Asian-Style Po’ Boys (Crispy Beer-Battered Shrimp on Bao Buns)

If you asked me to describe my food personality in one meal… this might be it. 😄
These Asian-Style Po’ Boys are a perfect mash-up of everything I love about my family, my roots, and the way I grew up eating in Wisconsin.

We’ve got:

• Crispy beer-battered fried shrimp (hello, classic Wisconsin fish fry energy)
• Soft homemade bao buns (fluffy, chewy, pillowy perfection)
• Chinese-American coleslaw with sesame soy dressing
• A drizzle of Japanese mayo to bring it all together

They’re crunchy, creamy, tangy, cozy, and totally fun to eat — and if you serve them with fries or kettle chips, this turns into the kind of dinner everyone talks about while they’re still chewing. 😂

Why You’ll Love These Asian-Style Po’ Boys

• They’re the best kind of fusion: bold flavors, but still family-friendly
• Crispy + soft + creamy + tangy = the dream combo
• Great for a weekend dinner or “treat night” meal
• Easy to scale up if you’re feeding a crowd
• The components can be made ahead (bao + slaw = DONE ✔️)

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What Are Asian-Style Po’ Boys?

Traditional Po’ Boys are Louisiana-style sandwiches, usually served on French bread and filled with fried seafood or meat plus toppings.

My version is a little different (okay… a lot different 😄), but it keeps the same spirit:
crispy fried shrimp + a soft bread + tons of flavor = sandwich bliss.

Instead of French bread, we’re using bao buns, and instead of classic remoulade + shredded lettuce, we’re leaning into Japanese mayo + sesame slaw.

Ingredients You’ll Need

For the Shrimp + “Sandwich”

• 2 cups beer batter mix
• ½ cup light beer (or water — add more as needed)
• 32 oz shrimp (31/40 size) (peeled, deveined, tail removed, and patted dry)
• 20 bao buns (double my homemade bao bun recipe if needed)
• 1 gallon neutral oil, for frying
  (vegetable oil, canola oil, or avocado oil are great options)

Toppings

• Chinese-American Coleslaw with Sesame Soy Dressing
• Japanese mayo

Jenn’s Chef Tip (My Dad Would Approve)

Here’s the trick that makes fried shrimp stay crispy instead of oily:

✅ Your oil needs to be truly hot (around 350°F) — the ThermoWorks Industrial IR Gun is perfect for this!
✅ Your shrimp should be patted DRY before battering
✅ Don’t crowd the fryer — small batches keep the temp stable

That’s the difference between “restaurant-level crisp” and “why is this soggy?” 😅

Bonus tip: If your oil temp drops too much between batches, let it come back up to 350°F before adding more shrimp.

What To Make Ahead (So Dinner Feels Easy)

Before you fry anything, I recommend:

1. Make your bao buns (or warm/store-bought buns)
2. Make your coleslaw and pop it in the fridge

Then when you’re ready to eat, the only “last minute” part is frying shrimp.

How To Make Asian-Style Po’ Boys

1) Make the bao and coleslaw first

Trust me. Even if you think you’re going to make everything at the “same time”… make the bao (which takes about an hour and a half) and the coleslaw first.

Once those are done, everything else comes together fast — and you’ll actually enjoy the process instead of feeling like you’re juggling five things at once.

2) Mix the batter

In a large bowl, slowly add beer (or water) into the beer batter mix, stirring as you go.

You want a pancake-like consistency — thick enough to coat the shrimp, but not heavy or clumpy.

3) Coat the shrimp

Add your cleaned, dried shrimp into the batter and fold gently until everything is coated.

4) Heat the oil

Heat your oil to 350°F in a heavy pot or deep fryer.

5) Fry in batches

Carefully place shrimp into hot oil in batches of about 8 shrimp at a time.

✨ I love using tweezer tongs for better control.

Fry until golden and crispy, then scoop out with a spider strainer.

6) Drain

Place shrimp on a paper towel-lined plate or pan.

Repeat until all shrimp are fried.

Assemble the Sandwiches

To build each one:

1. Bao bun
2. 3–4 fried shrimp
3. Stuff with coleslaw
4. Drizzle Japanese mayo

Serve immediately while the shrimp are crispy and the slaw is cold + crunchy.

Serving Ideas (What To Pair With These)

These are AMAZING with:

• Fries, chips, or Patatas Bravas
• A crunchy Asian Cucumber Salad
• Edamame or steamed dumplings
• A simple fruit tray if you’ve got little kids at the table

(Also: if it’s a chaotic weeknight, chips straight from the bag counts. We do not judge. 😄)

Tools I Used (and Love)

Le Creuset 6.75 qt. Enameled Cast Iron

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Spider Strainer (Set of 3)

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Cooking Tweezers (6 Piece Set)

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Cooking + Baking With Kids (Safe + Fun Jobs!)

This recipe is super doable with kids as long as the frying stays adult-only.

Kiddos can help with:

• Mixing the coleslaw dressing (they love whisking)
• Tossing the coleslaw together
• “Taste testing” (obviously the most important job)
• Stirring the batter before shrimp goes in
• Helping assemble: bun → shrimp → slaw → drizzle

Grown-ups should handle:

• Hot oil + frying shrimp
• Checking oil temperature
• Removing shrimp from the pot

💛 Jenn note: If your kids are sensitive to textures, try serving shrimp + slaw separately and let them build their own “bao boats.”

Storage Notes

These are best eaten fresh (fried shrimp is at peak crisp right away), but here’s how to store leftovers:

Store:

• Fried shrimp: airtight container in the fridge up to 2 days
• Slaw: refrigerated up to 2–3 days
• Bao buns: store sealed (or freeze if homemade)

Reheat shrimp:

For best crispiness, reheat shrimp in:

• Air fryer at 350°F for 4–6 minutes
  or
• Oven at 400°F for 8–10 minutes

Avoid microwaving unless you’re okay with “soft crunch.” 😅

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