Bang Bang Shrimp Sauce
Frying Without Over Crowding
As mentioned in the recipe, you are going to fry the shrimp in batches. The reason for this is that you don’t want to over crowd your frying pan. When you put too much in at once (regardless of what you are frying), the temperature of the oil can drop and you don’t get that nice crisp coating. You also run the risk of the shrimp touching each other, and becoming one giant bang bang shrimp. You know by now that I am all about easy home cooked meals. I shy way from complicated meals with hard-to-find ingredients. Though this Bang Bang Shrimp recipe might seem complex or difficult, it is very easy. Let’s walk through everything you need to know, shall we?
Buy shrimp that is raw. We are frying the shrimp, so you want it to cook in the oil but not overcook in the oil. If you buy precooked shrimp you will have very overcooked shrimp.Consider buying frozen shrimp. I love fresh shrimp, but living in the middle of the country, getting quality fresh shrimp isn’t a thing. I lean heavily on frozen shrimp, which is frozen at peak freshness.Buy shrimp that is peeled, deveined, and without tails.Thaw the shrimp according to package instructions. Whether your package of shrimp says to thaw it under cold running water for 20 minutes or in the refrigerator overnight, be sure to heed those instructions.
In my humble opinion, they give fried food a little bit more of a crunch than typical breadcrumbs. You might consider using half panko and half regular breadcrumbs in your next breading recipe. Though for this recipe, I like the full crunch of all panko.
Mayonnaise: I used low-fat mayonnaise. You can also use full fat, but I would not recommend using fat free.Thai Sweet Red Chili: Often in recipes, like my Chicken Lo Mein, I call for chili sauce. That sauce is not at all sweet and has a kick. The sauce you are looking for for this recipe will be labeled Thai Sweet Red Chili, and it is noticeably sweet. I’ve linked the brand I used.Rice Wine Vinegar: This has an amazing and unique taste. It balances the sweetness of the chili sauce. You can also use it in my delicious Chicken Lettuce Wraps.Sriracha Sauce: This gives the recipe a little heat. You will also love it in my Fish Taco recipe.Salt: After testing the sauce, if it doesn’t taste quite right, you want to add a pinch of salt.
Whenever you are balancing a recipe at the end to suit your own personal tastes, the key is to remember two things. The first is that sweet is balanced by sour, and vise versa. You can also use salt to balance acidity, and vice versa. The second thing to remember is that a little goes a long way. Start by just adding a pinch of whatever you are using to balance and tasting again. Keep going with very small additions until you have it just right.
What to Serve with Bang Bang Shrimp
At Bonefish Grill, this is served as an appetizer, though you could certainly eat it for a main meal, it’s very good. If you are making a spread, here are some other dishes you will enjoy. I also recommend that you shy away from reheating this recipe. These are perfectly delicious cold, and there is nothing worse than overcooked shrimp. Additionally, no matter how you recook it, you aren’t going to get that same crispness these had when they were first served.
Asian Cucumber SaladEdamame SaladHam Fried Rice
If you make my Bang Bang Shrimp recipe or any of my other recipes, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think. I love hearing from you!
