Copycat Bonefish Grill Bang Bang Shrimp Recipe

Copycat Bonefish Grill Bang Bang Shrimp Recipe. Bang Bang Shrimp are super easy to make at home and are even better than the ones you can order at Bonefish Grill.

This recipe yields a full meal instead of just an appetizer.

Why This One Is Worth Making

My husband and I are huge Bonefish Grill fans and Bang Bang Shrimp have long been an appetizer that we’ll happily make a trip to Bonefish Grill just for. But now that we can make them at home?

Game changer. Not only do we get to make them whenever we please and eat them immediately, while still piping hot, we get to decide how spicy to make them AND get a dinner-sized portion of Bang Bang Shrimp instead of an appetizer.

This recipe yields enough to serve over rice if you’re looking for a full-fledged dinner.

What to Know Before You Start

• The secret to this recipe? It is the sauce. The actual ingredients are not even very important, Thai sweet chili sauce and mayo. The ratio is key. The result is sweet and creamy and spicy. The key is that this recipe needs to sit for at least an hour before you use it, a couple hours or the morning of is better. Give the flavors a chance to meld. Freshly made and not stirred Bang Bang shrimp sauce will taste one-note and a bit sharp, the mayo mellows out the Thai sweet chili sauce as they mingle.
• These are not breaded bang bang shrimp. Rather than being dipped into a complicated and potentially gloopy batter, bang bang shrimp get tossed with cornstarch before being dropped into hot, sizzling oil. Cornstarch creates a crackly shell on the shrimp, thin enough that they will still hold onto the sauce without getting soggy and gross. Cornstarch also browns super quickly which gives you leeway with cooking times, bang bang shrimp cook quickly, in 2 to 3 minutes, and cornstarch gets nice and crispy before you can really overcook the shrimp if you are not paying attention, the number one mistake with fried shrimp.

Want more delicious copycat recipes? Bang Bang Shrimp Sauce

• 1 lb. raw, peeled and deveined shrimp, and you can use pre-cooked shrimp, too, which gives a firmer texture, while raw will be more tender. Remove tails to avoid messy sauced claws.
• ¾ cup cornstarch, as cornstarch makes for a more neutral and lighter crust with a wonderful crunch. Cornstarch also tends to stay a bit crisper under the sauce than flour.
• Vegetable oil for deep-frying, and you’ll need about 2 inches of oil. Canola and peanut oils work great, too. Make sure whatever oil you use has a high smoking point and a neutral flavor. A heavy pan works great for frying, but if you happen to own a countertop fryer, this is a good time to whip it out.
• bang bang sauce (see recipe)
• sea salt to taste
• For best results, use full-fat mayonnaise such as Hellmann’s or Duke’s. The fat is what gives the sauce its body and helps it stick to the shrimp. This is not the place for light mayo; it can be used but will result in a thinner, less cohesive sauce.
• The best bang bang shrimp recipes call for Thai sweet chili sauce, and my favorite is Mae Ploy, pictured above, which is thicker than other brands and has a nice, clean, chili flavor.
• Start with one drop of the hot sauce and add more as needed. I like a bit of heat in mine but prefer to keep the sweet chili sauce flavor front and center, so I add about three drops. Feel free to use as many as five if you’re looking for a kick.
• Don’t skip the green onions. While technically a garnish, the bite of raw scallion offsets the richness of the creamy, sweet-and-spicy bang bang sauce.

How to Make Bang Bang Shrimp

Step 1: Make the Sauce First

Mix mayonnaise, Thai sweet chili sauce and hot sauce together in a bowl until smooth. Set aside.

Transfer the shrimp to the refrigerator while you prepare to fry. At minimum, the sauce needs to chill for an hour to develop its flavor.

Step 2: Prep the Shrimp

If using raw shrimp, peel and devein (see photos below). Pat shrimp until they’re only slightly damp.

If using cooked shrimp, thaw and drain. Either way, remove the tails.

If using pre-cooked shrimp, allow to sit at room temp for about 15 minutes before frying, as colder shrimp will drastically reduce the temperature of the oil when added, making them more likely to absorb it.

Step 3: Dredge in Cornstarch

Add the shrimp to the cornstarch in batches and toss to coat. You can also add shrimp and cornstarch to a large zip-top bag and shake to coat.

You want the shrimp evenly and lightly coated in cornstarch, just enough to give them a powdery-white coating. Shake off any excess.

If there’s too much cornstarch clinging to the shrimp, it will burn in the oil. A flat-bottomed bowl is easiest for dredging the shrimp.

Step 4: Heat the Oil

• The recipe says to use 2” of oil in a fryer (375°F), heavy-bottomed pan, or dutch oven at 350°F to 375°F. Heat for about 5-8 minutes until the oil is at the desired temperature.

Set a wire rack inside a rimmed sheet tray and place it next to your work area. Line the rack with paper towels and set aside.

Add the shrimp in a single layer to the 350°F to 375°F oil. Do not add them all at once.

Fry them in batches. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until pale, golden, crisp, and cooked through, turning once during cooking.

Drain on a plate or baking sheet lined with paper towels for 1-2 minutes. Repeat with remaining shrimp.

Step 6: Toss with Sauce

Transfer shrimp to a large bowl that is separate from the serving bowl. Add about half of the amount of sauce you’ll be serving.

Stir to coat shrimp. Transfer shrimp to a large serving bowl, making sure that they’re glossy and coated with the sauce, but that there is not any excess sauce at the bottom of the bowl.

Taste and add more sauce to shrimp if desired. Serve immediately garnished with green onion and additional sauce.

Helpful Tips

Tips for making bang bang shrimp:

• Heat your frying oil to 350°F to 375°F and keep it in this temperature range while frying. Oil that is too hot will result in burnt-outside raw-inside shrimp; oil that is not hot enough will cause the cornstarch to soak up too much oil resulting in less-than-crispy bang bang shrimp. If you don’t have a deep fry thermometer, drop a pinch of cornstarch into the oil. It should sizzle when it hits the oil.
• Don’t over-crowd the pan. Crowding the pan will lower the temperature of your oil, resulting in greasy, soggy bang bang shrimp. Instead, cook your shrimp in batches.
• Pat dry, not completely dry. When dredging your shrimp in cornstarch, shake off any excess water, but do NOT completely dry shrimp before dredging. The cornstarch clings better if the shrimp are slightly moist. If they are too wet, however, the cornstarch coating may fall off during frying.
• Slowly toss your bang bang shrimp with bang bang sauce. Rather than simply dumping your sauce over your shrimp, slowly add it in batches and toss to combine. Adding all of the sauce at once may soak your shrimp and make them less crunchy.

Use a thermometer

An instant-read or clip-on fry thermometer takes the guesswork out of how hot your oil really is. They’re less than $15.

Oil at 325°F equals greasy, oil at 375°F equals crispy. Trust me…use a thermometer.

Make the sauce a day ahead

The recipe says the sauce takes at least an hour, but it’s SO EASY to make it the night before , store it in the refrigerator and pull it out at serving. It stores for up to 5 days and tastes even better the next day.

Don’t skip draining on paper towels

This is a short amount of time, at least 60 seconds, but the difference between soggy shrimp and crispy shrimp. When shrimp come out of the fryer they’re piping hot and give off steam.

If you add them immediately to the bowl of sauce, the steam is trapped and makes them less crispy.

A couple more details:

• Raw shrimp will be in a “C” shape. When they’re cooked, they’ll be more “closed up” and will also turn pink. Pre-cooked shrimp just need to be fried to crisp up the coating. This will take 2 minutes or less.
• You can read more details on frying shrimp here.
• Adjust the ratio of chili sauce to mayonnaise as desired. As written, the recipe uses a ⅔ to ½ ratio of chili sauce to mayonnaise. This makes a sweeter sauce with a bolder chili pepper flavor, very much in line with the Bang Bang Shrimp at Bonefish. You could use an equal amount of chili sauce and mayo for a creamier sauce. Or, if you like things really spicy and not so sweet, bump up the amount of hot sauce and reduce the amount of chili sauce a bit.
• Choose the right chili sauce. I’ve used Mae Ploy brand and love how thick and flavorful it is. Many chili sauces at the grocery store are too sweet and on the thinner side, which can result in a more runny sauce. Mae Ploy may not always be in-store, but it’s widely available for purchase and delivery online.
• Bang Bang Shrimp are best right after they’re made. The crust begins to soften after sitting in the sauce for 10 minutes or so. Plan on frying and saucing shrimp when you’ll be eating them right away, not making them in advance and heating up later.

Serving Ideas

• At Bonefish, these are served as an appetizer, presented in a bowl and sprinkled with chopped green onions. As written, this recipe makes a lot of Bang Bang Shrimp which we devoured at Bonefish without blinking. If you’re making these as an appetizer or sharing at a party, serve with lime-wedged Bibb or butter lettuce leaves so people can scoop up a few shrimp and green onions in each leaf and enjoy. Squeeze a bit of fresh lime into the leaves, if desired.
• For a complete meal, enough to feed two, serve Bang Bang Shrimp over steamed white rice. The sauce is tasty. You’ll be scooping that up.
• My husband and I regularly eat Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos for dinner, scoop a few shrimp and some shredded cabbage onto a small flour tortilla, spoon on extra Bang Bang sauce, and eat.
• You could also serve the Bang Bang Shrimp over lots of thinly-sliced napa cabbage in place of the rice. It wilts a bit from the warmth of the shrimp and sauce.

Serve the Bang Bang Shrimp as an appetizer, or serve them alongside some grilled fish as a side dish to make it a full meal.

Variations Worth Trying

• Serve them over salad
• Try the same recipe with chicken or cauliflower
• Make it spicier with a splash of sriracha (see below)

Air Fryer Bang Bang Shrimp

If you’d rather air fry your bang bang shrimp, here’s what I recommend: toss shrimp in cornstarch with no egg wash needed, then add to your air fryer and give them a spray of cooking oil. Air fry at 400°F for 8-10 minutes, flipping them over halfway through.

Remove from air fryer and toss with Bang Bang Shrimp Sauce. They won’t be quite as crispy, but they’ll be pretty close and WAY easier to clean up.

Bang Bang Cauliflower

This is a fantastic and delicious vegetarian option. Cut cauliflower into bite-sized florets, toss in cornstarch then air fry according to the air fryer directions above.

Remove from air fryer then toss with the exact same sauce. There are literally no compromises.

Bang Bang Chicken

If you don’t eat seafood, or if shrimp is crazy expensive where you live, Bang Bang chicken is also a delicious option. Cut up a chicken breast or thigh into bite-sized pieces and proceed according to recipe.

Fry at 350°F for about 4-5 minutes and make sure to cook through. Remove from oil and toss with Bang Bang Shrimp sauce.

Extra Hot Version

If you like your bang bang shrimp a little more spicy, try adding a teaspoon of Sriracha and/or sambal oelek into the mixture. Start with one teaspoon then taste and add more to your liking.

Sriracha is pretty easy to find and adds a nice heat. Sambal oelek is a bit harder to find, but it’s chunkier and the heat is less sweet and more immediate than sriracha.

It’s fantastic.

Equipment That Helps

You definitely don’t need any special equipment to make this recipe, but I highly recommend a countertop fryer. I have the Hamilton Beach one pictured below and have had it for YEARS.

You can maintain a steady temperature, which is crucial for evenly-cooked shrimp, the basket fits INSIDE the pot and there’s even a hook for draining, making clean-up super easy because it’s all self-contained. If you fry any sort of food even just a handful of times a year, I HIGHLY recommend a deep fryer with temp control.

Most instant-read thermometers can be purchased for less than $15 and can be ordered from Amazon. It’s such a time-saver in so many situations and takes all guesswork out of achieving the right oil temperature.

Storage, Make-Ahead, and Leftovers

The Sauce

The good news is the bang bang sauce will keep for about 5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You could make a larger batch ahead of time, then whip up fried shrimp on a weeknight in about 15 minutes.

You can make the sauce 2 days ahead for entertaining.

I love Mae Ploy Sweet Chili Sauce. If you can’t find this in your grocery store, I’m pretty sure you could find it on Amazon.

I do find there is a definite difference in brands. It’s worth seeking out Mae Ploy.

Cooked Shrimp

Leftovers won’t reheat well since the breading will be a bit soft once it has been tossed with the sauce. That said, you may not even have any leftovers.

If you do, consider serving them cold over a salad and use extra bang bang sauce for a great salad dressing.

I wouldn’t recommend making Bang Bang Shrimp ahead of time for entertaining. The shrimp is best when served right away and bang bang sauce can get separated and lose its great fried texture when frozen.

Make-Ahead Strategy

This recipe calls for cooked shrimp so it will only take a couple of minutes in the frying. You can prep the shrimp ahead of time.

Peel, devein and coat with cornstarch a couple of hours ahead of time, store in refrigerator on a sheet pan uncovered. It’s OK if the coating gets a bit dryer.

Just fry them right before serving, drain, toss with sauce and enjoy. You could freeze uncooked shrimp and use those.

Can I use precooked shrimp?

If all you have on hand is precooked shrimp, it will work although, it’s not really ideal but if it’s the only option it’ll do in a pinch. You will notice a slight textural difference, as shrimp that are fried while still raw will be a bit less firm, but they will definitely work.

Frozen shrimp are fine; just make sure they’re thoroughly defrosted and deveined. Of course, if you’re using frozen shrimp, you’ll be defrosting them anyway, so you can pull the tails off, which will make eating them easier.

What size shrimp works best?

The best size of shrimp to use is medium to large (31/40 or 21/25). Small shrimp will be harder to keep from overcooking because they cook so fast.

Also, when coated, the amount of shrimp to amount of coating is off. Jumbo shrimp could be harder to cook through before the outside gets too browned.

Medium-large or large shrimp have plenty of meat, take 2-3 minutes to cook, and are large enough to shine through the coating.

Why cornstarch instead of flour?

Cornstarch will create a lighter and thinner coating on the shrimp. Cornstarch coating will be crispier and absorb less oil, meaning no greasy shrimp here.

Cornstarch is a must on lighter foods where the focus is supposed to be on the sauce. Flour coating is best for heavier fried foods, for example fried chicken.

Cornstarch is also gluten-free.

How spicy is this?

Thai sweet chili sauce is pretty mild and leans more towards the sweet side of things. A couple drops of hot sauce will barely register as spicy and five drops will be noticeable, but still mild.

Add more hot sauce, sriracha or a spoonful of sambal for more heat.

Can I bake these instead of frying?

You can bake these at any temperature and the shrimp will cook through just fine, but the coating will never be crunchy and crackly and will instead be soft. An air fryer set to 400 F would come closest, and you should just give them a spray of oil before air-frying for a few minutes until crispy.

Is this actually close to what Bonefish Grill serves?

I can’t promise you it’s an exact clone of Bonefish Grill’s Shrimp in a sweet chili glaze, but it tastes like what I imagine their dish to be: sweet and mildly spicy with crunchy fried shrimp. It’s my best guess.

Bang Bang Shrimp are one of Bonefish Grill’s signature appetizers and are made with a tasty, mayo-based sweet chili sauce. My goal was to create a recipe that was as close to Bonefish Grill Bang Bang Shrimp recipe as I could.

And it’s pretty darned close. The only real difference between mine and theirs is Bonefish’s batter is more uniform since they’re deep-frying shrimp in large batches using commercial fryers and fresh, properly heated fryer oil.

Mine are a tad haphazardly battered by comparison. Still, I’m pleased with the recipe because it satisfies that Bang Bang Shrimp craving and means we’ll never make a special trip to Bonefish Grill again.