Skip to main content

Abalone Po' Boy #OurFamilyTable


Today the From Our Dinner Table blogging group members are sharing seafood recipes. Hosts Christie from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures and Heather of Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks wrote, "Are you crazy for crabs? Addicted to Ahi? This event is for you! Whether you do a Fish Friday or give up meat for Lent we could all use a little more recipes from the sea." As residents of a seaside town and members of a community-supported fishery, seafood is common on our table. I am always happy to add new seafood recipes for my rotation.

Today's Catch

Abalone Po' Boy

I wanted to share the history of the Po' Boy that I found because it's a great story. It's widely accepted that the sandwich was invented by brothers Clovis and Benjamin Martin who were streetcar drivers turned restaurant owners in the 1920s. When the other streetcar drivers went on strike, the Martins created an inexpensive sandwich of gravy and leftover beef pieces served on a crusty French roll and given out of the back of their restaurant. When a streetcar worker knocked on the back door, kitchen staffers would cry, "Here comes another po' boy!" The name stuck for the sandwich.

The Po'Boy is New Orleans' most famous sandwich that is typically made oysters. Not quite sure when it transitioned from leftover beef to oysters, but I've never heard of a beef po'boy. If you follow my blog, you'll know that - after a crazy evening in New Orleans nearly two decades ago - I developed a sensitivity to oysters. Half the time, now, I have an adverse reaction, so I don't often indulge in them.

Instead of the traditional oyster po' boy, I opted to create my own version made with local-to-me abalone from Real Good Fish, our community-supported fishery. The rice flour adds a little pliability to the coating, but still retains its crispness. If you have don't rice flour, use 1-1/2 C flour 1 C cornmeal and skip the rice. No worries!

Ingredients serves 4

Abalone
  • 1 C flour
  • 1 C cornmeal
  • 1/2 C rice flour
  • 2 t salt
  • 1/2 t cayenne pepper
  • 1 t garlic powder
  • 1 t paprika
  • 1/2 t dried oregano
  • 1/2 t dried thyme
  • 1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 C buttermilk
  • 12 abalone (cleaned and prepped)
  • 2 T butter
  • oil for cooking

Rémoulade
  • 1 C mayonnaise
  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 1 garlic clove, peeled and pressed
  • 2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice (I used Meyer lemon because we have a tree)
  • 1 T prepared horseradish
  • 1 T whole grain mustard
  • 2 t hot sauce
  • 2 t Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 t celery seeds
  • 1/2 t paprika
  • 1/4 C chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Finishing
  • four 6" long rolls, split horizontally
  • shredded lettuce
  • sliced tomatoes
  • dill pickles
  • hot pepper sauce, optional

Procedure

Rémoulade
Mix all ingredients together. Set  aside.

Abalone
Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Pour buttermilk in a bowl. And pour enough oil in the bottom of a pan to coat it in a 1/4" layer. Place butter in the oil and heat until melted. In the meantime, dredge abalone in the flour-spice mixture. Dip the abalone into the buttermilk, coating both sides. Return the abalone to the flour and turn to cover completely.



Place the abalone in the butter-oil mixture and cook until golden brown, approximately 2 minutes. Flip over and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove the abalone to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.


Finishing
Open rolls and smear the inside with rémoulade. Stuff the roll with lettuce, pickles, and tomatoes. Place abalone on top. Serve immediately with hot sauce, if desired.

Comments

  1. This sounds so good! I love remoulade with seafood. You have me hungry for one of your Po Boy sammies right now!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh man this sounds delicious! I love po boys and this one looks amazing

    ReplyDelete
  3. I haven't had a po' boy in forever - these look great!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love that back history on Po' boys. Thanks so much for sharing.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Quick Pickled Red Onions and Radishes

If you've been reading my blog for even a short amount of time, you probably know how much I love to pickle things. I was just telling a friend you can pickle - with vinegar - or you can ferment - with salt - for similar delicious effect. The latter has digestive benefits and I love to do that, but when I need that pop of sour flavor quickly, I whip up quick pickles that are ready in as little as a day or two. I've Pickled Blueberries , Pickled Asparagus , Pickled Cranberries , Pickled Pumpkin , and even Pickled Chard Stems ! This I did last night for an upcoming recipe challenge that requires I include radishes. Ummmm...of course I'm pickling them! Ingredients  makes 1 quart jar radishes, trimmed and sliced organic red onions, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mandolin slicer) 3/4 C vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar) 3/4 C water 3 T organic granulated sugar 1 T salt (I used some grey sea salt) 6 to 8 grinds of black pepper Proce

Aloo Tiki {Pakistan}

To start off our Pakistani culinary adventure, I started us off with aloo tiki - potato cutlets. I'm always game for tasty street food. I found a couple of different recipes and incorporated those together for this version. Ingredients 6-8 small red potatoes, scrubbed 1 T cumin seeds 1 T fresh chopped parsley 1/2 t ground coriander 1 t minced garlic Procedure Boil the potatoes until they are tender. Drain and let cool. Mash the potatoes. Traditionally they are mashed without their skins. I left the skins on. In a small pan, toast the cumin seeds on high heat until the begin to give off an aroma and begin to darken. Remove from heat and transfer to a plate to keep them from cooking any more. Blend all of the spices into the mashed potatoes, then shape into small patties. If you wet your hands, the potato mixture won't stick to them. Heat a splash of oil in a large, flat-bottom pan. Dip each patty into beaten egg and carefully place in the oil. P

Hot Chocolate Agasajo-Style {Spice It Up!}

photo by D For my Spice It Up! kiddos this week, I was looking for an exotic drink to serve while we learned about saffron. I found a recipe from food historian Maricel Presilla that mimicked traditional Spanish hot chocolate from the 17th century where it was served at lavish receptions called agasajos . When I teach, I don't always get to shoot photos. Thankfully, D grabbed my camera and snapped a few. Ingredients serves 14-16 1 gallon organic whole milk 3 T dried rosebuds - or 2 t rosewater 2 t saffron threads, lightly crushed 3 T ground cinnamon 3 whole tepin chiles, crushed 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise 1 C organic granulated sugar 1 lb. bittersweet chocolate Procedure In a large soup pot that can hold a gallon plus, combine milk, dried rosebuds (or rosewater, if you are using that), saffron threads, ground cinnamon, chiles, vanilla beans, and sugar and warm over medium heat till it steams. Whisk to dissolve sugar, then lower heat an