Po’ Boys w. Cajun Slaw

I don’t know about you, but my ability and desire to come up with dinners lately seems, shall we say, weak. Each day that I (usually with my husband’s help) come up with a dinner idea, it feels like a major feat. Then the next morning, I realize I/we have to do it again. Oh my! But here’s a recent one to share. Fish Po’ Boys and Cajun Slaw just became the dinner recipe I didn’t know I was missing in my arsenal!

I’m on the hunt for easy dinner recipes that are full of flavor but take almost no work! Demanding, I know! Enter these fish po’ boys with cajun slaw! They’re made with wild-caught fish sticks and the only hard part is not munching on the slaw before the fish is out of the oven! And if you want to make it even easier and faster, using a coleslaw mix to save you from slicing or shredding the cabbage!

With all these pre-bought items from the grocery store, this whole meal can come together in about 30 minutes. It’s quick and easy. Make the slaw, bake the fish, toast the buns, and enjoy!

Cajun Slaw Recipe

I’m not always a coleslaw fan, but I have mad respect for a good slaw. It has to have just the right amount of sauce to shredded cabbage ratio and great flavor.

For this recipe, the mayonnaise keeps the slaw moist, but the flavor comes from the mustard, hot sauce, and seasonings, especially the cajun seasoning.

If you make the slaw just before you serve, it also won’t be sloppy and drippy. Now, some people love a drippy slaw, so you might want to make it a little beforehand if that’s you!

If you have extra cabbage, try this cabbage pasta dinner recipe, mayo free cole slaw, or purple cabbage coleslaw with citrus slices!

Easy Fish Po’ Boys Recipe

If you haven’t had a shrimp or fish po’ boy sandwich, they’re really quite delicious. Imagine a fried chicken sandwich with a little southern kick of flavor.

Some po’ boys (just like some fried chicken sandwiches) can be too greasy for my liking, but that’s not a problem with this homemade recipe since the fish is baked!

Besides having that delicious crunch and flavor from the wild-caught fish, you also need the perfect accoutrement. First, you have to let the fish and slaw be the center of attention, so soft rolls are ideal. My recipe calls for hoagie rolls.

Next is the perfect slaw, or cajun slaw in this case – more below. And then the pickles and fresh tomato slices!

If you want to go fully homemade, try to get the crunchiest fish batter. Or if fish isn’t your thing, this po’ boy recipe would be great with fried chicken breast as well!!

Coleslaw Seasoning

When making a slaw, it’s always with a base of shredded cabbage and often a few other veggies. Primarily green cabbage with some purple cabbage (often called red cabbage) is the bulk of it. Many add in shredded carrots for color. I’ve also had some with the very thinly sliced green bell pepper. They’re all fun and delicious!

spicy brown mustard

In recent years I’ve discovered the joy and ease of using mustard as a seasoning and a tenderizer (when it come to meat). I realized it when using dijon mustard to make Chicken Dijonnaise. Mustard has a lovely, balanced flavor and each mustard offers its own flavors. A spicy brown mustard adds that acid you need in a slaw (from the vinegar) as well as a bit of kick – nothing wild. And it’s perfect with the fish and hoagie rolls.

Hot Sauce

This slaw recipe below calls for just one teaspoon of hot sauce. This isn’t a ton of spice – it’s a great balance of flavor. You can use whatever hot sauce you like. Something calmer like Cholula is a great base with which to start!

Dill Pickle Relish

Ok. Here’s where we start getting into layers of flavor! The dill relish adds that tangy addition that fish always needs and a good slaw always needs.

Cajun Seasoning

Cajun seasoning usually contains salt, paprika, dried red pepper (I like cayenne), thyme, black pepper, celery seed, garlic, and onion. I always like to read the ingredient labels on store-bought versions to see exactly what’s in it (and in what order). You can always make your own too – it’s one of my homemade seasoning mixes!

My Picks for This Recipe…

Coleslaw Spicy Recipe

Traditional coleslaw recipes aren’t spicy. The way this cajun coleslaw recipe is written, it has spice in it. Below are the ingredients that make it spicy. If you want tit spicier, just add more of these ingredients!!

Cajun Seasoning

Cajun seasoning has paprika, which isn’t SPICY per say, but it gives a kicky presence! I use cayenne pepper in my Cajun seasoning mix, but every mix and recipe is different.

For a good idea of how kicky a spicy cajun seasoning mix is, look at the ingredient label. The further down the spicy pepper is, the less spice-forward it will be. You can always add more cayenne pepper to taste.

Hot Sauce

And then hot sauce! There are a number of hot sauces to use and this is where you have to do you! More hot sauce = spicier.

I would recommend using a balance of more seasonings and more hot sauce because they offer different levels of heat and the hot sauce adds more liquid to a creamy dressing recipe that can easily get too wet!

Mardi Gras Recipes

This fish po’ boy and the cajun slaw (together and separately) are perfect recipes to celebrate Mardi Gras. You can serve it with this Mardi Gras side dish of roasted veggies and parmesan cheese! It’s also great if you’re looking for fish recipes to enjoy during Lent.

And for dessert try this cream cheese stuffed King Cake recipe!

See all Luci’s Morsels dinner recipes.

Looking for more fish recipes? Try this smoked salmon tartine, salmon frittata (great for breakfast or dinner), this beautiful fish fillet with winter slaw appetizer, a tuna tartare tartine for two, garlic + lemon tuna pasta, or this ceviche avocado toast!

My Picks for This Recipe…