Spicy Fried Shrimp Banh Mi (Poboy)

Ingredients

Pickled Vegetables

• 2 carrots, shredded or thinly julienned
• 2 mini cucumbers, thinly sliced
• ½ small radish, shredded
• ½ cup water
• 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

Shrimp

• 1 pound large fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 cup Blue Plate® Hot & Spicy Mayonnaise, divided
• 1 cup buttermilk
• ½ teaspoon hot sauce
• 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning, divided
• 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch
• Vegetable oil, for frying

Sandwich

• 1 loaf poboy bread, split lengthwise and cut into fourths (each piece about 8 inches long)
• Fresh jalapeño pepper, thinly sliced and seeded, for serving
• Cilantro sprigs, for serving
• Mint sprigs, for serving

Directions

1. Make pickled vegetables: Place carrots, cucumber and radish in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan combine water, vinegar, sugar and salt and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt. Pour the liquid over the vegetables and let stand for 30 minutes. The pickled vegetables can be made up to 48 hours in advance and stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
2. Prepare the shrimp: Combine the shrimp and ½ cup of the mayonnaise in a bowl or resealable plastic bag and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours. Prepare a dredging station by setting up 1 shallow bowl with buttermilk, hot sauce and ½ teaspoon of the Creole seasoning, and a second shallow bowl with Panko, flour, the remaining ½ teaspoon of Creole seasoning, and the cornstarch.
3. Preheat vegetable oil to 350℉. Remove shrimp from marinade, transfer to the bowl with the buttermilk mixture and coat the shrimp in the buttermilk.
4. Working in batches, remove shrimp from buttermilk and dredge in flour and Panko mix. Shake off any excess flour. Carefully drop each batch of the shrimp into the hot oil and cook for about 2 minutes per side. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon when golden brown and cooked through and place on a paper towel lined plate. Season with salt if desired.
5. Assemble sandwich: Using the remaining ½ cup of mayonnaise, spread about 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise on each top and bottom piece of bread. Divide the shrimp evenly on the four sandwich bottoms. On each sandwich, top the shrimp with ¼ of the pickled vegetables, some sliced jalapeño and the cilantro and mint sprigs. Place the top halves of bread on and serve immediately.