Bluegill Po Boy Recipe

The Po Boy is one of the greatest sandwiches ever made. In truth, there is no one singular po boy recipe, because the po boy is an entire category or style of sandwich more than anything. There are only a few requirements when making a po boy:

• French Bread
• Shredded lettuce
• Sliced tomatoes (or leave them off if you’re like me)
• Meat – Fried seafood is most common, but the Po Boy can be made with roast beef, fried oysters, shrimp, sausage, the New Orlean’s original “Debris” or anything in between.
• Creole mayonnaise

My personal favorite is a seafood Po Boy. And, a nice mild white meat fish fillet works best. For this recipe, I used bluegill fillets after a trip ice fishing, and it worked beautifully!

BLUEGILL PO BOY RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

Fish

• 4 Bluegill (or any whitefish) Fillets
• 3-4 C. oil – I use Peanut Oil, but any high-temp oil will work great

Cajun Seasoning and Breading

• 1 Tsp. Garlic Powder
• 1/2 Tsp. Cayenne Powder
• 1/2 Tsp. Dried Thyme
• 1 Tsp. Sea Salt
• 1/2 Tsp. Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1/4 C. Milk or Buttermilk
• 3/4 C. All-Purpose Flour
• 1/4 C. Cornmeal
• 1/4 Tsp. Cayenne Powder/Cajun Seasoning – for the breading

Creole Mayo Spread

• 1/2 C. Mayo
• 1 Clove Garlic, Crushed
• Zest of one lemon + 1/2 C. lemon juice
• A Dash of Hot Sauce
• 1/4 Tsp. Cayenne Powder, or 1/4 Tsp. of leftover Cajun mix (above)

Po Boy Fixin’s

• Baguette, sliced into serving sizes – however big of a Po Boy you want
• Shredded Lettuce
• Sliced Tomatoes (if desired)
• Hot Sauce – Required if you want to claim you’re eating a Po Boy!

DIRECTIONS

1. FILLET YOUR FISH:  Fillet your panfish (or any whitefish) and ensure that all bones, fat, and discolored meat is trimmed off. The cleaner the fillet, the better it tastes.

2. CUT INTO BITE-SIZED CHUNKS:  Cut your fillets into bite-sized chunks. It’s important to keep all the pieces uniformly sized, so they cook evenly when you throw them in the oil. A good rule of thumb is to keep the pieces small enough to be easy to eat in one bite, but not so small that it’s mostly breading. Think the size of a whole shrimp.

3. WET RUB WITH CAJUN SEASONING:  Combine Cajun seasoning together and whisk thoroughly. Make sure there are no clumps of spices that haven’t mixed together. Rinse your fish chunks, and rub rub with Cajun seasoning (garlic, salt, pepper, cayenne, thyme).

4. MARINATE:  Pour either milk or buttermilk over the fish chunks in a bowl and place in your fridge. Let sit for at least an hour or two if possible.

4. DREDGE IT:   Mix your Cayenne/Cajun seasoning, flour and cornmeal together in a baking dish or other shallow pan. I like to use a 9×13 Pyrex baking pan. Remove your fish from the fridge. Add approximately 1/4 C. of the fish marinade to the cornmeal/flour mixture and mix together – you’re aiming to have small little bits of the marinade spread throughout the dry ingredients Drain your fish from the remaining marinade. Dredge in seasoned corn meal/flour mixture, and set on a plate or wire rack.

5. FRY IT UP:  Carefully place your fish in your oil and Deep fry at 350° oil until golden brown, roughly 5-7 minutes. Drain fried fish on a wire rack or plate with paper towel to ensure as much oil drains off as possible.

6. SERVE IT UP:  Put your fish on your French bread and add hot sauce, shredded lettuce, tomato (if desired) creole mayo, whatever toppings you’d like, and enjoy!