Bang Bang Shrimp from the Bonefish Grill is crispy, creamy, sweet and spicy with just a few ingredients and tastes just like the most popular appetizer on the menu.
Bonefish Grill Bang Bang Shrimp is a recipe that in no way is authentic to another cuisine, but it is definitely a delicious appetizer and hands down the most popular item on the menu. When we go to the Bonefish Grill we actually order two of these appetizers to prevent fighting over them.
It actually reminds me of the Panda Express Crispy Honey Shrimp with Walnuts entree I did a recipe for last year. The main ingredients at play here are mayo, a very specific Thai Sweet Chili Sauce and Sriracha. 
I’ve read countless versions of the recipes online for this Bang Bang Shrimp and came across a post where a reader said he worked for the chain and that they would soak the shrimp in buttermilk before breading. This made total sense to me because most of the recipes I’d seen didn’t have enough body in the coating to be like the original.
I’d also caution you to use the right brand of sweet chili sauce as that is authentic to the recipe as well. A friend who used to work at the restaurant confirmed the brand of sweet chili sauce used in the recipe.
Looking for more Asian Food?
- Asian Sweet Chili Chicken
- Cheesecake Factory Mandarin Cashew Chicken
- PF Chang’s Orange Peel Chicken
- California Pizza Kitchen’s Kung Pao Chicken Spaghetti
- General Tso’s Chicken
- Easy Mongolian Beef
- Panda Express Recipes… every single one in fact: Panda Express Recipes Index
- Many more Chinese food options…
Tools used in the making of this Bonefish Grill Bang Bang Shrimp:
Thai Sweet Chili Sauce: The authentic sauce used in the Bonefish Grill kitchen, if you don’t want to order it online, it is widely distributed in Asian grocery stores.
Sriracha: The king of chili garlic sauces, always keep this in your kitchen.
Dutch Oven: Perfect for deep frying, inexpensive pot and will last you for years.
Oil Thermometer: Keeping the oil at the right temperature will ensure you don’t burn the shrimp or have soggy shrimp by frying too hot or too cold.S
Shrimp Deveiner: If you love cooking with shrimp you will love this tool, it makes cleaning shrimp a hundred times easier!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup Thai sweet chili sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon Sriracha
- 1 pound shrimp shelled and deveined
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 3/4 cup cornstarch
- canola oil for frying
Instructions
- In a small bowl add the mayonnaise, Thai sweet chili sauce and Sriracha and stir.
- In a second bowl add the shrimp and buttermilk and stir to coat all the shrimp.
- Remove from the buttermilk and let excess liquid drain away.
- Coat the shrimp in cornstarch.
- In a heavy bottomed pan add 2-3 inches of canola oil and heat to 375 degrees
- Fry the shrimp until lightly brown, 1-2 minutes on each side.
- Once fried coat with the sauce and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
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1/4 tsp sriracha? Is that right?
Yep 🙂
This is a great easy recipe. I might try bread crumbs next time to see the difference. My husband wants me to make it again. I have made 4 of your recipies, all a hit. Thank you so much.
You’re welcome Rastia!
Awesome
I was looking for a good sauce for grilled shrimp. I know it will change the texture from breaded/fried, but do you think this sauce will work on grilled shrimp ? I love bang bang shrimp!
I haven’t tested it so I’m not comfortable giving a recommendation. If you decide to try, I’d love to know how it turns out.
I also make Bang Bang shrimp. I do everything you do but a couple different additions – I use larger shrimp, I use flour, cornstarch and panko bread crumbs. My version is even better than Bonefish Grill!! Much crispier.
What measurements did you use on the dry ingredients?
Just ate for dinner. Fabulous! Easy, flavorful, served it on a bed of lettuce couldn’t tell the difference between it and the original!
I’d call that a winner! Thank you for coming back to let me know!
Sabrina, i made shrimp 3 ways for my birthday. We decided to try your bang bang shrimp and oh my goodness, was it a huge hit!! My wife now request it almost once a week…..we’ve been to bonefish before and always got the bang bang…..however now, we make it right at home…..such a simple but delicious recipe…..thank you
Fantastic! So glad you all enjoyed it and hope you had a happy birthday!
I made this for my Husband by for Fathers Day as our appetizer. Followed the recipe to a T……FANTASTIC!!! Now I just need to learn to make the Imperial Talapia.
Thanks for dropping by to let me know! I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it!
I couldn’t find Thai chili sauce, hope sweet chili sauce works, do just toss the Shrimp in the sauce and then take out right away. Thanks
The Thai chili sauce is authentic to the recipe so the flavoring might change a bit but should still work. The sauce is going to coat the shrimp and the serve. 🙂
What type of Mayo do you use?
I prefer Best Foods. 🙂
Would arrowroot powder work instead of corn starch?
I have not tested it but I feel like it should work based on how I know arrowroot works.
So very Good! Just like Bonefish Grill.
Can you tell me the brand of Thai Sweet Chili Sauce and Sriracha to purchase to make this? I can’t wait to try it!
The ones I used are linked above the recipe!
What can you pair this dish with ?
We usually eat this as an appetizer so you could really put this with anything. If you’re serving as a main dish, either roasted vegetalbles or a salad on the side.
My boyfriend and I eat it with rice. It is so delicious!
My fiancé & I eat them as lettuce wraps??
Fun to put together & delicious! (Less mayo, more sriracha)
So delicious!!! My husband doesn’t like spicy so I put 1/8 cup siracha, it still was super tasty and nice and crispy.
Thanks for dropping by to let me know! I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it!
Do you think I could oven fry the shrimp or chicken using oil in 11x 17 cookie sheet ? Oven temp 400 degrees?
No, that won’t work. Sorry 🙁
I made this twice. the second time was better. I used flour and I used the recommended sweet chili sauce. It turned out great .
I can’t find where the brand of sweet Thai chili paste is listed. What brand, please?
http://amzn.to/2na54mz Here’s the link to the one used in the recipe. 🙂
Can you say the name of the sweet Thai chili sauce? The amazon link doesn’t work. Thanks!
Mae Ploy Sweet Chili Sauce
http://amzn.to/2na54mz
My boyfriend loves them. I think maybe I’ll try the peanut butter and garlic next time in it as he said it was too rich. I think I’ll try this on chicken, as I’m allergic to shellfish and have never had the pleasure of eating it at Bonefish.
Using cornstarch is the key to this recipe. It makes it so light and tasty. I plan on making a shrimp po-boy next week so I’ll omit the sauce and add a bunch of Cajun flavoring ?
Just a suggestion… Don’t put all the shrimp in the oil at once do it in batches. If you do it all at once the oil will reduce in temperature and your shrimp will be over cooked by the time you get a good crunchy Brown coating. Cheers
We tried the recipe last night and it said to use 2 -3 inches or canola oil? We found that to be way too much. We had a pound of shrimp and had soaked them in the buttermilk for an hour before cooking. The batter was on the shrimp, but fell off while trying to cook them. Maybe my oil wasn’t hot enough? But the shrimp seemed to be drowning in the oil…… there was way too much for the amount of shrimp. The sauce was yummy and the shrimp were good, they just didn’t have the crispiness. Any suggestions?
4
Oh no! Glad it was still yummy but it sounds like either you oil was too hot or the shrimp might not not have been dry enough before dredging. Try letting the excess liquid drain a bit more.
Love the recipe … just ordered Bang Bang Shrimp recently for the first time … am looking forward to surprising my Man with this dish … thanks a bunch
Awesome!! I hope you guys enjoy it!
Thank you so much!
Haven’t made the meal yet, however I do have all the ingredients, and plan on making it tomorrow for din din…. Bang Bang is on it way, in just another day!!!! Hip Hip Hooray…. THANKS again Sabrina
Love love Bonefish and yes have to always order bang-bang shrimp, will surly try making it and yes I think buttermilk is what’s making the different, because that’s what’s makes Paula Deens chicken so famously good is she use Buttermilk. Thank you for this secret you’re sharing it with the public. Kay
You’re welcome Kay! Enjoy!!
The only thing you’re missing is lemon juice and white vinegar in the sauce. Use the sriracha brand chilli paste. Not regular sriracha and boom. Authentic bang bang shrimp
Thanks jay! Been trying to figure it out for awhile and it’s definitely the chili paste with the lemon juice and vinegar. I knew the copy cat recipes that just called for sriarcha couldn’t be right because the sauce at bonefish has texture in it. Thanks again for solving that
How much lemon juice and vinegar
How much lemon and vinegar are we adding?
This recipe is a keeper. Everyone loved this shrimp recipe even our pickiest eater. We tripled the recipe for our large family with a few to spare. Enjoy….we did!
I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
Can you use a fryer instead of a pan?
Yes, you can use a fryer for this if you have one 🙂 Enjoy!
Made it and it was great. Next batch I’m adding more sriracha just to get more kick. Delish!
Thanks for dropping by to let me know! I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it!
Could I use something other than buttermilk? I so badly want to make this but never use buttermilk for anything else so was hoping I could use something else! We are pretty much almond milk drinkers in my house – could that work?
Yes, you can use almond milk and add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. Let that sit for 5-10 min and then you as your buttermilk substitute. Enjoy!
Thank you so so much! I have it on my meal plan for tomorrow – can’t wait!!!
How’d it turn our using almond milk??????
I use regular milk with a teaspoon of vinegar
I used apple cider vinegar a cap full wirh the milk works great.
Do you boil the shrimp before you put them in the sauce?
No, you’ll be frying them after you put them in the sauce. Hope this clears up any confusion. Enjoy!!
Pan fry or deep fryer? Do you think it will make a difference?
I deep fried to keep the batter as light as possible. Pan frying makes it denser.
Awesome thanks! I’m going to make them tonight.
They’re delicious! Thanks for sharing!
I meant after the shrimp are cooked?
The mayo/sriracha blend. The sauce that looks like it is drizzled on was me scraping out what was left in the mixing bowl to add on top. 🙂
What brand of mayo do you use?
I prefer Best Foods 🙂
HELLo what sauce do u put on cooked to cooked?
So my wife LOVED this recipe. I, however, would double the siracha, maybe use a thicker coating (Panko flakes), and add green onions on the top and a lettuce/ cabbage bed it sits on. But the original copy cat recipe is great! Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for the recipe. I made these tonight. I did not measure the ingredients for the sauce, just mixed it to taste with extra Siracha. I also thinly sliced a green onion and sprinkled I think on top after I tossed the shrimp in the sauce. It was delicious and super easy. We ended up eating this plus a salad for dinner. Definitely will be making this again!
So glad you all enjoyed it!
This was delicious! We made tacos with it! I did add a little peanut butter and a dash of garlic powder to the sauce. Toned down the mayo taste and the sweetness a little and added extra sriracha! Loved how crispy the shrimp were! Yum yum! Thank you !
Love how you customized it! So glad you enjoyed it and thank you for the 5 stars!!
How much peanut butter did you use
Omg, amazing now I’ll maybe share with the family……. Thanks….
Thanks for the 5 stars!! I really appreciate that.
So good!! the color of the sauce isn’t the same as the restaurant but it tastes great! Loved it!!
Did you use raw or frozen shrimp for thos recipie? I’m so excited to try this! I plan on making crispy shrimp tacos!
raw shrimp, deveined and peeled, dried on a paper towel. Hope you love it!
Made this tonight using colossal shrimp absolutely fabulous
Thanks Dennis! It’s such a yummy dish…glad you enjoyed it!
Can’t wait to try this! Any suggestions as to how long to soak the shrimp in the buttermilk?
I’m not sure how long the restaurant soaks them but I just stirred it enough to coat and it worked out well. Enjoy!
Just dip them real well so starch sicks then fry.
Good day! Do you use Twitter? I’d like to follow you if that would
be okay. I’m absolutely enjoying your blog and look forward to new posts.
brasilien drakt barn
Yes, I’m on twitter. You can follow me at Dinner then Dessert @EatsnSweets
I’ve never been to Bonefish, but I can see why this dish is so popular!
Oh, wait until you taste it!! It’s so addicting!
The perfect copycat recipe – love that I can now enjoy it at home!
Thank you Melanie!
How can I resist crispy shrimp like this? Looks so good!
Thank you Sandi!
I want to face plant right into that bowl of deliciousness! Yes, please!
Haha! I love it!!
Every single time I go to Bonefish, I HAVE to get the Bang Bang shrimp… now I can save some serious money!
Always here to help 😉 Enjoy!!
I’ve honestly never had bang-bang shrimp. But from the list of ingredients, I know I’d love it! I’ll have to try your recipe.
Oh yes, definitely give it a try! One bite and you’ll be hooked!
Can’t ever not order this when I visit Bonefish. Absolutely giddy about trying this at home.
Thanks Paula! I’d suggest making a double batch 😉