Bang Bang Shrimp

Bang Bang Shrimp, or ‘guilty pleasure prawns’ as I like to call them, are an irresistible mouthful of crispy fried shrimp drizzled in a tantalisingly tangy dip. Just the right side of hot, this sauce is sweet chilli, hot sriracha and cool mayo. Serve as a starter to get your guests salivating. 

Keen on a naughty little appetiser but don’t eat seafood? Try these honey sesame chicken bites – also of far Eastern influence, they are sticky, sweet and devastatingly moreish. 

Yes, these delectable morsels are a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine. It’s well known that crunchy foods are psychologically more satisfying, and when they are juicy on the inside too… and dipped in a confusingly cool and fiery sauce- well, try it and tell me it’s not the same for you! 

I just love a bite-sized starter, and I can eat quite a few of these in one sitting- if I can beat my family to them that is. We are all dab hands with a set of chopsticks.

Other dishes that fall into this every-diner-for-themselves category are: salt and pepper shrimp, hoi sin glazed crispy tofu, and crispy honey soy pork belly.  Which would you fight for?

Bang Bang shrimp recipe

While Bang Bang shrimp may be hugely popular, it’s not hugely authentic. What gives the shrimp and mayo dish away? The mayo. 

Bang bang is true to its roots, but it’s a bit of a misconception that ‘bang bang’ refers to the heat level of the dish. You know I love a translation, well, ‘báng’ actually means ‘stick’ in Chinese and refers to the stick used back in the day to beat the chicken or shrimp to tenderise it. 

So far, so traditional. The delicate meat is then coated in a protective cornflour mixture (I’ve added garlic powder and white pepper to my bang bang recipe) and then fried in oil. It’s this method, called ‘velveting’, that makes the shrimp, or chicken, in your Chinese takeaway so unbelievably tender. 

Finally, the sauce is where things get funky. I’ve blended ½ a cup of mayonnaise with 3 parts Thai sweet chili sauce and 1 part Indonesian sambal oelek (you could use sriracha if that’s what you prefer).

This mix is all at once smoothly creamy, spicy and sparky. So, you can see the sauce is really crossing some international borders! 

The shrimp is certainly satisfying on its own, but the sauce brings an explosion of flavour to it that can’t be denied!

Serving suggestions

I’m serving Bang Bang shrimp as a starter. So, what else is on the menu? 

Keep things fishy with chilli salmon mee goreng, an Indonesian dish of salmon, noodles and crunchy vegetables in one, or classic shrimp pad Thai. Or go hot and meaty with gochujang noodles with ground beef and broccoli. 

For a meat-free offering, vegetarian yaki udon is another super-fast noodle feast with plenty of fresh, bright vegetables to offset the shrimp-heavy appetiser.  

Storage and leftovers

If you’ve served your bang bang sauce on the side, crispy shrimp can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days in an This is an affiliate link.airtight container, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. For the crunchiest results, reheat in an This is an affiliate link.air fryer. 

Note: if you used frozen then thawed shrimp to begin with, do not refreeze and reheat a second time.

More starters to try

• Crispy Air Fryer Tofu Bites
• Hot Crab and Roasted Corn Dip
• Smoked Baba Ganoush with Sumac
• Hot Honey Baked Camembert in Bread Bowl