What Makes This Recipe So Good

If you’ve ever eaten at Liuzza’s in New Orleans, you know exactly what I’m talking about here, and you know just how incredible this shrimp is. Years ago, when my husband and I were dating, he made me promise over and over that I’d go with him to his favorite New Orleans restaurant (Liuzza’s) and try their BBQ Shrimp po-boy. Being from Memphis, when someone says BBQ shrimp, I picture shrimp covered in a sweet, tangy, smoky, rich sauce… so I ordered something else, because I can get BBQ at home. Imagine my surprise when he ordered his beloved sandwich and out comes shrimp glistening, oozing, positively bursting with BUTTER, no BBQ sauce to be seen. I may or may not have eaten most of his shrimp po-boy. So, after falling in love with this sandwich, you KNOW I had to recreate that amazingness back at home. I found a copycat recipe and worked to recreate every single aspect perfectly. Now, I’m sharing all of that goodness with you! Of course, nothing beats enjoying the original in that New Orleans atmosphere… but if you can’t physically be there, this’ll get you close.

Chef’s Tips

This recipe is for BBQ shrimp po-boys, which are the full sandwich. That being said, the buttery BBQ shrimp is delicious all on its own, so if you’re not into bread, consider skipping it. You can also serve the bread on the side and use it to sop up the rich sauce after you’ve eaten all the shrimp. Shrimp cooks fast (like 2 to 3 minutes), so have the bread prepped and ready before you start cooking the shrimp. Trust me, you do not want overcooked shrimp. It’s tough and rubbery and all-around unpleasant. So how do you know when the shrimp are ready? They’ll curl slightly, forming a “J” shape. If you’ve got “O”-shaped shrimp, they’re overcooked! Perfectly cooked shrimp are also opaque white or pink. If they’re still translucent or grey, they’re undercooked; bright white means they’re overcooked.

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