How to make a perfect po-boy

The cheesesteak, the hoagie, the Cuban—iconic sandwiches dominate the culinary scenes of regions all over the country. The po-boy is ours. We asked Ause Ismail, co-owner of Po-boy Express (the 2016 Best of 225 winner for Best Po-boy) for the secrets to crafting the po-boy as God intended.

THE BREAD

New Orleans po-boys have their signature crunchy, hard loaves, while Lafayette uses a dense bread. Most Baton Rouge po-boy shops, including Po-boy Express, opt for a softer bread that’s not dense or heavy but still has a little bit of crispiness to its crust.

THE SHRIMP

When it comes to the Po-boy Express’ biggest seller, fried shrimp, the only way to make it is all hand-crafted. They start with nothing but fresh Gulf shrimp—“People here know if you cheat,” Ismail says—and marinate it for 24 hours in their own seasoning blend before coating it in a mixture of cornmeal and flour to get shrimp that are flavorful, crispy and not soggy.

THE TOPPINGS

Simplicity is the name of the toppings game at Po-boy Express, where “fully dressed” means shredded iceberg lettuce, sliced tomato and mayo. But Ismail says many customers add sliced pickles for a bit of acidity to cut the fishiness of their chosen seafood.

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This article was originally published in the May 2017 issue of 225 Magazine.