Bang Bang shrimp is a popular American appetizer that is the signature dish of Bonefish Grill. I've had this dish at other restaurants and thought it was amazing. It is said that the dish has Thai roots because of the use of Thai sweet chilli sauce as the base, but I have given this dish a total Jamaican twist.
The Greedy Girl Cooks released her first products this summer dawning a spicy, sweet and tangy Escovitch pepper jelly that I thought would be perfect for this dish. I was right! The sauce is really delicious so I didn't need to add much to make it work. The escovitch jelly will be restocked in September so be sure to watch out for that and get you a bottle or two!
Here are some things to consider before getting started:
The shrimp:
I chose large shrimp that were already deveined. I peeled the shells off leaving the tails but these would be just as good with the tails off as well. You can also butterfly the shrimp by making a deep slit down the center of the vein to open the shrimp. Butterflying creates more crunchy areas once the shrimp is fried.
The dredge:
Typical bang bang shrimp recipes have an unseasoned dredge because of the flavors in the Thai chilli sauce. I actually like to add more flavor to the dish by seasoning the dredge with a little fish seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and black pepper. The most important part of the dredge is the cornstarch to flour ratio. I normally add cornstarch when frying chicken but in order to get this shrimp as crunchy as it needs to be, there needs to be more cornstarch than there is flour. There is a whole cup of cornstarch in the dredge to half cup of flour. Flash frying the shrimp in this dredge makes the shrimp super crunchy even after it starts to cool. That crunch is also important because the shrimp will be sauced.
The sauce:
The Greedy Girl Escovitch Pepper Jelly honestly needs nothing. It's a good balance of sweet, spicy, tangy, umami --it's kind of perfect. Bang bang sauce usually requires mayo, powdered seasonings, red chilli flakes, sriracha, lime juice, etc. The only things I added were mayo (for creaminess), ½ teaspoon paprika (for color) and 1 tablespoon honey (for cooling the heat 🙂
The sauce is pretty hot so get ready for a kick but if you love escovitch, that's exactly what it is -- hot like escovitch! A great tip is to make the sauce ahead of frying the shrimp so once the shrimp is fried, you can toss them in the sauce while they are still hot.
Subbing the pepper jelly:
I honestly don't know why you would want to but if you don't have a bottle of the pepper jelly or you are waiting for the next batch to be ready, you can sub the pepper jelly with Thai sweet chilli sauce. You can find sweet chilli sauce in Asian and Caribbean markets in the US and in Champion and Progressive supermarkets in Ocho Rios, Jamaica.
Frying the shrimp:
Shrimp cooks very quickly and we don't want to overcook these. The shrimp should be fried in very hot oil, 350 -360 degrees for about 5-6 minutes. Once they are done, they will be golden and crunchy. Remove the shrimp from the oil and drain them on a wire rack or paper towels.
Finishing the dish: Most people shy away from garnishing a plate because many times we never really eat the garnish. That's not the case here. Adding chopped fresh green onions or chives to finish this dish adds great flavor! You will love the bites of shrimp that have fresh green onions. Just remember to chop them as finely as you can!
For this recipe you will need:
Tools:
- Large skillet
- Wire rack and baking tray
- Paper towels
- Slotted spatula
- Large bowl
Ingredients
- 2 lbs large shrimp (cleaned and deveined)
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup cornstarch
- ½ cup AP flour
- 1 tablespoon Maggie fish season up
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 green onions (chopped finely)
- 3 cups oil (for frying)
- Sauce:
- ½ cup real mayonnaise
- ⅓ cup Greedy Girl Cooks Escovitch Pepper Jelly (or Thai sweet chili sauce)
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon honey (skip the honey if using sweet chilli sauce)
Instructions
- Clean shrimp removing the shells and veins. Rinse shrimp under cold running water.
- Make the flour dredge by combining cornstarch, flour, fish seasoning, paprika, black pepper, onion, powder and garlic powder in a bowl and set aside.
- Crack and whisk eggs in a separate bowl. Pour whisked eggs over shrimp and stir to ensure all the shrimp are fully coated in the eggs. Set shrimp aside.
- Chop green onions finely and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add all of the ingredients for the sauce and stir well to properly combine. Set sauce aside until the shrimp are fried.
- Heat oil in a skillet to 350 degrees. Flour each shrimp making sure each one is properly coated in the dredge and there are no wet areas. Cook the shrimp in batches by dropping about 6-8 shrimp in the hot oil. Fry shrimp for about 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove shrimp promptly from the oil and drain on a wire rack over a lined baking tray. Line the baking tray with paper towels to catch excess oil.
- Once all the shrimp are fried, toss them into the sauce and gently stir them until they are all evenly coated in the sauce.
- Plate shrimp and garnish with chopped green onions. Serve hot and enjoy!
[sc_fs_multi_faq headline-0="h2" question-0="What is Bang Bang Shrimp?" answer-0="Bang Bang shrimp is a popular American appetizer that is the signature dish of Bonefish Grill. I’ve had this dish at other restaurants and thought it was amazing. It is said that the dish has Thai roots because of the use of Thai sweet chilli sauce as the base, but I have given this dish a total Jamaican twist. " image-0="" headline-1="h2" question-1="What are the ingredients of Bang Bang Shrimp?" answer-1="2 lbs large shrimp (cleaned and deveined), 2 eggs, 1 cup cornstarch, ½ cup AP flour, 1 tablespoon Maggie fish season up, 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 2 green onions (chopped finely), 3 cups oil (for frying), " image-1="" headline-2="h2" question-2="How to make Bang Bang shrimp?" answer-2="Clean shrimp removing the shells and veins. Rinse shrimp under cold running water. Make the flour dredge by combining cornstarch, flour, fish seasoning, paprika, black pepper, onion, powder and garlic powder in a bowl and set aside. Crack and whisk eggs in a separate bowl. Pour whisked eggs over shrimp and stir to ensure all the shrimp are fully coated in the eggs. Set shrimp aside. Chop green onions finely and set aside......" image-2="" count="3" html="true" css_class=""]
