These Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos are bound to be your new favorite taco! Bang Bang Shrimp turned into taco form, you are going to dream about this recipe days after eating it.
If you have been following me for really any time at all, you know that I could exist only on tacos and be very very happy. These Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos are my new favorite in a long line of favorite taco recipes. They come together with the perfect recipe for Bang Bang Shrimp, the best Bang Bang Sauce, and a few other simple ingredients. Grab a Paloma to go with them and prepare yourself for total satisfaction.
Those shrimp bang bang tacos were bomb! My family thoroughly enjoyed them! I’m sharing this recipe with my friends.
What is Bang Bang Shrimp
Bang Bang Shrimp is a delicious fried shrimp appetizer famously served at Bonefish Grill. Covered in a creamy and tangy sauce, it is truly addicting. And guess what? It can be easily made in your own kitchen and enjoyed right at home, either by itself or in taco form!
Bang Bang Shrimp
How to Make Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos
Here is a brief overview of how to make the best Bang Bang Shrimp recipe into tacos. For the full recipe and measurements, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Make the Bang Bang Shrimp sauce. Mix together mayonnaise, chili sauce, rice wine vinegar, and Sriracha sauce. Taste and adjust flavors as needed. See more on this below.
- Set up the breading station. Put flour in a shallow dish. You will need foamy egg whites in one bowl, and in a final shallow dish, add the panko breadcrumbs.
- Bread and fry the shrimp. Dip the shrimp in the flour, then the egg whites, then the breadcrumbs. Cook the shrimp in batches by adding them to a large skillet with hot oil, one to two minutes on each side until they are golden brown.
- Build the tacos. Toss the shrimp in the sauce. Serve in car or flour tortilla shells topped with red cabbage and fresh cilantro and lime wedges on the side.
Buying and Preparing Shrimp
There are a few things to consider when buying and preparing shrimp for this recipe.
- Buy raw shrimp. We are frying the shrimp, so you want it to cook fully in the oil but not overcook. If you buy precooked shrimp you will have very overcooked shrimp.
- Consider buying frozen shrimp. I love fresh shrimp, but living in the Midwest, getting quality fresh shrimp isn’t possible. 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.
Frying Shrimp
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 overcrowd 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, becoming one giant Bang Bang Shrimp.
Bang Bang Shrimp Sauce
One of the best parts of this taco recipe is the Bang Bang Shrimp sauce. Made with mayo, Thai sweet chili sauce, rice wine vinegar, and sriracha sauce, the tangy sauce coats the fried shrimp and is the only sauce you will need for these tacos. This sauce is perfection to me as written (with that little pinch of salt). However, it is easy to adjust to your taste! If you find that it is too tart, you can balance this by adding more chili sauce. Or you may find it is too sweet. You can balance this with more Sriracha or more rice wine vinegar.
Whenever you are balancing a recipe at the end to suit your own personal tastes, the key is to remember that sweet is balanced by sour, and vice versa. Salt can be used 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 then taste again. Keep going with very small additions until you have it just right.
Bang Bang Sauce
Storing Leftovers
Leftover Bang Bang Shrimp can be stored in the refrigerator for up to four days. My personal recommendation is to store each part of the tacos in separate containers (rather than put the tacos together and store them) and to only coat the fried shrimp you plan on eating so that it doesn’t get soggy sitting in the refrigerator.
I also recommend that you shy away from reheating this recipe. These will be perfectly delicious cold on tacos. Additionally, no matter how you recook it, you aren’t going to get that same crispness these had when they were first served.
FAQ
No, it has both flour and panko breadcrumbs. This recipe has not been tested with gluten-free ingredients.
We haven’t tested this recipe in the air fryer, but I think these would work well. Just be sure not to overcook the shrimp and make sure to cook it all in a single layer.
Cilantro, onion, and red cabbage really complement the Bang Bang Shrimp and sauce. However, if you don’t like those you can skip putting them on your taco. These would also be good with my Pineapple Salsa.
What to Serve with Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos
If you try this Bang Bang Shrimp Taco recipe or any of my other recipes, leave a review and let me know what you think!
Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos
Ingredients
Bang Bang Sauce
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise (I used low fat)
- 2 tablespoons Thai-style sweet red chili sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon Sriracha sauce
- pinch of salt optional
For Shrimp
- 3 large egg whites
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 pound shrimp raw, peeled, and deveined
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
For Tacos
- 12 corn tortillas for serving
- red cabbage sliced thin
- cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Pat the thawed shrimp dry with a paper towel and set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, chili sauce, rice wine vinegar, and Sriracha sauce. Taste and adjust flavors – add a pinch of salt if needed, add more chili sauce if you want it sweeter, or add more rice wine vinegar if it is too sweet. (Read more about how to balance a sauce here.) Set aside the sauce.1/2 cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons Thai-style sweet red chili sauce, 1/4 teaspoon Sriracha sauce, 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- In a shallow dish, whisk the egg whites until frothy. Put the flour and the panko breadcrumbs in two other shallow dishes.3 large egg whites, 1/2 cup flour, 1 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- Working in batches, dip the shrimp in the flour, making sure that both sides are well coated. Transfer the shrimp to the egg whites, and then finally coat the shrimp in the panko.1 pound shrimp
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet until smoking. Add the shrimp, cooking for 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.1/2 cup vegetable oil
- Toss the shrimp carefully in the prepared sauce. Serve in tortilla shells, topped with red cabbage and cilantro.
Lesley says
Love bang bang shrimp & have made it quite a few times.
I definitely use less steps thought. No egg whites or flour, just coat them with corn starch & fry. Delicious & less time consuming.
We might have to agree to disagree on this one :) I love the crunch of the panko!
Michelle says
Those shrimp bang bang tacos were bomb! My family thoroughly enjoyed them! I’m sharing this recipe with my friends.
I’m so happy to hear that Michelle!