These little yummy bites are a copycat version of the Bang Bang Shrimp appetizer available at the Bonefish Grill. These shrimp have a fantastic crunch to them. The batter is not too thick or overpowering – you can still taste the shrimp. A little kicked-up dipping sauce and you have a great dish.
No Dinky Shrimp Please
I used 18-22 count US wild-caught shrimp, which were the perfect size for an appetizer version of this copycat Bang Bang shrimp. For me, at least. I love shrimp. No reason to use the dinky sized ones in something as good as this. I like to have a good handle to grab them by. That way I don’t get myself all messy when I dunk them into the sauce.
I get out my big deep fryer when it’s time to fry a large batch of food. It comes to temperature quickly and it maintains that temperature perfectly. It has a built-in oil filter and storage unit so I can re-use the oil several times.
Also try my copycat of Applebee’s Sriracha shrimp, Bayou fried shrimp, coconut fried shrimp, and southern fried shrimp. Did I mention how much I love fried shrimp?
Copycat Bang Bang Shrimp
Ingredients
For the dipping sauce
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ⅓ cup sweet chili sauce
- 1 teaspoon seasoned rice vinegar
For the shrimp breading
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour divided
- 2 eggs beaten
- ¼ cup milk
- ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon rubbed sage
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
For the shrimp
- Vegetable oil for frying
- 16 medium shrimp peeled, deveined
- 1 green onion green part only, chopped
Instructions
For the dipping sauce
- Whisk together all ingredients.
For breading
- In a shallow bowl, place 1/2 cup of flour.
- In another shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk.
- In another shallow bowl, stir together the remaining 3/4 cup flour, panko, salt, pepper, sage, onion and garlic powders, and basil.
For the shrimp
- Working in batches, roll shrimp in the flour.
- Next, place shrimp in the egg and milk mixture and roll to coat. Shake off any excess.
- Finally, coat shrimp in the breading.
- Transfer to a large plate and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
- Heat 2″ of oil in a deep fryer or Dutch oven to 350.
- Working in batches, fry shrimp 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Serve shrimp garnished with green onion, with dipping sauce on the side. Note: The Bonefish grill lightly coats the shrimp in the dipping sauce. I found it easier (and less messy) to serve the shrimp with the sauce on the side.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate.
