Air-Fryer Shrimp Po'Boys with Celeriac Remoulade

The po'boy is a New Orleans institution: a French-style baguette loaded with fried shrimp, oysters, or roast beef, dressed with mayo and pickles, eaten while standing in the corner shop where it was just made. The "fried" part is what we're approximating here. The traditional version is deep-fried — the shrimp go in hot oil, come out gold and crisp, get layered into the bread immediately. The air fryer at 400°F manages the same crunch with a tablespoon of oil instead of a quart, and you can pull off the entire dish in 35 minutes flat.

The remoulade is the move that pushes this above an average breaded- shrimp sandwich. It's mayo-based but pivoted toward Louisiana: lemon juice, capers, parsley, a touch of Creole mustard, and — the twist — grated celeriac (celery root), which adds crunch and a subtle mineral sweetness. If you can't find celeriac, the recipe works with celery, or even with cabbage. The remoulade is what makes the sandwich.

The photo shows the components staged for assembly: a plate of breaded shrimp ready to be loaded, a smaller plate with the same shrimp by themselves, a small bowl of pickle slices, a bowl of the shredded celeriac remoulade. The bread (split sub roll) is implied — you've eaten it before the photographer arrived. That's the right order of operations.