When I came home from the bread making course, I was literally laden down with homemade fresh baguettes. I wanted to make something special with them, as I had put so much work into making them. I also had a pot of homemade mustard mayonnaise in the fridge. So it was clear, it would have to be some sort of a sandwich…some sort of gourmet sandwich. The first thing that came to mind was a po’boy, which is funny as a po’boy is considered a poor man’s (poor boy) sandwich, originally created in Louisiana. But for me, the po’boy is one of the scrummiest, most wonderful sandwiches you can get. It is traditionally comprised of French baguette, mayonnaise, deep fried shrimp/ oysters and lettuce.
The only thing left for me to get were some decent prawns. So, off I hopped, into the car, to a great fishmonger (about an hours drive away) and bought some sweet juicy Dublin Bay prawns. Down south in America, they would use shrimp, but Dublin Bay prawns are so good in Ireland and I guess this makes it sort of a scampi sandwich. It’s a bit of an indulgent sambo but when you have the perfect ingredients, there is nothing like it. This recipe is adapted from a Rick Stein recipe and serves two people.
Here’s how:
– Sunflower oil for deep frying
– 200g of large shelled prawns
– salt and cayenne pepper
– 85g of mayonnaise
– 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of milk
– 15g of plain flour
– 85g of breadcrumbs, preferably Panko breadcrumbs
– 1 medium French baguette
– Extra mayonnaise for spreading on sandwich
– 5 leaves of crisp iceberg lettuce, loosely shredded
Season the shelled prawns with salt and cayenne pepper. In a medium sized bowl, mix the mayo with the milk using a fork or whisk. On a large plate, place the flour. On another large plate, place the breadcrumbs. I like to use Panko breadcrumbs as they have a crisper and lighter texture than normal breadcrumbs, but normal ones will do just fine too.
Dip the prawns one at a time, first into the flour, then into the bowl of mayo and milk, then finally coat them in the breadcrumbs. Place the battered prawns onto a clean plate.
Heat the oil in a deep frying pan or I like to use a wok. The oil needs to be about 1 inch deep to deep fry the prawns. You need to have the oil at about 190 degrees Celsuis. To test if the oil is hot enough, I put a small piece of the batter into it. If it sizzles straight away and rises to the top, I know the oil is ready. Place the prawns into the hot oil. You can fry about 6 at time together. Once they are golden brown and bob to the top (should take about a minute), remove from the pan and place in a colander lined with a few sheets of kitchen roll.
Next turn the grill on. Slice the baguette in half lengthways. I like to scoop out some of the dough in the middle to make way for more filling. Place the baguette halves under the grill for a few seconds to lightly toast. Remove and spread mayonnaise liberally on each half. Top with a few leaves of lettuce on one half and place the fried prawns on top of the lettuce. Close with the other half of baguette and serve with a nice cold beer. I shared this large baguette with the OH and it was a perfect tea time snack for two. In fact I am still dreaming about this sandwich -mmmmmmmmmm
