This easy Bang Bang Shrimp recipe brings crispy, crunchy fried shrimp in a spicy, sweet, and creamy chili sauce. The combination is so delectable that you will wonder how you have lived this long without it. This recipe tastes just as good or better than the shrimp at Bonefish Grill. You can serve this delicious dish over rice, Chinese rice noodles, or as an appetizer.
This is my darling daughter’s favorite shrimp recipe. I can’t blame her because once you try it, you are hooked. Use it to make Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos or Bang Bang Shrimp Pasta.
Now most Bang Bang Shrimp recipes call for using jarred chili sauce, and that is fine, but I like to make my own chili sauce. It is so easy to make and has so much great flavor. However, if you are short on time, jarred Thai sweet chili sauce will work in a pinch.
How do you make Bang Bang Shrimp?
First, in a small saucepan over low heat, add a little bit of olive oil. Once hot, add the minced garlic and cook for a little under 1 minute, stirring constantly. Next, whisk in the rice vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, sambal oelek, and sriracha, stirring and simmering over low heat for 1-2 minutes. In a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and water and slowly add it to the mixture in 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.
Now grab a small bowl and stir together the mayo, honey, and cooled chili sauce. Season with salt to taste. Set the bowl aside while you fry the shrimp.
Now peel and devein your shrimp. Dry the shrimp with paper towels. Heat about an inch of vegetable or canola oil or peanut oil to 375 degrees in a large skillet, Dutch oven, or stockpot. Put the cornstarch in a large Ziploc bag, add the shrimp, and toss to coat. Working in small batches, add the shrimp to the hot oil and cook until lightly browned on the bottom. Flip the shrimp and cook until golden brown on that side. Remove to paper towels to drain.
Now, gently fold the cooked shrimp in the sauce. Garnish with thin-sliced scallions or chopped cilantro and a sprinkle of crushed red pepper. Serve immediately. This recipe is delicious served as an appetizer or as a main entree over Chinese noodles or rice.
Recipe notes and helpful tips
- Sambal oelek is ground fresh chili paste, and it can be found in the Asian food section of your local grocery store. Store for up to two months in the refrigerator or freeze in small containers for up to six months.
- The sauce can be prepared 2 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.
- 36-40 count shrimp are perfect for this recipe. Be sure to peel, devein, and remove the tails from the shrimp.
- Dry the shrimp well with paper towels so the cornstarch coating fries up crispy and crunchy.
- For best results when frying the shrimp, work in small controllable batches.
- For frying, use an oil with a high smoke point like vegetable or canola oil.
- Try to maintain a constant temperature of 375 degrees. When you add shrimp, the temperature will drop, so you must increase the heat a tad. Likewise, when you remove the shrimp from the oil, the temperature will increase, so you need to turn the heat down a tad.
- Remove the fried shrimp to paper towels to drain.
- 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.
How do you peel and devein shrimp?
To peel the shrimp, simply pull on the legs, and the shell will begin to peel away easily. You can keep or remove the tails depending on how you intend to serve your recipe. If serving an appetizer with the sauce on the side, keep the tails on. 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, simply 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.
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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.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: main meal shrimp
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large clove garlic minced
- 1 1/2 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
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon honey
- kosher salt
- 1 lb. shrimp peeled, deveined and tails removed
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- vegetable or canola oil for frying
- 1 green onion thinly sliced
- crushed red pepper (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
- Sambal oelek is ground fresh chili paste, and it can be found in the Asian food section of your local grocery store. Store for up to two months in the refrigerator or freeze in small containers for up to six months.
- The sauce can be prepared 2 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.
- 36-40 count shrimp are perfect for this recipe. Be sure to peel, devein, and remove the tails from the shrimp.
- Dry the shrimp well with paper towels so the cornstarch coating fries up crispy and crunchy.
- For best results when frying the shrimp, work in small, controllable batches.
- For frying, use an oil with a high smoke point like vegetable or canola oil.
- Try to maintain a constant temperature of 375 degrees. When you add shrimp, the temperature will drop, so you must increase the heat a tad. Likewise, when you remove the shrimp from the oil, the temperature will increase, so you need to turn the heat down a tad.
- Remove the fried shrimp to paper towels to drain.
- 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.
Keywords: how to make bang bang shrimp, what is bang bang shrimp, bang bang shrimp recipe
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Sandra
This was a really huge hit at my house! a new favorite for weeknights!
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Sandra!
Juney
I love bang bang cauliflower so this was a must try. So delicous and what a nice change from my ususal shrimp recipes. I loved it.
Margaret
Your Bang Bang Shrimp recipe looks absolutely mouthwatering! I can almost taste the delicious flavors from the description and image. Thanks for sharing this delightful dish. Can’t wait to try it out!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Margaret! Enjoy!
Tammy
I love bang bang sauce. What a delicious meal! Takeout at home is the so much better…definitely need to make this for the family!
Sue-Tanya Mchorgh
Great tips for prepping shrimp! Peeling and deveining shrimp can be a bit tricky, but your clear instructions make it seem like a breeze. Whether you keep the tails on for presentation or remove them for convenience, it’s all about personal preference. Thanks for sharing these practical steps for a delicious and hassle-free shrimp dish!
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
The pleasure is all mine!
Tammy
I absolutely adore Bang Bang Shrimp but have never made it myself. Thanks for the recipe.
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Tammy! Enjoy!
Kim
The family loves this bang bang shrimp recipe. It is just as good as any restaraunt if not better at a fraction of the cost. Thanks for sharing.
Beth Pierce
The pleasure is all mine, Kim!
Rachel
I love bang bang shrimp with some sweet chili sauce and I have a bag of shrimp in the freezer. I may need to give this a go next time my husband is out (he isn’t a fan of shrimp)
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Rachel! Enjoy!
Indu
Something new for my shrimp loving friends. Weekend dinner will have choices now.
Erin
Such a fantastic dish! Can’t wait to make this again. I love your recipes.
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Erin!
Amanda
This has to be the best flavor shrimp I have ever had. We could not get enough of them!
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Amanda! So happy that you liked them!
Angela
This was soooo good! Better than I’ve had at any restaurant. Definitely adding to my meal rotation.
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Angela! So glad that you liked the bang bang shrimp!
Andrea
This bang bang shrimp was so crispy, crunchy, sweet and spicy delicious! My family went crazy over it. Thanks for sharing, Beth!
★★★★★
Kate
We loved the big flavors in this shrimp! Sooo good.
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Kate!
Suja md
This was delicious! We really enjoyed both making and eating it!
★★★★★
Rosemary
It’s no surprise this is your daughter’s favorite recipe. It has quickly become a favorite at home since making it. The best part is the sriracha’s spicy touch. Amazing!!
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Rosmary. I could not agree more!
Angie
Can sriracha be used in place of sambal oelek? If so, is it 1:1 ?
Beth Pierce
Yes I think you could on a 1:1 ratio.
Claudia Lamascolo
MAde these twice now the recipe is better than any restaurant we’ve ever had spot-on perfect!
★★★★★
Biana
The shrimp looks delicious! What a great idea to make it yourself, instead of getting takeout.
★★★★★
Alison
This shrimp is banging! Perfectly spiced and perfect as an appetizer for a gathering! They disappeared and I got tons of compliments on the recipe!
★★★★★
Cathleen
I love shrimp so much, so this recipe is right up my alley. Definitely going to give this a go, thank you so much for the recipe! Bookmarked for later 😉
★★★★★
Jusyine
Made this twice this month and is our new fave!
Beth Pierce
Thanks so much Jusyine! So glad that you like it!
Angelica Willoughby
If using prepared chili sauce, how much is needed?
Beth Pierce
1/4 cup prepared chili sauce
Toni
This was really good!! My family loved it!
★★★★★
Kimberly
What a thoroughly delicious way to use shrimp, thanks for this recipe!
★★★★★
Suzy
This was so much better than better than in the restaurants! The flavor was spot on!
★★★★★
Katie
My goodness, this recipe looks AMAZING! Never have tried shrimp this way but I’m excited to try!
★★★★★
Erin
This is so good! I love the one at Bonefish and getting to make it at home is so nice!
★★★★★