Air Fryer Bang Bang Shrimp is such a fun shrimp dish! You can eat them on their own or pop them in tortillas for some tacos. It’s also easy to make – and a little messy – which come on – is the fun part!
Bang Bang Shrimp became “famous” from Bonefish Grill and was one of the first restaurants I went to when I moved to Cincinnati. The crispy shrimp coated in this yummy spicy mayo – I couldn’t get enough and ate the whole bowl myself! (I mean, I didn’t know anybody – so I figured why not!)
How do you make Air Fryer Bang Bang Shrimp?
There’s really just two steps – the shrimp and the sauce! For the shrimp – set up your air fryer breading trays:
- Tray 1: flour, salt, pepper
- Tray 2: eggs, buttermilk
- Tray 3: cornstarch, panko
Rinse your shrimp and then dip through each of the trays and lay in the air fryer. Spritz heavily with olive oil. Air fry for 6 minutes – flipping halfway thru and spritzing again. This helps with the browning. Be gentle when you flip so the coating stays on.
While the shrimp is air frying, mix up your Bang Bang sauce! Whisk together mayonnaise, sweet Thai Chili sauce and Gochujang (or sriracha). I highly recommend tasting as you add in the Gochujang – that way you can determine how spicy you like it!
Once the shrimp is done, carefully remove shrimp with tongs or your fingers (it’s not) and dip shrimp in sauce on both sides. Then back to the air fryer for 2 minutes.
Why use cornstarch instead of flour?
Cornstarch is a more pure starch so it’s a better thickener and it gets crispier in a breading – so it’s great to use in this dish as you mix it in with the panko breadcrumbs. Spraying the shrimp with olive oil will also help the browning.
Should I use raw or cooked shrimp?
RAW!!!!! I cannot impress this upon you enough! Shrimp cooks very quickly – if you use cooked shrimp in this recipe – the result will be Bang Bang Rubber Balls! Be sure when you’re buying your shrimp – look for RAW, PEELED AND DEVEINED! I also get tails OFF 99% of the time. The only time I use tail-on is if it’s a finger food like shrimp cocktail – definitely not with a sticky sauce.
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What to serve with Air Fryer Bang Bang Shrimp?
- Air Fryer Fish Tacos (just swap the fish for the shrimp!)
- Air Fryer Grilled Pineapple (what a delicious dessert after yummy dinner!)
- Air Fryer Plantains
Air Fryer Bang Bang Shrimp Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 eggs beaten
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 lb extra large RAW shrimp peeled, deveined, tails off
- 1/4 cup Duke's mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sweet Thai chili sauce
- 2 tbsp gochujang sauce or sriracha
- 2 tbsp scallion green ends, diced
Instructions
- Drain and rinse raw shrimp with water
- Set up breading trays: 1. flour, salt, pepper2. egg, buttermilk3. cornstarch, panko
- Bread each shrimp through the three stations and lay in air fryer
- Spritz shrimp with olive oil spray and air fry at 400 for 3 minutes
- Flip shrimp – carefully so as to not break off the breading – spray with olive oil and air fry 3 min more
- While the shrimp are cooking, whisk together mayo, sweet chili sauce and gochujang (or sriracha)
- When shrimp are done, carefully remove with tongs or fingers and dip in sauce and put back in the air fryer for 1-2 minutes to set the sauce
- If you want extra sauce for dipping, double the sauce recipe
- Serve shrimp on a bed of lettuce and sprinkle with scallions
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