You need a vacation. All of you. Even if you just got home from a 20-day Caribbean cruise, you probably still need a vacation.
But as the graphs and charts and news reports have been reminding us, Americans aren’t great at taking those vacation days and getting away. So if you’re guilty of not giving yourself the down time you deserve, the least you can do is create a mini-staycation at dinnertime.
One favorite food destination? New Orleans. All you need is some sweet jazz music and a recipe.
This Oyster Po’ Boy from The Culinary Institute of America will transport you to a warm afternoon by the Louisiana waterfront. A po’ boy is a Louisiana-style sandwich of meat, fish or shellfish on soft but crusty French bread. We won’t be so bold as to say what should be on a po’ boy, because from town to town, and even block to block, the rules shift. But in general, po’ boys are simply dressed with lettuce, tomato, onion and maybe mayonnaise, mustard and pickles.
Fat and crunchy fried oysters are a natural po’ boy filling because they are abundant in the warm waters of the Gulf, making them readily available and inexpensive. Even if you’re not an oyster person, a fried oyster is really a horse of a different color. Cooked oysters lose the slimy quality that people usually complain about. Coated in a crunchy, golden-brown cornmeal coating, they become downright tender and sweet.