Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos

Curb your seafood cravings with these satisfying shrimp recipes

BE PICTURED IN; CHARACTERIZED IN:

Life as a spouse in the military has taught me some important lessons. The most important? You always have to be creative.

The double edged sword of life as a military spouse is that you can travel the world but you are far from the comforts of home. We were living in Germany when I fell in love with Bonefish Grill’s Bang Bang Shrimp®.

I first tried it while visiting the US, but guess what Germany doesn’t have? You guessed it!

I craved these shrimp the most when I was pregnant with our twins, so I donned my culinary cloak and set out to create my version of the dish.

What is Bang Bang Shrimp?

The first star of this dish is the plump, crispy shrimp. For these tacos, I like to use extra-large shrimp, sometimes labeled “26-30,” which refers to the number of shrimp in a pound. To make this easy and time-saving, I buy them peeled and deveined with the tails removed. Fiddling with shrimp tails gets in your way when trying to enjoy these tasty tacos.

How to get extra crispy shrimp

For the crispiest version of this shrimp, there’s no getting around frying.

Flour + Cornstarch: Use a combination of flour and cornstarch for an extra crunchy breading. It sticks under the sweet and spicy sauce.
Dry, then fry: Once breaded, place the shrimp on a cooling rack before frying. This allows the breading to “dry out” and the shrimp to become even crispier.
Keep your temperature: Use a thermometer to make sure you’re roasting at the right temperature. It is also important to maintain this temperature throughout the cooking time. The shrimp will be deep-fried at 350°F, so it’s recommended to use a deep-frying thermometer to keep your oil at that precise temperature.
Fry in portions: Overfilling the pan is a surefire way to lower the temperature of your oil (resulting in a soggy, oily breading). Try to keep batches on the smaller side to maintain proper temperature. A handful at a time (about 7 or 8 shrimp) is generally good.

Make-ahead sauce

You can make the bang bang sauce a day or two in advance. Keep covered in the fridge until ready to use.

Let the sauce sit at room temperature while the shrimp cook to allow them to warm up. That way, there aren’t any lukewarm shrimp left over after you toss them in the cold-out-of-the-fridge sauce.

How to serve bang bang shrimp

I like to add shredded cabbage to my tacos to create a contrast in textures and to soften the heat of the sauce a bit. The shrimp are served in heated flour tortillas; However, if you want to cut down on carbs, you can serve them in lettuce leaves instead.

I garnish my tacos with thinly sliced radishes and jalapeños, lime wedges, chopped cilantro, and green onions. Having my crew customize their tacos is always a hit.

Other great taco recipes to try!

Grilled Shrimp Tacos with Mango Avocado Salsa
Beef tacos de lengua
Slow Cooker Mexican Pulled Pork Tacos
Spicy grilled chicken tacos
Grilled Fish Tacos with Strawberry Pineapple Salsa

preparation time
30 minutes

cooking time
20 minutes

total time
50 minutes

portions
4
up to 6 servings

Tip for leftovers! If you know you have extra shrimp, don’t toss them in the sauce. Keep the fried shrimp and sauce separate. When ready to eat, set the leftover sauce out on the counter to allow it to come to room temperature while you heat the oven to 200F. Reheat the shrimp in the oven for 15 minutes, then combine the sauce and shrimp and eat as directed.

For the bang bang sauce:

1 Cup mayonnaise
1/4 Cup Chili Garlic Sauce
1 teaspoon sriracha sauce, Optional

For the shrimp:

1 1/2 lb extra large (number 26-30) shrimppeeled and deveined
1 Cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 Cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
6 cups vegetable oil to fry

To serve:

10 taco size flour Tortillasheated (or Bibb lettuce leaves)
8 ounces shredded cabbageabove 3 cups
Sliced thin radish
Sliced thin jalapeno pepper
cut green onions
Chopped coriander

Make the bang bang sauce:

In a bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, chili garlic sauce, and sriracha until combined. Store in the refrigerator for up to two days before use.
Marinate shrimp:

In a separate bowl, marinate the shrimp in the buttermilk for 20 minutes.
Prepare your breading station:

Mix flour, cornstarch, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.

Place a cooling rack on top of a sheet pan that you will place the breaded shrimp on before frying (this will help create a crispy coating on the shrimp).

Also, set up a draining station by lining another sheet pan with a thick layer of kitchen paper. (Or if you have another cooling rack to place over the sheet pan, that’s even better!)

Set the oven to 200°F.
Bread shrimp:

While the oil is heating, drain the buttermilk and toss the shrimp in the flour mixture in batches. Shake off excess flour and place the shrimp on the cooling rack to “dry out” while you heat your frying oil.
Heat the oil:

Place a thermometer in a wide, deep pot, e.g. B. a Dutch oven and add the oil. Heat over medium heat until the oil reaches 350°F. (This takes about 20 minutes.)
Fry the shrimp:

Add a handful of shrimp to the hot oil and after a minute of frying, use a slotted spoon to stir and separate the shrimp. they like to stick together. Fry 4 to 4 1/2 minutes, or until shrimp are golden brown.
Keep shrimp warm and continue frying:

Remove the shrimp from the oil with a slotted spoon and place them on your drainer/pan. Place the cooked shrimp in the warm oven.

Continue frying the remaining shrimp in batches. Remember to let the oil come back to 350°F between batches.
Sauce the shrimp:

Once all of the shrimp are fried, toss in 1 cup of the sauce. Reserve the remaining sauce to drizzle over the tacos.
Assemble the tacos:

Fill the heated tortillas with a handful of shredded cabbage, then top the cabbage with the shrimp and then more sauce (if desired). Garnish the tacos with sliced radishes, jalapeños, spring onions and the chopped cilantro and serve.

These tacos are best enjoyed right away.