This buttermilk-marinated, Panko-crusted Shrimp with Bang Bang Sauce is a perfect party appetizer or meal. The four-ingredient Bang Bang sauce made with mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, honey, and sriracha comes together quickly and is a delicious dip and topping for the shrimp. We love this versatile dish on its own, or try it in a rice bowl, in tacos, or lettuce wraps.
What we love about this Shrimp with Bang Bang Sauce
First of all, the shrimp! I have some shrimp-loving family members. I often double this recipe because my family burns through 2 pounds of shrimp in minutes. Often you will see Bang Bang shrimp made with battered shrimp, but we like to take one more step to dip that battered shrimp in Panko bread crumbs. We LOVE the crunch and additional flavor the Panko adds to the shrimp and how it holds up with the sauce. Crispy pan-fried shrimp is the best! The buttermilk marinade with a touch of honey and seasonings adds a ton of flavor as well.
We love bang bang sauce. You can adjust the spiciness to your preference. I call for one teaspoon of sriracha sauce in the recipe, but you can add up to 1-2 tablespoons if you like. With only four ingredients, it is easy to whip together. Sweet chili sauce is found in local supermarkets in the Asian food section. The combination of the mayonnaise and the sweet chili sauce is really the base for the sauce. I add a touch of honey for sweetness to balance with the hot sriracha sauce.
My kids love just dunking the shrimp in the sauce and eating it as the recipe reads. We have also served it with rice, and made bang bang shrimp tacos as well. It would be delicious in a rice bowl or as lettuce wraps.
If you are looking for other fun appetizers, try our favorite Shredded Beef Sliders, which are a great staple for any gathering, game day party food, or simply just for dinner!
What you need to make Bang Bang Shrimp
You will need the following ingredients:
- Jumbo shrimp
- All-purpose flour
- Cornstarch
- Salt
- Pepper
- Garlic powder
- Paprika
- Buttermilk
- Egg
- Honey
- Panko bread crumbs
- Canola oil
- Scallions (Optional)
- Mayonnaise
- Sweet chili sauce
- Sriracha sauce
Bang Bang Shrimp Recipe Substitutions
I know what it’s like when you don’t have everything on hand and the last thing you want to do is run to the store and pick something up. Here are a few ideas to substitute items on the ingredients list if needed:
- You could use a different brand of hot sauce instead of Sriracha sauce.
- All flour could be substituted for the flour/cornstarch combination but the cornstarch helps make the batter a little more crispy when cooked.
- Buttermilk could be substituted with milk or even sparkling water, though you might need to add a little more flour for thickness.
- Vegetable oil or another type of cooking oil could be substituted for the canola oil.
- Mayonnaise could perhaps be substituted with plain yogurt, though I haven’t tried it.
- You could try this with a different protein, it would be great with chicken as well.
Step-by-step Instructions
Step 1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Add buttermilk, egg, and honey and whisk together until no lumps remain. Stir in shrimp so the shrimp is completely coated by the batter and set it aside letting it marinate for a few minutes.
Step 2. In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, chili sauce, honey, and sriracha sauce. Cover and refrigerate.
Step 3. Place bread crumbs in a shallow bowl, pie pan, or a large plate. One shrimp at a time, shake off the excess batter and roll the shrimp in the bread crumbs. Press the bread crumbs onto the shrimp.
Step 4. Place breaded shrimp on a sheet pan, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to set the breading.
Step 5. In a heavy-bottomed large skillet, pour canola oil until about half an inch high and heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. When the oil is hot, moving quickly, using tongs, place shrimp into the hot pan without overcrowding and cook for 1- 1 1/2 minutes on each side until light golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack placed over a cookie sheet lined with paper towels or to a paper towel-lined plate. Finish cooking all of the shrimp.
Step 6. Place shrimp on a platter and drizzle sauce over the shrimp. Serve any remaining sauce with the shrimp. Garnish with scallions if desired and serve immediately
Tips
Frozen shrimp is easy to use in this recipe. I prefer using frozen shrimp, the shrimp is frozen at its peak quality. Thaw in the refrigerator the night before and if the shrimp is still slightly frozen at dinner time, cut two small holes in the bottom of the shrimp bag and rinse the shrimp with cold water so the water escapes out the bottom of the bag. Continue to rinse for a few minutes until the shrimp is no longer frozen. If there’s no time to thaw, put the frozen shrimp in a sealed bag in a bowl of cold water for 15-20 minutes or until thawed, weighing down the shrimp with a plate if necessary so it doesn’t float above the surface of the water.
I love using my electric skillet when pan-frying to help maintain the temperature of the oil and to cook in larger batches. This 16-inch skillet is the one I have used for several years and is a nice price for the size.
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Frequently Asked Questions
| How to store shrimp? |
| Leftovers can be left in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days with the best quality in the first 24 hours. Shrimp should be stored in the coldest part of your fridge, which is generally the bottom part of the fridge. Cooked shrimp that has been previously frozen does not freeze well. The breading will soften once refrigerated. |
| How to reheat Bang Bang Shrimp? |
| Reheat gently on low heat in a skillet or microwave to avoid overcooking the shrimp. Shrimp can also be warmed on a lined cookie sheet in a 350-degree oven for 5-10 minutes or in an air fryer for 2-4 minutes, turning halfway through. |
| What to serve with Shrimp with Bang Bang Sauce? |
| The shrimp can be served as an appetizer or a main course as the recipe is written. It would also be delicious in tacos, a stir-fry, or as a rice or cauliflower rice bowl. It could be served over pasta or served in lettuce wraps as well. |
Shrimp with Bang Bang Sauce
3
servings45
minutes10
minutes55
minutesThis buttermilk-marinated, Panko-crusted Shrimp with Bang Bang Sauce is a perfect party appetizer or meal. The four-ingredient Bang Bang sauce made with mayonnaise, honey, sweet chili sauce, and sriracha comes together quickly and is a delicious dip and topping for the shrimp. We love this versatile dish on its own, or try it in a rice bowl, in tacos, or lettuce wraps.
Ingredients
Shrimp:
1 pound jumbo shrimp (21-25 per pound), peeled and deveined with tails removed
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup cornstarch
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon paprika
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 tablespoon honey
3 cups Panko bread crumbs
Canola oil for panfrying
Scallions, chopped (optional garnish)
Sauce:
¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup sweet chili sauce
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon sriracha sauce, or to taste
Directions
- Dry shrimp with paper towels.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Add buttermilk, egg, and honey and whisk together until no lumps remain. Stir in shrimp so the shrimp is completely coated by the batter and set it aside letting it marinate for a few minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, chili sauce, honey, and sriracha sauce. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Place bread crumbs in a shallow bowl, pie pan, or a large plate. One shrimp at a time, shake off the excess batter and roll the shrimp in the bread crumbs. Press the bread crumbs onto the shrimp. Repeat with remaining shrimp, place breaded shrimp on a sheet pan,, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to set the breading.
- In a heavy-bottomed large skillet, pour canola oil until about half an inch high and heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- When the oil is hot, moving quickly, using tongs, place shrimp into the hot pan without overcrowding and cook for 1- 1 1/2 minutes on each side until light golden brown.
- Transfer to a cooling rack placed over a cookie sheet lined with paper towels or to a paper towel-lined plate. Finish cooking all of the shrimp.
- Place shrimp on a platter and drizzle sauce over the shrimp. Serve any remaining sauce with the shrimp.
- Garnish with scallions if desired and serve immediately.
Notes
- I used Mae Ploy sweet chili sauce, a brand from Thailand that is readily available in grocery stores in the Asian food aisle.
- I cook the shrimp in a large electric skillet sometimes to cook more at once which is also a nice option.
- If desired, a platter can be lined with lettuce or a bed of rice to serve the shrimp with. Also, when serving, I rarely coat the shrimp with all of the sauce. Over time, if keeping the shrimp out to serve for a party, the bang bang sauce can cause the breading to turn a little soft if it sits for an hour or more. I prefer to drizzle some sauce on to keep the crispiness intact and serve more sauce to dip the shrimp in when eating.
- When preparing the shrimp, to avoid having the shrimp get too large with the batter, it’s important to gently shake off the excess batter before dipping it in the Panko. I also recommend placing shrimp over a cooling rack after cooking to keep the breading crisp on the bottom.
- I remove the tails before cooking for easier eating, but feel free to keep the tails on if desired. Also, if you like more heat, the sriracha sauce could easily be increased to a tablespoon or two.
- Do you have to take the time to set the breading in the fridge? You don’t have to, but the coating may not stay on the shrimp as much when eating. I highly recommend at least 20 minutes in the fridge, or even 15-20 minutes in the freezer so the batter and bread crumbs stick to the shrimp best when cooking.
I made this tonight and it was soooo good! No leftovers. Great instructions. I have never been able to keep the batter on breaded shrimp on the shrimp so well. Thank you!
I am so glad to hear you liked the shrimp recipe! Refrigerating the breaded shrimp before cooking for a few minutes really does help. We love this recipe too, my son just asked this week if we could make it again soon. The crispy shrimp with the bang bang sauce really is so good. Thanks so much for the great review!
What a fantastic recipe! Your photos make it look so tempting, that I can almost taste it!
Thank you so much! We love the panko crust on the shrimp and the sauce is so addicting. This is a fun recipe we really love. I hope you enjoy it! Thank you for the great review!
Definitely a must-try for my next seafood night!
Thank you! Let me know if you try it! We love the panko crust with the sauce. So glad you like it!
One of my family favorite , can’t wait to try your version Risa!
Thank you, we love Bang Bang Shrimp too! Let me know if you like it and thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
Love this! Perfect for date-night in! Who needs carry out?!
Thank you for the great comments! So true! These are great to make at home and we love the crunchy Panko crust and bang bang sauce!
Oh, I love this recipe. It looks so fantastic. I am going to try it this week, thank you!
Thanks for the great feedback! We love this crunchy shrimp with the sauce. Let me know if you try it!