Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos (Dynamite Shrimp)

This homemade Bang Bang Shrimp is crispy and saucy at the same time. This shrimp can be served so many ways, but it’s especially satisfying as Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos drizzled with the bang bang sauce.

Watch the video tutorial and see how easy it is to recreate this restaurant favorite.

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This recipe will elevate your taco Tuesdays. If you love tacos as much as we do, be sure to add our famous Fish Tacos to your rotation. You can also change things up with Taco Salad or even Taco Soup!

Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos Video

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What is Bang Bang Shrimp?

Bang Bang Shrimp was made popular by Bonefish Grill. They are also called Dynamite Shrimp which was made popular by Cheesecake Factory restaurant.

The shrimp are battered and fried until extra crispy then tossed in a sweet and spicy creamy sauce. It’s just three ingredients for this easy and tasty sauce: mayonnaise, Thai sweet chili sauce, and sriracha hot chili sauce. We can’t help but add a little extra hot sauce for more heat.

Ingredients

The key to making great bang bang shrimp is in dredging with corn starch. It makes the crispiest exterior that stays crispy even after adding the sauce. It’s pretty fantastic!

• Shrimp – we use large 21-25 count raw shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails removed. Prep is much faster and easier if you get pre-peeled shrimp.
• Marinade – Combine buttermilk, salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder to form a flavorful marinade. The buttermilk tenderizes the shrimp, adds flavor, and helps the corn starch stick to the shrimp to form a crust.
• Corn Starch – creates a golden color and extreme crunchiness.
• Oil – fry the shrimp in 1 to 1 1/2 inches of high heat oil such as peanut oil or canola oil.
• Bang Bang Sauce – made of just 3 ingredients: mayo, sweet chili sauce, and sriracha

How to Make Bang Bang Shrimp

1. Bang Bang Sauce – Combine mayo, sweet chili sauce, and sriracha.
2. Marinate – combine marinade ingredients and pour over shrimp. Stir and let sit while you heat the oil to 375˚F on a clip-on pot thermometer.
3. Dredge – Remove shrimp from marinade one at a time, letting excess drip off. Dip in corn starch, tapping off the excess.
4. Fry – Once all shrimp are breaded, fry in 3 batches for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes until golden brown, crispy, and cooked through. Use a strainer to transfer shrimp to a paper towel-lined plate.
5. Add Sauce – Transfer warm shrimp to a mixing bowl and drizzle with half of the sauce.
6. Make Tacos – toast corn tortillas, add toppings, shrimp and drizzle with remaining sauce. Serve with fresh lime wedges to squeeze over the top.

Pro Tip: Use a clip-on pot thermometer to keep the temperature of the oil steady at 375˚F and be sure to bring the oil back to temperature before adding the next batch. If the oil cools too much, the shrimp will absorb more oil, if it gets too hot, the shrimp may burn.

How to Serve Bang Bang Shrimp

People have gotten so creative with Bang Bang Shrimp over the years, serving it as a starter or main course.

• Appetizer – garnish with chives and serve right out of the bowl with toothpicks.
• Tacos – we love this option because the shrimp already come with a creamy sauce you can drizzle over the assembled tacos.
• Pasta – toss the saucy shrimp with your favorite pasta. Try adding a squeeze of lime juice over the dish as we did with tacos.
• Rice Bowls – Serve shrimp over a bowl of cooked white rice, add the same toppings as for tacos, and drizzle with sauce.

Pro Tip: To make it easy to drizzle sauce over tacos, transfer it to a ziploc bag and seal. Snip off the tip of the bag with scissors then drizzle sauce over tacos.

The combination of flavors and textures in Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos is ‘dynamite’ and you’ll fall in love with the bang bang sauce.

More Asian Recipes

If you love to recreate your favorite Asian takeout recipes, then you won’t want to miss these recipes:

• Chicken Fried Rice
• Chicken Chow Mein
• Kung Pao Chicken
• Crispy Egg Rolls (Mom’s recipe)
• Beef and Broccoli Ramen Stir Fry

Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos (Dynamite Shrimp)

5 from 233 votes

Author: Natasha Kravchuk

Bang Bang Shrimp are crispy, creamy, sweet, and spicy. They are so satisfying served as Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos drizzled with that famous sauce.

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Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 15 minutes mins

Total Time: 45 minutes mins

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

Servings: 8 tacos (or 12 smaller tacos)

Bang Bang Shrimp:

• 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 3/4 cup corn starch
• Peanut oil or Canola oil for frying shrimp

Sauce Ingredients

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 3 Tbsp Thai sweet chili sauce
• 3 tsp Sriracha hot sauce, or to taste

Taco Toppings:

• 8 to 12 Small White Corn Tortillas, or Hard Taco Shells
• 3 cups Purple or Green Cabbage, thinly sliced
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

How to Make Bang Bang Shrimp:

• In a small bowl, stir together Bang Bang Sauce ingredients and set aside.
• Make the marinade by combining buttermilk, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder. Pour over peeled and deviled shrimp and stir to coat. Set aside while you start preheating your oil.
• Remove shrimp from the marinade one at a time, letting excess marinade drip off. Dip both sides in cornstarch until fully coated, tap off the excess and arrange breaded shrimp on a platter.
• Heat 1 1/2” of oil in a dutch oven or pot to 375˚F. Fry shrimp in 3 batches, cooking for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes until golden brown, crispy and cooked through (turn halfway if needed). Use a strainer to transfer shrimp to rest on a paper towel-lined plate for a few minutes.
• Transfer shrimp to a bowl and drizzle half of the sauce over warm shrimp. Toss gently until shrimp are coated and rest for 10 minutes to absorb the sauce.

How to Make Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos:

• Lightly toast corn tortillas on a griddle, skillet for 30 seconds per side, or over a gas flame if you want some charring.
• Add desired taco toppings, top with 2-3 shrimp per taco and drizzle with remaining sauce.
• Serve with a sprinkle of cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

Notes

The nutrition label (fat content and overall calories) is only an estimate since it’s difficult to gauge oil absorption for shrimp.

Nutrition Per Serving

362kcal Calories30g Carbs14g Protein21g Fat4g Saturated Fat1g Trans Fat150mg Cholesterol744mg Sodium242mg Potassium3g Fiber6g Sugar571IU Vitamin A25mg Vitamin C140mg Calcium2mg Iron

• Full Nutrition Label
• Nutrition Disclosure

Nutrition Facts

Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos (Dynamite Shrimp)

Amount per Serving

Calories

362

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

21

g

32

%

Saturated Fat

 

4

g

25

%

Trans Fat

 

1

g

Cholesterol

 

150

mg

50

%

Sodium

 

744

mg

32

%

Potassium

 

242

mg

7

%

Carbohydrates

 

30

g

10

%

Fiber

 

3

g

13

%

Sugar

 

6

g

7

%

Protein

 

14

g

28

%

Vitamin A

 

571

IU

11

%

Vitamin C

 

25

mg

30

%

Calcium

 

140

mg

14

%

Iron

 

2

mg

11

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Asian

Keyword: bang bang shrimp, bang bang shrimp tacos, dynamite shrimp

Skill Level: Easy/Medium

Cost to Make: $$

Calories: 362