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Wild Game Cuisine

Crappie Po’boy with Cajun Remoulade

Justin Adams •March 1, 20232 min read

There’s always that restless feeling between the end of deer season and the beginning of turkey season, but I get excited knowing that the spawn of one of the most incredible tasting American freshwater fish is mere weeks away.

If you’re from the north, you’ll say it’s walleye, and while I don’t disagree, in the south and midwest, our vote goes to crappie. Crappies are incredibly fun to fish for; they are aggressive eaters and fight well. They tend to gather in large schools, so if you catch one, there’s a good chance you’ll catch many. You might have heard them called paperbacks, strawberry bass, calico bass, specks or, if you’re from Louisiana, sacalaits. This recipe today draws its origins from The Pelican state.

The po’boy or “poor boy” was coined by a New Orleans restaurant owned by Benny and Clovis Martin, former streetcar conductors from Raceland, Louisiana. It was in 1929 that the Martin brothers dished out these free sandwiches during the streetcar strike to “another poor boy” if he turned out to be a striker. And since then, the name has stuck. Most commonly, you’ll find these tasty sandwiches served with a heaping pile of roast beef or fried seafood such as shrimp, oysters, catfish, crawfish or crab. You can find a po’boy at just about any corner in New Orleans, but I recommend checking out my favorite spot, Domilise’s Po’ Boys, if you’re ever in the cajun country!

So fresh off Mardi Gras and with crappie spawning coming soon, I decided to incorporate these two into a new twist on this classic sandwich. Make sure to slather the cajun remoulade heavily and enjoy with some Louisiana’s Tabasco sauce. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

For the Crappie:

  • Oil for frying, preferably peanut
  • 1/2 pound of crappie filets
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 egg
  • A few dashes of vinegar based hot sauce, such as Tabasco
  • 1 cup of cornmeal
  • 1/2 cup of flour
  • 1/2 tablespoon of cajun seasoning

For the po’boy:

  • 1 12” loaf of French bread
  • 1 sliced tomato
  • 1 cup shredded romaine lettuce
  • 1/2 cup of sliced dill pickles

For the remoulade:

  • 1 Cup of Mayonnaise, preferably Duke’s
  • 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
  • 4 tablespoons chopped scallion
  • 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon pickle juice
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
  • A few dashes of a vinegar based hot sauce such as Tabasco
  • 1 garlic clove, grated
  • Pinch of salt (go easy here as there is plenty of salt in the cajun seasoning)
  • Fresh cracked ground pepper
Photo Credit: Justin Adams.
Photo Credit: Justin Adams.

Instructions

  1. Fill a Dutch oven or cast iron skillet about 2 or 3 inches with oil and heat over medium-high heat to 355 degrees.
  2. Combine the ingredients for the remoulade, mix well and place to the side.
  3. Combine flour, cornmeal and Cajun seasoning.
  4. Combine egg, milk, hot sauce and mix well.
  5. Dredge the crappie in the flour/cornmeal mix, shaking off the excess, and then place into the egg/milk mixture, letting the liquid drip off. Place back in flour/cornmeal mix.
  6. Place fillets into the oil, being careful to not over crowd the pan, and fry until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from oil and place on wire rack set over a baking sheet.
  7. Slice the French bread in half lengthwise.
  8. Spread the Cajun remoulade on both sides of the bread, then the shredded romaine, topping with the tomato and pickles.
  9. Finish with the fried crappie, adding a vinegar-based hot sauce if you like it spicy. Serve alongside French fries or a bag of chips.

 

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