I first had Bang Bang Shrimp a few years ago as an appetizer at a restaurant (no, it wasn’t the Bonefish Grill!) and fell in LOVE. I love the crispy shrimp tossed with the sweet, creamy and lightly spicy sauce and immediately thought, “How can I turn this into a meal?!”

And so it was! The Bang Bang shrimp is coated in buttermilk and tossed in seasoned cornstarch, then quickly pan-fried for that quintessential fried texture. The sauce is quickly tossed together with mayonnaise, sriracha, rice vinegar, honey and red pepper flakes (more on the sauce, below!) to toss with the shrimp just before serving, and the honey-lime slaw is the perfect fresh complement to the creamy spicy shrimp (and it comes together in a minute!). Pull it all together with some rice and fresh toppings- and dinner is on the table in 20. My kind of meal!

A word about the sauce:
A quick internet search will tell you Bang Bang sauce is a simple mixture of mayonnaise, sriracha and sweet chili sauce. I love this combo, but I prefer to be able to adjust the spiciness and sweetness a little more (plus, it saves you having to go out and buy another sauce you may or may not use!).

If you prefer the original, you can substitute the rice vinegar, honey, lime juice and red pepper flakes for 2 tbsp sweet chili sauce.

Bang Bang Shrimp Bowls
Serves 4

For Shrimp:
16 oz large raw peeled and deveined shrimp (I use frozen, defrosted), pat dry 
1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk + 2 tsp apple cider vinegar, whisked- let sit 5 minutes) 
¾ cup cornstarch 
1 tsp fine grain sea salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp garlic powder 
2 tbsp avocado oil (or other neutral oil) to pan-fry 

Bang Bang Sauce: 
½ cup mayonnaise 
1 tbsp sriracha 
1 tbsp honey 
1 tbsp rice vinegar 
Juice of 1/2 lime
¼ tsp red pepper flakes (more to taste) 
1 large clove garlic, minced

Slaw: 
3 cups slaw mix (about ½ bag) 
1 tbsp honey 
1 tbsp rice vinegar 
Juice and zest of 1 lime 
2 tbsp avocado oil 
Pinch salt 

To Serve:
1 cup long-grain white rice
Sliced green Onions
Chopped fresh cilantro 

1. Rinse rice and cook according to package directions in rice cooker or on the stovetop. While rice is cooking, prepare toppings.

2. To prepare shrimp: Ensure shrimp is patted dry. Combine shrimp and buttermilk or milk/apple cider vinegar mixture and set aside while preparing breading.

3. Whisk together cornstarch, salt, pepper and garlic powder in a large bowl. One at a time, dredge buttermilk-soaked shrimp in cornstarch mixture. Shake off excess and arrange on a plate. Repeat for all shrimp.

4. Once shrimp is all breaded, heat oil to medium-high in the bottom of a high-sided cast-iron or sautee pan. You want the shrimp to sizzle as soon as it hits the pan. Working in 2-3 batches (do not crowd the shrimp!), cook shrimp for 1 minute/side until golden and just cooked through. Place on a paper towel-lined plate and repeat until all shrimp is cooked.

5. To make sauce: Whisk together all ingredients. Set aside until just before serving.

6. To prepare slaw: Whisk together lime juice and zest, rice vinegar, avocado oil, honey and salt. Toss with slaw mix.

7. When ready to serve, toss cooked shrimp with 1/2 sauce mixture. Add more as desired to coat. Arrange bowls with rice, slaw, cilantro and green onions. Drizzle with more sauce as desired.

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