Bang Bang Shrimp is best known as the signature appetizer at the Bonefish Grill restaurant chain, but if you’re not familiar, it’s simple dish of crispy, shallow-fried shrimp coated in a sweet-hot, Asian-style sauce.
We didn’t create our version of this recipe with the intention of being a perfect copycat, but the flavors and textures are good replication of the original.
The Bonefish serves their Bang Bang Shrimp on a bed of chopped lettuce, which is perfect for an appetizer, but we chose to transform the dish into a light, easy dinner by serving the shrimp wrapped in lettuce leaves.
The recipe concept is very simple. Large shrimp coated in a seasoned blend of cornstarch and flour are shallow fried until barely crispy on the outside. Then they’re tossed in a spicy sauce made with sweet Thai chili sauce, mayo, sriracha and a dash of soy sauce.
The result is a perfect blend of flavors and textures that’s sure to please both lovers of shrimp and Asian-style food alike.
If lettuce wraps are not your favorite thing, you can also serve Bang Bang Shrimp in soft flour tortillas with chopped lettuce and scallions for garnish.
Bang Bang Shrimp Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
- 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Vegetable oil
- 3 to 4 scallions, chopped
- 1 medium head green leaf lettuce, leaves separated
For the sauce:
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon sweet Thai chili sauce
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
- 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
Instructions
- Prepare the sauce by combining the mayonnaise, sweet Thai chili sauce, sriracha and soy sauce in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
- Arrange the shrimp on several thicknesses of paper towels and pat dry.
- Thoroughly combine the cornstarch, flour, salt and a few grinds of black pepper in a shallow dish (a pie plate works well). Add the shrimp and toss to coat thoroughly.
- Add about 1/8-inch of vegetable oil to a large frying pan and heat until shimmering over medium high heat (375°F).
- One at a time, add half the shrimp to the hot oil, taking care to leave some space between them. Fry until they turn pink and opaque and the coating is light golden, about 1-1/2 minutes.
- Using tongs, turn the shrimp and cook until the second side is golden and shrimp are cooked through, about 1-1/2 minutes additional.
- Quickly transfer the cooked shrimp to a plate, wipe out the pan and repeat the process with the remaining shrimp.
- Once all the shrimp are cooked, add them to the bowl with the sauce and toss to coat. Add the scallions, toss again and transfer to a serving dish.
- Serve family style along with the lettuce leaves, letting each diner make their own wraps.
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