Celebrating America with American classics: Southern shrimp po' boy salad

Okay, if you have never been to the great southern regions of America, you may not know what a po' boy is. In a nutshell, it is one of the greatest sandwiches in the culinary world and the shrimp variety must simply be eaten to be believed (and if you're like me, you'll get more "on" you than "in" you.

I created this salad as my homage to both the South and to one of the greatest foods to come from there. When we first put this on our menu, people were a little hesitant since very few people in San Francisco knew what the hell a "po' boy" was. Once they tried it and the word got out and it soon became one of our most popular Summer salads.

This salad is served over a bed of shaved cucumber and in the slideshow I will show you how to shave a cucumber. It is a very simple process that only takes a steady hand and a vegetable peeler (though at the restaurant we use a French mandolin). I should also point out that since this is a brand new recipe for the rest of the world -- yes, this is an exclusive to the National edition of the Examiner -- I will also take you through each step in the slideshow.

Now you might notice something strange in the directions. I have you combine milk and raspberry vinegar! This is not an error. Yes, the vinegar will curdle the milk and that is exactly what you want to happen. This is a little trick we learned at Escoffier and is sort of a faux buttermilk (in the South they use buttermilk) but with a more fruity taste. As far as a dressing for the salad, I use a simple raspberry vinaigrette but you can use whatever your tastebuds are craving.

So enjoy something brand new and purely American! Enjoy the marvel which is Southern Shrimp Po' Boy Salad!

Ingredients needed to make Southern Shrimp Po' Boy Salad (serves 2):

• 1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 cup milk
• 1 Tbs. raspberry vinegar
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 cucumber, peeled and shaved (see slideshow)
• 2 Tbs. olive oil

Steps:

1. Rinse the shrimp under cold running water. Pat the shrimp dry and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl combine the cumin, garlic powder, garlic salt and black pepper. Add the shrimp and toss to coat.
3. In a medium bowl whisk the milk and rasperberry vinegar (it will curdle and this is what you want).
4. In a shallow dish or bowl, whisk the flour and cornmeal.
5. Dip the seasoned shrimp into the milk mixture and then dredge (coat) in the flour mixture. Once all the shrimp are done, let them rest 5 minutes.
6. Take your cucumber and shave it (see pictures in the slideshow -- it's easy so don't worry).
7. In a medium saute pan or skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the shrimp and saute about 3 minutes per side (or to desired doneness).
8. Prepare your shaved cucumber on serving plates (see pictures in the slideshow).
9. Remove the shrimp from the pan, place atop the shaved cucumber, drizzle with a vinaigrette and serve.

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