Shrimp Po-Boy (With a Vietnamese Twist)

A few days ago I was reading one of Brent's back-issues of Maxim and I came across an article about a gastronomical pilgrimage to New Orleans, more specifically about soft-shell crab po-boys. I was salivating at the thought of such a perfect combination and kicking myself for having never had one. So a few days later and still day-dreaming about these po-boys, I sought out to find some soft-shell crabs, never mind that it's August and they're out-of-season. Two grocery stores later and a bit disappointed, I decided to make the second best po-boy...Shrimp Po-Boys.

Being me (a bit picky that is) I prefer lightly-battered shrimp. I find that the asian tempura mixes do just that. To top it off, while I was out searching for those crabs I came across freshly baked sourdough french loaves.



SHRIMP PO-BOY (WITH A VIETNAMESE TWIST)
- Makes about 2 servings.

Ingredients:

* Tempura batter mix (I use Hime-brand, only because it happened to be in my cupboard)
* 1 lb of 21/25 shrimp (thawed, peeled, and deveined)
* Vegetable oil (enough to cover frying pan 2 inches)
* French bread loaf (sourdough variety if desired)
* Mayonnaise (homemade recipe - separate post)
* Sriracha hot chili sauce
* Tony Chacere's original creole seasoning (or similar)
* Sliced fresh tomatoes (if desired)

Directions:

1. Prepare homemade mayonaise at this time if not using prepared mayonaise.
   
2. Pat dry shrimp until they are reasonably dry.
3. Prepare tempura batter mix as directed on box with a bit of Tony Chacere's seasoning as desired.
   
4. Heat frying pan with oil on medium heat until oil begins to bubble.
   
5. Place shrimp into batter one at a time, making sure to avoid any splatter as oil is very HOT.
6. Fry, turing occasionally, until light golden brown.
7. Drain tempura shrimp on paper towels.
8. Optional: I like my bread lightly toasted and warm. For this, preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Cut bread in sandwich size portions and then slice bread in halves to create sandwich. Place cut bread onto a baking tray in oven. Turn off the oven and let bread warm.
9. Once bread is toasted to one's desire, spread mayonnaise on inside of each half. Place as many shrimp onto bun as possible. Drizzle hot chili sauce onto shrimp. Top off with some tomato slices.