The Dish: James Beard Award-winning chef Greg Vernick's Fried Shrimp Po' Boy Sandwich

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- There's a lot of holiday hustle and bustle right now - and a lot of entertaining to do.

So if you're looking for something quick and delicious to whip up at home, James Beard award winning chef Greg Vernick brought us into the kitchen at Vernick Fish in Center City.

He just brought back lunch service there, and we learned this easy recipe for his Fried Shrimp Po' Boy Sandwich during a very busy lunch service.

"There are Po' Boy experts out there so for the folks at home, they need to know that this is our interpretation of a Po' Boy. We took some liberties," said Vernick.

After pandemic closures, Vernick just reinstated lunch service at Vernick Fish. He reworked the menu, and his Fried Shrimp Po' Boy is the only sandwich he's making.

"It hits everything we want," Vernick explains. "It's craveable and Philly loves sandwiches."

He says he didn't want his version of this classic to feel too high brow. It's not "precious," he says, but the quality is, especially the star of the show: the shrimp.

"This is 16/20," he says. "It's the size we like. We do a very wide and open butterflied shrimp in order to get as much surface area."

He says in order to get maximum "it factor" crunch, butterfly them before you dredge and bread it.

The batter is rice flour, whole eggs and salt. The breading is rice flour, all purpose flour, and cornmeal with a kick of cayenne.

Once it's breaded, let it rest.

"Don't just fry it right away," Vernick says. "You want the breading to adhere 30 minutes to an hour in the refrigerator."

Once it's rested, it's time to fry in the oil of your choice. It's a quick one, about 90 seconds.

Once they're out, you quickly add a little salt, old bay spice and cayenne.

Next, you build the sandwich. The bread is a ciabatta style hoagie roll, scooped out and toasted.

"We like the dry toast," Vernick says, "It really lets the remoulade, the mayonnaise sauce, shine on the dish."

You can make their sauce or get storebought.

Put that down first and then add lettuce, tomatoes and onions. Finally, the shrimp.

Cut and enjoy!

What's new in Greg Vernick's culinary collection

Having the lunch crowd back is important to Vernick.

Vernick Fish is on the ground level of the Four Seasons Philadelphia. It opened just a few months before pandemic shutdowns.

He says a full energy flow is returning to the restaurant industry - and the city.

"There is a specific noise to a restaurant that I'm starting to hear again," he says. "There is a hum to a restaurant. There's the tinkering of glassware, the espresso machine, the conversations that happen in the background. I love that sound."

He opened his first restaurant, Vernick Food and Drink, on Walnut street, 11 years ago.

"It's my family restaurant," he says. "We love it."

Vernick has s since added a coffee bar and Vernick Fish to his culinary collection.

"These are members of my family," he says. "I love coming here. I love coming into work. I love hanging out with my team and talking food."

All of this, is in Vernick's DNA.

Growing up in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, his mother Beth had a luncheonette in Haddonfield.

"I grew up in kitchens and around restaurants," he says. "Prior to that, my grandfather was a butcher. Some could say I'm third generation restaurant."

Vernick's career started as a teenager.

"I got a job down the shore in Margate at Lucy the Elephant," he says. "I was a short order cook for four summers."

It's the hard work, and the heart, he's now bringing to his own lunch crowd.

"We're proud to be here. We really are."

For more information or to make reservations at one of Greg Vernick's restaurants, visit www.VernickPhilly.com.