Fried Fish Po’ Boy Sandwich Recipe

You can make this Fried Fish Po Boy Sandwich Recipe with Catfish fillets (like I did), Tilapia, or Whiting fish with a creamy lemon and herb sauce, fresh tomato slices, pickles, and lettuce on French Bread. 

The first time I had Po’ Boy Sandwich was a New Orleans style restaurant that I worked at in college called Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen. They had fried catfish, shrimp, and oyster Po’ Boys on their menu. Part of their training for new servers was to have them try just about everything on the menu (lucky me, right?). This was my favorite part of the training as I never had food that tasted so good at that point in my life. 

What I loved about the Po’ Boy Sandwich was that it was a relatively cheap dish to purchase that tasted absolutely amazing. Not to mention, it made you full as hell. That brings me to the second time I had a Po’ Boy Sandwich, which was in its birthplace, New Orleans. That is where I gained more understanding of how Po’ Boys came about. 

Where did the name Po Boy come from?

Basically, Po’ Boys got their name because they were hearty sandwiches sold to, well, poor boys. Men who worked long days and may have only had one chance to eat all day. The sandwiches were stuffed with fresh fried seafood and served on hearty and thick bread like French bread on purpose. That purpose is still relevant to this day. I don’t know about you, but I cannot finish a full Po’ Boy sandwich to this day. I barely can finish a half sandwich. That doesn’t mean that I  won’t stop trying. 

The Fried Fish Po Boy Sandwich recipe is made with fried catfish. However, it would go along well with fried tilapia or whiting. You don’t have to use fish at all if that isn’t your thing. You can use fried oysters or shrimp. Whatever you like. I don’t fry fish often, but when I do, I like to use a seasoned fish beading because the flavor is already there. You can use whichever fish or seafood breading you like. I think Zatarains have a good fish breading that is well seasoned. You don’t even need to season your fish. In fact, I don’t recommend it because your fish could be too salty. 

This Po Boy sandwich is perfect for the upcoming football season or for any occasion where you will feed a crowd. You can make different versions of the sandwich by making a Fried Fish Po’ Boy, a Fried Shrimp Po’ Boy, and a Fried Oyster Po’ Boy and let people serve themselves. This is a pretty affordable and inexpensive dish to make and you won’t have to worry about anyone going to bed hungry. To make a dessert to go along with this dish if you’re want to keep the meal affordable and relatively inexpensive, check out my Po Man’s Strawberry Shortcake. You’ll love it!