April 07, 2014

Fresh PoBoys at the Fish House

Instead of having to make your way to New Orleans for proper PoBoys, you can satisfy your craving for this iconic sandwich at the Fish House. Located around Westchester, the Fish House is serving one of the best iterations of this handheld meal Miami has to offer. The restaurant lives up to its namesake by offering fresh and flavorful seafood in an unexpected location. Located relatively far from the beach, it comes as a surprise to find some of the best fish I have tried in the city.

Although the location is part market part restaurant, I usually find myself here for the Po’Boy. For the uninformed, a Po’Boy is a traditional rendition of a submarine sandwich made popular in New Orleans. It is usually a baguette filled with some sort of meat (mostly fried seafood), lettuce, tomato, pickles, mayonnaise, and onions. At the Fish House, I frequent the fried shrimp Po’Boy. The shrimp is fried in a cornmeal batter to add crunch and a golden brown color, and it is literally stuffed into a baguette to the point where it cannot be contained. Do not be fooled though; it is not that the sandwich is poorly constructed. There is just that much shrimp. The sandwich then gets the usual toppings, and I like to add a bit of hot sauce. The ingredients all combine to create a harmonious package that is greater than the sum of its parts. The bread is squishy and airy with a crisp and flavorful crust, becoming the perfect vehicle to carry the other ingredients. Portions are plentiful with one sandwich being enough for two servings, but you will most likely finish it all in one sitting from how satisfying it is.

Sandwiches are typically served with fries, but I substitute mine for cole slaw. The vegetable mix is chopped finely, which dilutes the crunchy effect typical to most slaws. It is then tossed in a sweet and tangy mayo based dressing. The fine veggies mixed with the dressing combine to create something akin to a sauce, which I sometimes like to add to bites of my sandwich. It adds an extra dimension to the sandwich that you did not have before.

The Fish House is serving one of the only Po’Boys in Miami, and thankfully, it is a very well-made rendition of the sandwich. Not only is it plentiful, it is very affordable, and this is something that I can definitely get behind.