This shrimp po’ boy is the perfect Brisbane sandwich. Here’s why

Before he made sausages and taught barbecue and had kids, Steve Lind was a DJ. Not your ex-boyfriend-with-a-busted-CDJ-DJ – an actual touring DJ with singles and remixes and the rest of it.

“This was when I was doing a lot of music. I went to LA and did some studio sessions and stuff like that,” he says.

“I had a guest vocalist [Fly Boi Keno] for a song and I wanted to do a music video in New Orleans. I think I spent about two weeks in each city. Real shoestring-budget stuff.

“I knew nothing about New Orleans – maybe Bourbon Street and that was it. The videographer picked me up from the airport and took me to Parkway Tavern and Bakery.

“That’s where I had my first po’ boy. I was like, ‘What the hell is this?’”

Originating in New Orleans in 1929 as a cheap (or free) meal for striking streetcar workers, a po’ boy is similar to a submarine sandwich but defined by a more French-leaning roll, which is similar to a traditional baguette but lighter and fluffier inside.

Typical fillings are prawns (shrimp, of course, in US parlance), roast beef and Louisiana hot sausage, and a traditional sandwich might be dressed with lettuce, tomato, pickles and mayonnaise.

It’s a relatively simple sanger that was intended as a hearty, affordable stomach filler for those “poor boy” striking streetcar workers. So, what makes it so great?

“It’s the simplicity of it,” Lind says. “You can even have them undressed, and a good one will be delicious. A po’ boy is like a good cheeseburger, where all the ingredients hold up and it’s balanced, not boring. But that means you have to take good care with your ingredients.”

After that initial trip, Lind returned to New Orleans twice – the second time, in early 2025, specifically to research po’ boys. He then set about trying to recreate them in Brisbane.

A year later, Lindy’s Po Boys was born. This column caught it on its third pop-up at Camp Hill Bowls Club earlier this month.

On the menu was a pork sausage po’ boy – Lind also operates Big Bad Smallgoods, a specialty sausage company – and a shrimp po’ boy. It’s the latter we think you need to eat ASAP.

It’s been a while since I demolished a sandwich this fast. And that’s maybe because Lind has made something that’s as easy to eat as it is delicious.

Let’s start with the bread. It’s made to Lind’s specs by Norman Park’s Golden K Bakery, and it’s crisp on the outside (without being banh mi crunchy) and soft and pillowy on the inside. It’s tasty, textural, moreish.