Copycat Bonefish Grill Bang Bang Shrimp

Bang bang shrimp is a crispy, creamy, lightly spicy shrimp appetizer served at Bonefish Grill. Hugely popular, bang bang shrimp has spawned dozens of copycat versions all trying to help you recreate the signature dish at home. So why trust this version? Read on to find out.

How To Make Bang Bang Shrimp

In theory, there’s nothing tricky about this dish. Shrimp is dredged in a light coating, then deep-fried and tossed while hot with a creamy mayonnaise and sweet chili sauce mixture. Easy peasy, right?

As simple as the dish is, recreating restaurant food at home can be tricky because you can’t be sure what specific ingredients are used, and sometimes even the brand of the ingredient matters. In the case of this recipe, there are a couple notable ingredients you want to be sure to use to get the flavor right.

How To Make Homemade Bang Bang Shrimp Taste Like the Real Deal

The flavor of bang bang shrimp starts with the liquid used when breading the shrimp. While you could use a variety of things—milk or beaten egg, for example—buttermilk has a thick texture that clings to the shrimp, helping the cornstarch and rice flour adhere. Buttermilk also provides a subtle tang that gives the finished dish an added layer of flavor.

In terms of the sauce used to coat the shrimp, you want a balance of sweet, creamy, and spicy. Too spicy and the other flavors fade into the background. This is why Thai sweet chili sauce (preferably Mae Ploy brand) and sriracha (preferably Huy Fong brand) are combined to create a light sweetness with a vinegar kick and just enough spice to keep you coming back for bite after bite.

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How To Serve Bang Bang Shrimp

Bang bang shrimp are served as an appetizer at Bonefish Grill. They really need no accompaniment to be perfectly delicious. However, you can serve them with tender lettuce leaves for cradling the shrimp. The cool leaves provide a nice, fresh contrast to the creamy shrimp.

You can also heat up small corn or flour tortillas to serve with the shrimp. Or, for a twist on the recipe, fry the shrimp as directed and serve the sauce on the side for dipping. It won’t be quite the same as your favorite appetizer, but it can make serving them at a party a little easier, and the shrimp won’t get soggy as quickly.

Tips for Making Bang Bang Shrimp

• What type of rice flour to use—Be sure to use regular rice flour, not glutinous rice flour.
• Why fry in batches?—Working in batches is key here for a couple of reasons: First, adding too many at once decreases the temperature of the oil quickly, leading to a potentially less crispy, more oily fried shrimp. Second, adding them in batches to the sauce allows for a more gentle toss, which helps keep the fried exterior intact.
• How to keep the shrimp warm—To serve all the shrimp hot at the same time, preheat the oven to 250 F. Keep the fried shrimp warm on the baking sheet lined with paper towels as you fry the remaining shrimp. Once all the shrimp have been fried and drained, toss them with all the sauce and serve at once.  
• For less spice—If making this dish for the spice-sensitive, reduce the sriracha in the sauce to 2 tablespoons.