Bubba Gump Shrimp Cutlet Sandwich

You might have heard of shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That- that's about it… until now! It’s a crispy little shrimp patty, sittin’ on garlic bread like it’s a porch swing, with a creamy white sauce that they call béchamel, but I just called it real nice. Then they went and put pickled onions, radishes, cucumbers, and a little green leaf called basil on top. It was fresh, crunchy, and made my mouth feel like it ran all the way to Greenbow and back.

Ingredients

for two sandwiches

3 radishes
1 mini cucumber
1/4 red onion
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1/2 oz lemon juice (plus 1/2 lemon for seasoning shrimp)
1/2 lb jumbo shrimp (shells on)
1/4 cup salted butter (plus 2 tbsp melted)
1 bay leaf
1 cup flour seasoned with salt and pepper (pluc 1/4 cup more)
2 cups whole milk
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 egg
1/2 tsp hot sauce
2 cups italian seasoned bread crumbs
Olive oil (for frying)
2 sub rolls
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dried parsley
4 large basil leaves

Directions

Thinly slice the radish, cucumber, and red onion
Toss vegetable together in a small bowl with salt, sugar, and lemon juice. Set aside
Shell and devein the shrimp. Place shrimp shells in small sauce pan with 1/4 cup salted butter and bay leaf
Cook shrimp shells over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fond begins to form on bottom of the pan
Add 1/4 cup of flour to the pan and stir into the mixture 1-2 minutes
Add milk and nutmeg to the sauce pan and allow sauce to come to a simmer to thicken
Strain thickened sauce, removing bay leaf and shrimp shells. Set aside
Butterfly the jumbo shrimp and gently pound to 1/8” with a meat tenderizer or pounder
Set up a breading station with flour, beaten egg and hot sauce, and bread crumbs in separate bowls
Bread your flattened shrimp in the flour, then egg mixture, and bread crumbs to coat
Heat oil in a small fry pan until you see wisps of smoke
Fry breaded shrimp in oil 2 minutes per side or until golden brown
Remove shrimp from oil and season with salt and lemon juice from 1/2 a lemon
Spilt sub rolls and butter the inside of the rolls with melted butter, top with garlic powder, paprika, and parsley
Broil sub rolls, buttered side up 2-3 minutes or until golden brown.
Top sub rolls with breaded shrimp, béchamel sauce, pickled vegetables, and torn fresh basil