This sandwich tastes like summertime.  The shrimp is spicy and juicy and the slaw is sweet and crunchy.  The flavors blend together perfectly.  It’s light, but filling and absolutely delicious.  Taking only about thirty minutes, this would be a perfect weeknight dinner or even a lunch.  The original recipe is from Taste of Home, but my changes and tips are discussed below.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/shrimp-po-boys-with-pineapple-slaw

The slaw is pretty easy to make because it begins with a pre-packaged broccoli coleslaw mix.  Of course, there isn’t any reason that you couldn’t prepare the veggies yourself, but in the interest of time, the mix is quicker!  Along with the coleslaw mix, you add pineapple tidbits.  I found that the pineapple tidbits are larger than I would like to have in a slaw so I chopped them up a bit instead of using directly from the can.  It’s also very important to drain the tidbits very well so your slaw isn’t watery.  I pressed the tidbits into a strainer to be sure to get all the juice out.  Don’t forget to save the pineapple juice because you’ll need it for your dressing.  Top that off with green onions and mix together.

The dressing couldn’t be simpler, just mix up 1/2 cup mayonnaise with three tablespoons of the reserved pineapple juice.  To be certain you get the slaw dressed the way you like it, add gradually, tasting until you have achieved the perfect slaw/dressing balance.  For an even quicker prep, you could prep the veggies and dressing the night before and then mix them together just before serving.

It’s very important that you remove the tails from your shrimp.  Nobody wants to crunch into a tail while eating a sandwich.  Once your shrimp are deveined and tails removed, dip each shrimp into egg and then into a creole panko mixture.

Pop them in the oven for 10 minutes, turning once.  Shrimp will turn pink when done.  Pile your sandwich with shrimp, sliced tomatoes and slaw and enjoy!  The original recipe calls for tartar sauce, but I think that would overwhelm the slaw which is much too delicious to mask.  You can also save a few calories by skipping it.

Ingredients

2 eggs or 1/3 cup egg substitute
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
2 Tbsp Creole Seasoning
1 lb. shrimp, peeled, deveined and tails removed
2 cups broccoli coleslaw mix
1 cup unsweetened pineapple tidbits, chopped and well-drained
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise or reduced fat mayonnaise
6 hoagie buns
3 tomatoes, sliced

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix together coleslaw mix, pineapple and green onions in a large bowl.  In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise and pineapple juice.   Pour the dressing into the slaw and mix together.

Coat the shrimp with the egg mixture before dredging in the panko mixture, making sure they are well-coated.  Place shrimp on a greased 15×10 pan and bake for ten minutes, turning the shrimp once.  

Place tomato slices on each hoagie, cover with shrimp and top with slaw. 

Six Servings