Make-it-Monday: Bang Bang Shrimp
Today I’m starting a new, weekly series called Make it Monday. I’m extremely excited to share some of my best and most, delicious recipes with y’all. Many of the recipes I’ll share are family recipes I’ve become well-known for making while some are unique ones that I’ve picked up along my cooking journey.
I’ll start the series with a recipe I waited years to find, bang bang shrimp. I originally tasted this luscious, appetizer dish when my husband and I were visiting friends in Indianapolis and we ate dinner at Bonefish Grill. On suggestion from our waitress, we ordered the bang bang shrimp which she told us was a customer favorite. It was so good, we ended up ordering a second batch! That night and every time after that I visited a Bonefish Grill, I would ask for the recipe. One waitress had a little mercy on me and gave me some of the basic ingredients but not the entire recipe. I carried that little slip of paper with me for at least a couple of years before pinterest came along. Cue the angels singing! I searched through a plethora of recipes at first but none of them came close based on the bit of information I had from the waitress until one day I happened upon one recipe that had all the ingredients except one. I could work with that.
I must say, this recipe tastes incredibly close to the real deal and you will not be disappointed. Trust me. Serve this up at your next get-together or super bowl party and you’ll be the hit of the party. I find it’s best to serve this dish hot, right out the pot. If I’m going to someone else’s house, I call ahead and see if it’s okay to bring the prepped shrimp with me and cook them there. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
Bang Bang Shrimp serves 2-4 as an appetizer
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined and cleaned (I’ve used fresh and frozen)8-12 cups vegetable oil for frying Sauce:
1/2 c mayonnaise
4-5 tsp chili garlic sauce (I use Sriracha)
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp rice vinegar lemon juice (this is the part of the recipe I had that was different from the pinterest version I found. I usually add maybe 1/2 tsp or so) Egg mixture:
1 egg
1 c milk For the breading mixture: ½ c panko bread crumbs ½ c all- purpose flour 1 tsp salt ½ tsp ground black pepper ¼ tsp onion powder ¼ tsp garlic powder ¼ tsp dried basil (note: I sometimes double this part of the recipe if I’m using larger shrimp. It helps to make sure you’re able to adequately bread the shrimp) Topping:
Scallions, chopped (optional)
Mix together the ingredients for the sauce. Cover and set aside. Beat the egg and milk together in a shallow dish and set aside. Mix together the ingredients for the breading in a shallow dish and set aside. Cover a baking sheet or large plate with parchment paper.
To bread shrimp, dip shrimp in breading then dip in the egg mixture, then back in breading. Place the breaded shrimp on a covered baking sheet. Once all shrimp is breaded, place the baking sheet in the fridge for at least 20 minutes. This will help the breading stick to the shrimp when they’re frying.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a fryer or skillet to 350 degrees. Fry shrimp in batches for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.