Amazing Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos are easier than you think and can be ready on your dinner table in less than 30 minutes! You don’t need to head out to Bonefish Grill to enjoy this delicious and flavor-packed dish with crispy fried shrimp and sweet and tangy bang bang sauce.
Upgrade your Taco Tuesday! Serve over corn or flour tortillas, or even over pasta or rice for a fabulous dinner that will quickly become one of your family’s favorite meals!
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👩🏻🍳 Why You'll Love This Recipe
These delicious tacos with homemade bang bang sauce are a great way to put a bold and exciting dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes. No need to go out to eat--these flavorful spicy shrimp tacos are so easy to make in your own kitchen!
Just like these Chipotle Shrimp and Asparagus Tacos, this recipe yields a meal with perfectly seasoned seafood. Top with your favorite taco fix-ins for a meal your family will adore.
And if you can't get enough taco recipes, you also need to check out this One Pot Cheesy Taco Skillet! Or this delicious recipe for grilled Rockfish Tacos, loaded with bog, bold flavor and wrapped up in flour or corn tortillas!
🥘 Ingredients Needed
- mayonnaise - forms the base for your bang bang sauce.
- Thai sweet chili sauce - packs lots of heat and brings a contrast between sweet and spicy.
- Old Bay seasoning - a classic seasoning to use for any seafood.
- sriracha - adds some extra heat.
- buttermilk - helps form the batter for cooking the shrimp.
- cornstarch - coat your shrimp with cornstarch to get them extra crispy.
- raw shrimp
- oil - I like to use avocado oil, but feel free to use your cooking oil of choice.
- green onions - offers a pop of green and a subtle onion flavor that pairs well with the shrimp.
- tortillas - flour tortillas are my go-to for this recipe, but it would work well with corn tortillas as well.
- lettuce, cabbage, and/or carrots - this optional ingredient is a great way to add some extra texture, flavor, and nutrition to your tacos
🔪 Instructions
- Add mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, Old Bay, and sriracha to a bowl.
- Mix well and set aside.
- Coat your shrimp in buttermilk, then roll in cornstarch.
- Cook shrimp in oil, about 1-2 minutes per side, until golden and crispy.
- Remove the shrimp and allow to drain on a rack.
- Combine the shrimp with about ¾ of the sauce.
- Mix until the shrimp are well coated.
- Top with chopped green onion, then distribute over tortillas and top with shredded vegetables.
👪 FAQs
This sauce typically has a base of mayonnaise with sweet chili sauce and some other kind of hot sauce for an extra kick of heat. This recipe uses sriracha, as well as some Old Bay to highlight the seafood.
This all depends on preference! I like how soft flour tortillas are, but corn tortillas are a great option as they're gluten free, and some people find them more authentic for tacos.
As a rule of thumb, you'll want approximately 4 ounces of shrimp per person (or 2-3 ounces for kids, depending on how much they'll eat). One pound is good for about 4 people, but you'll need more if you're feeding a larger crowd.
💭 Expert Tips and Tricks
- If you don't use avocado oil, I recommend using an oil with a high smoke point like canola oil.
- These spicy shrimp tacos are also great to serve as an appetizer.
- Save on prep time by purchasing shrimp that's peeled and de-veined with the tails removed.
- You may need to fry the shrimp in batches; be sure there's a little bit of space between all of the shrimp to promote even cooking.
- Use leftover shrimp to toss with some pasta or as a salad topping.
With a bold and spicy homemade bang bang sauce, these spicy shrimp tacos are a tantalizing dish that will have your whole family asking for seconds and thirds!
📖 Substitutions and Variations
- To switch things up, serve over rice or pasta instead of on tortillas.
- For a lighter version, substitute the mayo for Greek yogurt.
- Increase the amount of sriracha if you like your tacos extra spicy.
- Add some salt and pepper to the cornstarch before coating the shrimp for a bit of extra flavor.
- Top with diced tomato, cilantro, sliced cabbage or carrots, lettuce, radishes, or jalapeno peppers.
🥫 Storage and Reheating
Store the shrimp in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. To reheat, warm them in a skillet over medium-low heat until heated through.
⏲️ Make Ahead Instructions
To save time on prep, you can take steps ahead of time, such as pre-making the sauce and storing in the fridge or peeling and de-veining the shrimp if you haven't already bought them that way.
You can also slice up any vegetables or fix-ins you plan to serve ahead of time and store them in the fridge, then pull them out when it's time to put your tacos together.
💡 What To Serve With This Dish
These bang bang shrimp tacos are great with tortillas, but you can also serve it over top of some Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice for a delicious and filling meal.
Or make your tacos and pair with Air Fryer Frozen Vegetables, a nutritious Quinoa Chickpea Salad, or some quick and easy Air Fryer Green Beans.
🦐 More Shrimp Recipes You'll Love
- Shrimp Grilled Cheese - An easy way to upgrade your classic grilled cheese with zingy seafood flavors.
- Shrimp Curry with Broccoli and Rice - This comforting and savory seafood curry is loaded with nutrition.
- Shrimp in Lemon Butter Sauce - Simple and classic, this lemon butter shrimp is a great base for lots of shrimp recipes.
- Shrimp Scampi Without Wine - A creamy and flavorful seafood pasta dish!
- Cajun Lasagna - You'll love the bold flavors in this seafood lasagna, courtesy of Creole Contessa.
Love tacos but don't have shrimp on hand? Try these yummy Flank Steak Tacos! Or check out these amazing street tacos made with juicy chicken marinated in lime juice and spices!
Spicy Shrimp Tacos with Homemade Bang Bang Sauce
Love this recipe? Awesome! Please give it a 5 star ⭐ rating below! And if you make this, snap a photo and tag me on Instagram. You can find me at DizzyBusyandHungry or #dizzybusyandhungry!
📋 Recipe Card
Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos
Ingredients
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup Thai sweet chili sauce
- ¼ teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon sriracha sauce
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- ¾ cup cornstarch
- 1 pound raw shrimp, cleaned
- 1 cup avocado oil (or other cooking oil)
- 3 tablespoons chopped green onions
- 4 tortillas (soft taco size)
- 1 ½ cups chopped lettuce, red cabbage, and/or shredded carrots (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, Old Bay, and sriracha. Set aside.½ cup mayonnaise, ¼ cup Thai sweet chili sauce, ¼ teaspoon Old Bay seasoning, ¼ teaspoon sriracha sauce
- Place the buttermilk and cornstarch in separate medium bowls. Coat the shrimp first in the buttermilk, then roll to coat in the cornstarch.¾ cup buttermilk, ¾ cup cornstarch, 1 pound raw shrimp, cleaned
- In a deep pan with a heavy bottom, add the oil and heat on medium to about 375 degrees. Using tongs, place one shrimp in the oil. If the oil sizzles and bubbles, it's hot enough to add the rest of the shrimp and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side until cooked through.1 cup avocado oil
- Remove the cooked shrimp from the pan and place on a drying rack to drain.
- Once all of the shrimp are cooked and excess oil drained, combine the shrimp in a bowl with about ¾ of the prepared sauce and mix.
- Top with the chopped green onion.3 tablespoons chopped green onions
- Distribute the chopped lettuce/cabbage/carrots over each of the 4 tortillas (optional step). Then distribute the shrimp on top and drizzle with the remaining sauce before serving.4 tortillas, 1 ½ cups chopped lettuce, red cabbage, and/or shredded carrots
Notes
- Can also be served over pasta or rice instead of on tortillas as tacos.
- For a lightened up version, use plain low-fat Greek yogurt in place of the mayonnaise.
- For more heat, increase the amount of sriracha sauce used.
- You don't have to use avocado oil, but use a cooking oil with a high smoke point, like canola.
- For additional seasoning, you can add salt and pepper to the cornstarch before rolling the shrimp in it.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate. The nutritional values for your final dish may vary based on measuring differences and products used.
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Happy cooking!
Gina Abernathy
Tacos and shrimp just go together. Amazingly delicious!
Laressa
such a flavorful breading on this shrimp!
Cam
Taco night is my favorite night of the week and these shrimp tacos were perfect! We really enjoyed how delicious they were and they were so easy to make.
Amy Nash
These are the best tacos! The sauce is so good and we love the texture of the shrimp and cabbage. YUM!
Holley
My kids always look forward to taco Tuesdays and love to help make these with me. The whole family loves them and we keep this recipe in our dinner rotation!