If you love the famous Bonefish Grill Bang Bang Shrimp, this easy copycat recipe brings that restaurant favorite straight to your kitchen. Lightly battered, fried until golden crisp, and tossed in a creamy sweet and spicy sauce, these crispy shrimp are always a huge hit at my house.
Bang Bang Shrimp was the first dish I ever ordered at Bonefish Grill, and I loved it so much I wanted to recreate it at home.
Quick Summary
- A crispy Bonefish Grill copycat that makes 6 servings and is ready in 35 minutes.
- Why cornstarch beats flour for a light, crunchy coating.
- An air fryer method if you'd rather skip the pot of oil.
- How to reheat leftovers so the coating doesn't go rubbery.
Jump to:
- Why I Use Cornstarch for Crispy Shrimp
- Key Ingredients
- How to Make Bang Bang Shrimp
- How to Cook Air Fryer Bang Bang Shrimp
- Recreating Bonefish Grill's Famous Bang Bang Sauce
- Substitutions
- What to Serve with Bang Bang Shrimp
- Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- You May Be Wondering
- More Shrimp Recipes to Try
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
Why I Use Cornstarch for Crispy Shrimp
My method for these comes from years of making my Honey Walnut Shrimp. I realized that tossing the shrimp in egg whites and cornstarch creates the crispiest, lightest batter without needing a heavy flour coating.
When I set out to recreate Bonefish Grill's version, I knew that exact coating was the one to use. Cornstarch does take longer to brown than flour, but the crunch is well worth the wait. Keep your oil at 350°F. If it gets too hot, the batter can brown before the shrimp cooks through.
Key Ingredients
Raw Shrimp: Peeled, deveined, with tails removed. Medium to large shrimp work best here.
Cornstarch: This is what makes the coating so crunchy.
Egg whites: Helps the cornstarch adhere and creates a crispy outer crust.
Oil for frying: Pick a neutral high heat oil like vegetable, canola, or peanut oil.
Mayonnaise: The creamy base for the sauce.
Sweet chili sauce: Adds that signature sweet, tangy flavor.
Sriracha: Gives the sauce its warm spicy kick. The recipe calls for 1 tablespoon but add more or less according to your preference.
How to Make Bang Bang Shrimp
Whisk the egg whites and cornstarch into a sticky paste, then toss the shrimp in it until they're well coated. Add them to the hot oil one at a time and fry until the batter is lightly browned.
Drain the shrimp on paper towels while you stir the sauce together. Then toss the shrimp in the sauce and sprinkle with green onion tops.
How to Cook Air Fryer Bang Bang Shrimp
If you prefer to skip deep frying on the stove, the air fryer does a fantastic job getting these shrimp nice and crispy with minimal oil!
- Dip the shrimp in beaten egg whites, then coat thoroughly in cornstarch, shaking off any excess.
- Preheat your air fryer to 400°F.
- Place the shrimp in a single layer in the basket without overlapping. Lightly spray the tops with cooking oil to help cook off any dry cornstarch pockets.
- Air fry for 7-8 minutes, flipping halfway through and giving them another quick mist of oil.
- Transfer the hot shrimp to a bowl, pour the sauce over top, and gently toss to coat.
Recreating Bonefish Grill's Famous Bang Bang Sauce
The real star of this dish is the sauce. It takes less than two minutes to whisk together, and you can easily adjust the sweet-to-spicy ratio to fit your taste.
Make ahead: Mix the sauce up 2-3 days in advance and keep it chilled in an airtight container in the fridge.
Leftover ideas: Drizzle extra sauce on fish tacos, use it as a dip for french fries, or spread it on crispy chicken sandwiches.
Substitutions
Lighten it up: Swap half (or all) of the mayonnaise for plain Greek yogurt or light mayo.
Make it keto/low carb: Swap the cornstarch for arrowroot powder or tapioca starch and use a sugar-free sweet chili sauce to keep the net carbs minimal while keeping that great crunch.
What to Serve with Bang Bang Shrimp
For dinner, I like to serve these over a bowl of Garlic Scallion Noodles along with Homemade Crab Rangoon and Air Fryer Egg Rolls as appetizers.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Storage: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. If you know you'll have leftovers, store the extra sauce separately from any shrimp you haven't tossed in it.
Reheating: Skip the microwave so the coating doesn't turn rubbery! Warm leftovers in the air fryer at 350°F for 3 minutes or on a baking sheet in a 400°F oven for 5 minutes until crisp.
You May Be Wondering
Traditional bang bang sauce is a creamy blend of mayonnaise, Thai sweet chili sauce, and Sriracha hot sauce.
You can make the sauce up to 3 days ahead of time. However, for the best crunch, coat and fry the shrimp right before serving so they don't lose their crispiness.
Just make sure your sweet chili sauce brand is certified gluten-free. Everything else in this recipe is naturally gluten-free.
More Shrimp Recipes to Try
If you love shrimp as much as I do, here are a few more to try.
When you make this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and comment below to let me know what you think. I'd love it if you tag me on Instagram @grumpyshoneybunch so I can see your photos!
📖 Recipe
Bang Bang Shrimp
Equipment
- Slotted frying spoon
- Sheet pan
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Ingredients
- 2 pounds raw shrimp peeled and deveined with tails removed
- ⅔ cup cornstarch
- 4 large egg whites
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup sweet chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce
- 1 scallion green part only, optional
- 4 cups oil for frying
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the egg whites and cornstarch until a sticky paste forms.
- Add the raw shrimp to the cornstarch mixture and toss well to coat.
- In a large dutch oven, heat the oil until it reaches a temperature of 350 degrees. Add the shrimp, one piece at a time. Cook for 3 minutes, or until batter is lightly browned. Remove the shrimp from the pot and drain on a paper towel lined sheet pan. Continue to fry remaining shrimp.
- In a small mixing bowl, stir to combine the mayonnaise and sweet chili sauce. Place the fried shrimp in a clean mixing bowl and pour the sauce over top. Toss to coat the shrimp with the sauce. Before serving, sprinkle with green onion tops, if using
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