Fried Oyster Mushroom Po' Boy Sandwiches | Soft French bread is the base for crispy fried oyster mushrooms, fresh strips of lettuce, juicy pickles and tomatoes, and a tangy, creamy remoulade like sauce.
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So what is a po' boy sandwich?
Origin of the name
From my research, a Po' Boy is a traditional sandwich from the southern United States, Louisiana to be specific. The sandwich was originally fed to striking streetcar drivers as a show of support by the owners of a restaurant in New Orleans in 1929.
Typical ingredients in a po' boy sandwich
A po' boy is served on fresh french bread loaves with a choice of meat or fish (oyster po' boys are very common), lettuce, tomato and pickles and mayonnaise.
My po' boy sandwich recipe
I've been dreaming of making a po' boy since I had my first one in Florida at an authentic little shop that isn't there anymore. The taste of the fresh soft bread with a little tug in the dough and thin and crackly crust, the tangy spiced remoulade sauce, and the grill-seared, spiced and charred shrimp will live forever in my taste buds.
But the restaurant is gone and I'm left to my own devices to try to replicate that delicious sandwich. This fried oyster mushroom po' boy sandwich brings back all those memories, it's pretty fantastic.
For my oyster mushroom po' boy I still go with the French style bread loaves, as well as the lettuce tomato and pickles. BUT! the po' boy I had was served with the most delectable remoulade sauce.
The day I first made this sandwich for testing, I used what I had in the house for the sauce, and I really liked it so I didn't mess with it further. I didn't add hot sauce to mine and instead went with gochugaru, a Korean red pepper flake. Read more below about the ingredients.
Also, I eat a mostly vegetarian diet and I think fried oyster mushrooms are 100% perfect for this recipe, but you can of course use meat if you prefer. Cajun-style grilled chicken or shrimp would be fantastic.
Ingredients
About the ingredients for this recipe. See the recipe card below for exact amounts.
- oyster mushrooms: This is the filling for this sandwich, as a plant based nod to the classic oyster po' boy. My grocery store sells oyster mushrooms in 100 gram packages so that is what I'm using. This will make enough for 2 footlong sandwiches, so about 4 servings, depending on bread size and appetites. You can double or triple the entire recipe.
- all-purpose flour and cornstarch: To make a batter. The cornstarch helps the batter crisp.
- gochugaru pepper flakes: I get this at my local Asian grocery, they are Korean red pepper flakes. I use this because it's what I have on hand, I have a giant bag. You can substitute for the same amount of hot sauce (once the water is added) or a cajun seasoning.
- spices: Onion powder, garlic powder and paprika - this is to flavor the batter. Use your favorite spices. I've also tried this recipe with ½ teaspoon of Old Bay seasoning and it was really good, but I wanted to list more common spices. I use kosher salt. If using table salt, use half the amount called for.
- cold water: use very cold water (you can ice it) in the batter helps the batter get super crispy when it hits the hot oil.
- panko bread crumbs: I prefer panko crumbs to regular bread crumbs because they are bigger, flakier and lighter so they fry up super crispy.
- bread: french style sub buns are typical for this. The dough has a higher water content, resulting in a fluffy bread with a thin crackly crust.
- toppings: I go for the typical toppings which are romaine lettuce, sliced tomato, and pickles.
- sauce: Mayo is typical for this sandwich but I make an almost remoulade sauce which is what I had on my first ever po' boy sandwich and it's just what I like. Use whatever sauce makes you happy.
Instructions
Prep Tips
- make the batter for the mushrooms
- wipe the mushrooms and cut the base of the stems off
- slice tomatoes and prep the lettuce (you can do whole leaves or shred it)
For this sandwich, you'll start off by making my Fried Oyster Mushrooms recipe. I'll tell you everything you need to know here, but if you want more details and a video, go read that blog post.
- First, make the remoulade sauce by mixing together the mayo, pickles, lemon juice, mustard and spices.
- Prep the mushrooms by wiping them and cutting the base of the stems off.
- Make the batter by combining the dry ingredients with cold water.
- Batter and bread the mushrooms.
- Fry the mushrooms for about 2 minutes per side in a skillet.
- To assemble the sandwich first spread the sauce on both sides of the bun.
- Add the lettuce. I use the tops of romaine leaves.
- Add the tomato slices and season them with salt and pepper.
- Layer in the fried oyster mushrooms.
- Next, add the pickles slices.
- Now, close the sandwich up. I separate the bread at this time because the sandwich is usually too full to just fold the top over.
- Cut the sandwich in half, using a serrated knife and you're ready to eat!
Top Tip
You can wrap the whole sandwich in parchment paper first to make it easier to cut. Twist the end of the parchment paper in opposite directions so it holds and then cut with a serrated knife. This helps keep everything in and is perfect if you're taking this sandwich on the go.
Substitutions
✔ This Oyster Mushroom Po' Boy sandwich is vegetarian.
> To make this sandwich vegan, use a vegan mayonnaise in the remoulade sauce.
> Try using a different mushroom if you like.
> Top the sandwich with your favorite sandwich toppings and sauce.
Storage
I would make this sandwich as needed. You can make the mushrooms slightly ahead of time and bake them again to warm them at 350°F (175°C) for about 10 minutes, but they are best fresh, like most fried foods.
More recipes like this
- Fried Oyster Mushrooms
- Turkey Pesto Sandwich on Focaccia
- Vegetable Grilled Cheese Sandwich
- Feta and Spinach Grilled Cheese Sandwich
- Pizza Grilled Cheese Sandwich
- Caprese Grilled Cheese Sandwich
FAQs
Oyster mushrooms have a mild and earthy flavor and a chewy, sort of meaty texture.
Recipe
Fried Oyster Mushroom Po' Boy Sandwiches
Ingredients
For the Mushrooms
- 100 grams oyster mushrooms wiped clean and stems trimmed
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon gochugaru pepper flakes or red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup cold water
- ¾ cups Panko breadcrumbs
Remoulade Sauce:
- ½ cup mayo or use vegan mayo
- 1 tablespoon chopped pickles
- 1 tablespoon mustard yellow or grainy
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon gochugaru pepper flakes or cajun seasoning, or hot sauce
For the sandwich
- 2 foot long french style buns
- lettuce
- tomato sliced
- pickles sliced
Instructions
For the Mushrooms
- Mix the flour, cornstarch, spices and salt together. Slowly whisk in water until you have a thick batter with the consistency between pancake batter and cake batter.
- Add panko to a bowl. Ready a plate.
- Once by one dip the mushrooms into the batter and then into the bread crumbs. It's easiest to keep one 'dry hand' and one 'wet hand.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium to medium high heat. Fry the mushrooms for about 2 minutes per side or until golden brown. It might take 2-3 batches.
- Place fried mushrooms on a cooling rack (with holes) and sprinkle with kosher salt.
Make the sauce
- Mix together all of the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
Assemble the sandwich
- Make the sandwich: Spread the sauce on both sides of the bun. Add lettuce and then tomato. Season the tomato with salt and pepper.Next add the fried mushrooms and the pickles. Close the sandwich, cut in half and then serve.
Notes
Nutritional information is an estimate. Values vary based on products used. Read our full Nutrition Disclaimer.
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Drew says
Made this as written, except I deep-fried the mushrooms at 350˚ for 3 mins instead of pan-frying. Absolutely fantastic - exactly what I hoped it would be! The coating on the mushrooms cooked up beautifully crisp and the remoulade was delicious!
Jacqueline Piper says
I'm glad to hear the mushrooms worked well deep-fried, thanks for the notes on the temperature timing. So glad you enjoyed this, thanks for taking the time to comment Drew!
Jacqueline