- Slice French bread lengthways; spread melted butter on the inside of bread and place on a baking sheet with open ends up. Bake for approximately 10 minutes.
Building a Po-Boy
- Generously spread remoulade sauce on the inside of bread. Layer with shrimp, lettuce, tomatoes and pickles. Douse with Slap Ya Mama Pepper Sauce, serve and enjoy!
- Note: If you like it a little spicier, try seasoning the shrimp with our Slap Ya Mama Hot Blend Seasoning before dipping them into the egg wash. Deliciousness with a kick!
Debris Po’ Boy
Ingredients
- 1 (2.5-pound) beef chuck roast
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp Slap Ya Mama Original Blend Cajun Seasoning
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 cup diced onion
- ½ cup diced carrot
- 1 cup beef stock
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tbsp Slap Ya Mama Cajun Hot Sauce
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 4 ciabatta rolls, halved
- 1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
- 1 large beefsteak tomato, sliced
Instructions
- Make small cuts about every 3 inches into roast, being careful not to pierce through to bottom; insert garlic slices into cuts. Sprinkle both sides of roast with Slap Ya Mama Original Blend Cajun Seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over high heat until almost smoking. Carefully add roast; cook until well browned on all sides. Remove from pan; reduce heat to medium. Add onion and carrot; cook until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Return roast to pan; add stocks, Worcestershire, Slap Ya Mama Cajun Hot Sauce, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to a low. Cover and simmer until meat is fork-tender, about 3hours. Using 2 forks, shred beef.
- Using a spatula, spread mayonnaise onto bottom half of each roll. Top with lettuce and tomato. Spoon roast beef with gravy on top. Cover with top half of roll!
Fried Catfish Po’Boys
Ingredients
Fried Catfish Po'Boys
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 1 12 oz. box of Slap Ya Mama Fish Fry
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tbsp water
- 4 catfish fillets
- ½ cup Remoulade Sauce
- 4 (6-to 8-inch) loaves French bread, halved lengthwise
- 1 cup shredded iceburg lettuce
- 1 large beefsteak tomato, sliced
Rémoulade Sauce
- 1½ cups mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1½ tbsp capers, chopped
- 1½ tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 2 tsp white wine vinegar
- ½ tsp Slap Ya Mama Cajun Hot Sauce
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
Fried Catfish Po'Boys
- In a large Dutch oven, pour oil to a depth of 4 inches, and heat over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350°
- In a medium bowl, place Slap Ya Mama Cajun Fish Fry. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and 1 tablespoon water. Dip fish in egg mixture, letting excess drip off. Dredge in fish fry, coating completely. Working in batches, fry fish until golden brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Let drain on paper towels.
- Using a spatula, spread ¼ cup Rémoulade Sauce onto bottom half of each loaf. Top with fried fish, lettuce, tomato, and pour an additional ¼ cup Basic Rémoulade over each sandwich. Cover with top halves of loaves.
Rémoulade Sauce (Makes about 1 ½ cups)
- In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
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