Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb raw shrimp deveined & peeled
- oil, for frying (canola, olive or avocado oil)
bang bang sauce –
- ⅔ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup Thai sweet chili sauce
- 1 minced garlic clove
- 1 Tbsp sriracha
milk mixture –
- ½ cup whole milk
- 2 Tbsp sour cream
- 2 tsp lemon juice
Flour mixture –
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup corn starch
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp paprika
Instructions
- Start with the sauce. Before you even think about frying, whip up the bang bang sauce. Combine the mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, minced garlic, and sriracha in a bowl. Give it a good stir, and set it aside. This allows the flavors to meld while you work on the shrimp.
- Prep the shrimp. Make sure your shrimp is deveined, peeled, and patted dry (moisture will ruin the crispy coating). I can’t stress enough how important it is to pat them dry—any leftover moisture will make the shrimp soggy instead of crisp.
- Set up your dredging station. In one bowl, mix the milk, sour cream, and lemon juice. In another, stir together the flour, cornstarch, salt, pepper, and paprika. The cornstarch is key to giving that light, airy crunch that holds up well under the sauce.
- Coat the shrimp. Dip each shrimp into the milk mixture, then into the flour mixture, making sure it’s fully coated. Set the coated shrimp on a platter while you heat your oil.
- Time to fry! Heat about 1-1½ inches of oil in your skillet until it reaches 325°F. Fry the shrimp in small batches to avoid overcrowding the pan (which drops the oil temperature and results in soggy shrimp). Fry each shrimp for 2-3 minutes per side until they’re golden brown and crispy.
- Toss in the sauce. Once the shrimp is fried to perfection, gently toss them in the bang bang sauce. Don’t overdo it—you want the shrimp to stay crispy while getting just enough sauce to coat each bite.
Notes
Serving suggestions: make it a meal!
Bang Bang Shrimp makes a killer appetizer, but it’s also fantastic as part of a larger meal. Serve it over a bed of jasmine rice with some steamed veggies on the side for a complete dinner. You could even throw the shrimp onto soft tacos with some crunchy slaw and drizzle the sauce on top—trust me, it’s a winner.
For presentation, I like to sprinkle the shrimp with some freshly chopped cilantro and a wedge of lime on the side. It adds a pop of color and a touch of brightness to the plate!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dinner