Mix the sauce first
Stir mayonnaise, sweet chile sauce, sriracha and lime juice until smooth. Refrigerate while you fry.
Recipes › Bang Bang Shrimp
Bang Bang Shrimp
Crisp, light-coated shrimp with a creamy sweet-chile sauce — fried hot, drained hard and sauced only at the last second so the crust still cracks.
Jump to RecipeAI-generated serving illustration. It is not a photograph of a tested batch or a doneness reference.
The Recipe
Ingredients
Step-by-Step Instructions
Coat the shrimp
Pat shrimp dry, toss in buttermilk, then lift and let excess drip off. Mix cornstarch, flour, salt and garlic powder and dredge shrimp thoroughly.
Heat the oil
Bring 2 inches of neutral oil to 350°F / 175°C.
Fry in small batches
Fry shrimp 2 to 3 minutes until pale golden, crisp and just opaque inside. Keep the oil between 340 and 360°F.
Drain completely
Move shrimp to a wire rack for 1 minute. Surface oil and steam are what turn sauce into sogginess.
Sauce at the last second
Transfer hot shrimp to a bowl, add just enough Bang Bang sauce to lightly coat, and toss quickly.
Serve immediately
Pile onto a platter, finish with scallions and serve extra sauce on the side.
OPTIONAL UPGRADE
Flavor Bomb
Keep the core recipe clean, or flip this on for one or two high-impact upgrades.
How to know it's done
Use these recipe-specific texture cues. Color and curl alone cannot establish safety; use a thermometer to check 145°F / 63°C at the thickest part for cooked shrimp.
ShrimpSense Notes
The little details that make a big difference.
Sauce is the finish
Do not marinate in the sauce or let coated shrimp sit.
Cornstarch keeps it light
The crust should be crisp and thin, not a heavy batter.
26/30 is forgiving
Enough size to stay juicy while the coating crisps.
Drain before tossing
Oil and steam trapped under sauce erase the texture you just created.