Bang Bang Shrimp

This easy Bang Bang Shrimp recipe brings crispy, crunchy fried shrimp in a spicy, sweet, and creamy homemade chili sauce. The combination is so delectable that you will wonder how you have lived this long without it.

This recipe tastes as good as or better than the shrimp at Bonefish Grill. You can serve this delicious dish over rice or Chinese rice noodles or as an appetizer. If you like this recipe, try coconut shrimp, shrimp enchiladas, and garlic shrimp stir-fry.

Learn how to recreate the popular Bang Bang Shrimp dish at home with this easy recipe. Complete with a delicious homemade sauce, this dish will impress any seafood lover. Most recipes call for jarred chili sauce, which is fine, but I like to make my own chili sauce. It is so easy to make and has such great flavor. However, if you are short on time, jarred Thai sweet chili sauce will work in a pinch.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

• Oils: olive oil for making the sauce and vegetable oil and canola oil for frying
• Vinegar: rice vinegar is my first pick, but apple cider vinegar is a close second.
• Sambal oelek: ground fresh chili paste, find it in the Asian food section of your local grocery store. Store it in the fridge for up to a month or freeze it in ice cube trays for recipe-sized portions.
• Sriracha: find it in the Asian food or condiment section of your local grocery store. Store it in the refrigerator for up to nine months.
• Mayonnaise: I prefer Duke’s
• Shrimp: 31-35-count shrimp are perfect for this recipe. Be sure to peel, devein, and remove the tails from the shrimp.

How to Make Bang Bang Shrimp

This is the summary version; see the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients and the instructions.

Prepare the chili sauce and let it cool. Stir together the mayo, honey, and cooled chili sauce. Season with salt to taste. Set the bowl aside while you fry the shrimp.

Coat the shrimp with cornstarch and try them. Gently fold the cooked shrimp into the sauce. Garnish with thin-sliced scallions, chopped cilantro, and a sprinkle of crushed red pepper.

Preparation Tips

• You can prepare the sauce up to 2 days in advance and store it in the refrigerator.
• Dry the shrimp well with paper towels so the cornstarch sticks to them.
• Work in small, controllable batches for best results when frying the shrimp.
• Try to maintain a constant temperature of 375 degrees. When you add shrimp, the temperature will drop, so you must increase the heat slightly. Likewise, the temperature will increase when you remove the shrimp from the oil, so you need to turn the heat down a tad.

How to Prepare the Shrimp

Pull on the legs to peel the shrimp, and the shell will begin easily peeling away. You can keep or remove the tails depending on how you intend to serve your recipe. Keep the tails on if serving an appetizer with the sauce on the side. It is easier to eat them that way. However, make sure you tell your guests that the tails are intact. With this particular recipe, I recommend removing the tails.

Now, to devein the shrimp, take a small pairing knife and make a shallow cut down the center of the back to the top edge of where the tail is or was. To remove the black intestine, run cool faucet water over the back of the shrimp and rub it with your fingers so the vein will rinse out easily.

Serving Suggestions

I like to serve this recipe with jasmine rice and Asian cucumber salad. Other great choices include cilantro lime rice, Asian noodle salad, basmati rice, Asian chopped salad, ramen noodles, and stir-fried vegetables.

Storage and Reheat

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat on the stovetop over medium heat in a pan with a little bit of olive oil. Or reheat in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with nonstick baking spray at 325 degrees for 5-7 minutes.

More Shrimp Recipes

Shrimp Scampi

Grilled Shrimp

Shrimp Dip

Shrimp and Grits

Shrimp Pasta Salad

Shrimp Alfredo

Bang Bang Shrimp

Delicious, crispy, crunchy fried shrimp smothered in a creamy, sweet, and spicy chili sauce. In this recipe, we make our own chili sauce, giving this Bang Bang shrimp recipe an extra kick of homemade goodness.

5 from 36 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: main meal shrimp

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 422kcal

Author: Beth Pierce

Ingredients

Bang Bang Sauce

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large clove garlic minced
• 1 ½ tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons sambal oelek
• 1 teaspoon sriracha
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons water
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon honey
• kosher salt to taste

Bang Bang Shrimp

• 1 lb. shrimp peeled deveined and tails removed dried
• ½ cup cornstarch
• vegetable or canola oil for frying
• 1 green onion thinly sliced
• red pepper flakes optional

Instructions

• Heat olive oil in a small saucepan over low heat.  Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Add rice vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, sambal oelek, and sriracha. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring several times. 
• In a small bowl, mix together 2 teaspoons of cornstarch and water; stir into the saucepan.   Simmer for 1-2 minutes or until slightly thickened.  Cover and remove from the heat and set aside. Let cool for about 10 minutes.
• In a small bowl, together the mayonnaise, honey, and cooled chili sauce, Season with kosher salt to taste and set the bowl aside
• Dry the shrimp with paper towels. Heat about 1 inch of vegetable or canola oil to 375 degrees in a heavy skillet, dutch oven, or stockpot. Put 1/2 cup cornstarch in a large ziploc bag. Add shrimp and shake to coat. Working in small batches, add the shrimp to hot oil. Cook until lightly browned, flipping halfway through the cooking process, approximately 1-1 1/2 minutes per side.  Remove to paper towels to drain.
• Gently fold the cooked shrimp into the sauce. Top with thinly sliced scallions and a sprinkle of crushed red pepper. Serve immediately.

Notes

• You can prepare the sauce up to 2 days in advance and store it in the refrigerator.
• Dry the shrimp well with paper towels so the cornstarch sticks to them.
• Work in small, controllable batches for best results when frying the shrimp.
• Try to maintain a constant temperature of 375 degrees. When you add shrimp, the temperature will drop, so you must increase the heat slightly. Likewise, the temperature will increase when you remove the shrimp from the oil, so you need to turn the heat down a tad.

Nutrition

Calories: 422kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 194mg | Sodium: 633mg | Potassium: 389mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 157IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 87mg | Iron: 1mg

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