It’s the crispy crunch of the first bite into this sandwich that signals all the good things to come. It’s sensory overload when hot, right-out-of-the-fryer crawfish tails meet the perfectly dressed French bread loaf in the po’boy of my dreams—the Overstuffed Fried Crawfish Po’Boy.
The po’boys at Bon Creole are stuffed high with fried crawfish. (All photos credit: George Graham)
Whenever I get close to New Iberia, Louisiana, my car has a mind of its own. Instinctively, the wheel turns and heads toward my favorite little po’boy joint in all of Acadiana—Bon Creole. Don’t get me wrong, there are lots of excellent po’boys in Cajun country, but when it comes to fried seafood, this lunch counter’s Overstuffed Fried Crawfish Po’Boy draws me in every time.
Randy Montegut and his Bon Creole lunch counter.
The windowless, concrete-block building with the colorfully painted mural is about as unique as a roadside eatery can get. This joint is Randy Montegut’s Bon Creole and the culinary shrine to all things Cajun. This lunch counter turns out daily plate lunches, gumbos, fried seafood dinners, and exceptional po’boys.
These po’boys come in half and whole portions, and while the half is plenty, I can’t resist sitting down to a whole sandwich just for me. Piled high on a French loaf, almost a pound of piping hot, crispy fried crawfish tails sit atop this sandwich. Dressed traditionally with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, and a slather of Blue Plate, I opt only for a dousing of Tabasco to gild the lily on this bad boy.
After a couple of beers and the last bite of this magnificent sandwich, I can assure you it’s a long drive home. But rest assured, I’ll be back.
And in the meantime, I’ve tried my hand at duplicating this recipe. It’s easy, so if you can’t make it to “The Berry” ” (as locals call New Iberia), then fire up your fryer and make this Overstuffed Fried Crawfish Po-Boy.
- 1 gallon vegetable oil
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 2 tablespoons Acadiana Table Seasoning Blend, see recipe here
- 1 (16-ounce) package Louisiana crawfish tails
- 1 (10 to 12-inch) po’boy loaf
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 3 large slices tomato
- 1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
- Kosher salt
- Hot sauce, for serving
- Fill your fry pot (mine is a 1-gallon fryer) with oil and heat until the temperature reaches 350ºF.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, and Cajun seasoning.
- Remove the crawfish tails from the package and roll in the dry breading mixture.
- Meanwhile, toast the bread until crunchy, remove, and slather the bottom with mayonnaise. Add tomato slices and shredded lettuce. Place on a platter until ready to serve.
- Shake off the excess breading and drop the crawfish in the hot oil. Fry until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the crawfish and drain on a wire rack. Sprinkle with salt immediately.
- Add a mound of crawfish tails to the sandwich and serve immediately with hot sauce on the side.
A whole po’boy can easily feed two.
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Drooling.
A gallon of oil?
Hey Wesley- Good question that bears clarification. I have a 1-gallon electric fryer, but if you are frying in a regular pot, then I would suggest that 1/2 gallon (8 cups) of oil will work. The key is not to crowd the crawfish tails in the pot. I clarified this in the recipe.
All the best.
Can this recipe be done in an Air Fryer instead of oil frying?
Grace- I am one of those cooks that doesn’t use an air fryer, so I cannot give you an answer. Perhaps there is someone else reading this that could give an opinion. Anyone?
I’m nowhere near bayou country, but one of our local rivers has crawfish, so I’ll be making this.
I’m excited to make this tomorrow. Crawfish acquired.
Great articles all! Love to be on your list. You should try my crawfish bisque!
Hey Dennis- Thanks for the comment, and I have added you to our weekly newsletter list. All the best.