There’s a specific sound a good piece of fried shrimp makes when you bite into it a sharp, dry crackle, not a soft give. That sound is basically the whole appeal of bang bang shrimp, and it’s also the easiest thing to lose between the fryer and the table. Sauce it too soon or let it sit on the wrong surface, and that crackle turns into something closer to a sigh.
The fix isn’t a different batter or a hotter fryer. It’s what you do with the shrimp in the two minutes after they come out of the pan and before the sauce goes on. Here’s how it comes together.
Why You’ll Love It
- Real crunch without a deep fryer. A shallow pan-fry in about half an inch of oil gets the same crispy shell as deep-frying, with way less oil and way less cleanup.
- Sweet-and-spicy sauce you control. The bang bang sauce comes together in one bowl, and you decide exactly how much heat goes in.
- The coating actually stays crispy. How you rest the shrimp before saucing them matters more than most recipes let on more on that in a minute.
- Fast enough for a weeknight. From raw shrimp to plated tacos in about 25 minutes, most of which is hands-off frying time.
- Kid-friendly heat level. Sriracha is easy to dial up or down, so the same base recipe works for spice-lovers and picky eaters alike.
Recipe At a Glance
- Prep time: 15 minutes
- Cook time: 10 minutes
- Total time: about 25 minutes
- Servings: 4 (2 tacos per person)
- Estimated calories: ~380 per serving (2 tacos)
- Estimated macros per serving: ~20g protein, ~34g carbs, ~20g fat
Nutrition is an estimate based on standard ingredient values and will vary depending on brands and exact portions used.
Ingredients
For the shrimp:
- 1 lb (450g) large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 1 large egg, beaten
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ½ cup neutral oil (vegetable or avocado oil), for shallow frying
For the bang bang sauce:
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 3 tbsp Thai sweet chili sauce
- 1–2 tsp sriracha (start with 1, add more to taste)
- 1 tsp honey
- Juice of ½ lime
To assemble:
- 8 small corn or flour tortillas
- 1½ cups shredded green cabbage or coleslaw mix
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds (optional)
- Extra lime wedges, for serving
Notes:
- Panko vs. regular breadcrumbs: Panko fries up noticeably lighter and crunchier than standard breadcrumbs because the flakes are bigger and airier regular breadcrumbs will work in a pinch, but the texture won’t be quite the same.
- Oil choice: A neutral, high-smoke-point oil like avocado or vegetable oil holds up better at frying temperature than olive oil, which can smoke and turn bitter.
Equipment Needed
- Large skillet (for shallow frying)
- Wire rack set over a sheet pan or plate
- Shallow bowls for dredging
- Tongs
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Set up your dredging station. Put the cornstarch in one shallow bowl, the beaten egg in a second, and the panko mixed with salt and pepper in a third. Line them up in that order.
- Coat the shrimp. Working one at a time, dredge each shrimp in cornstarch, shaking off the excess, then dip in egg, then press into the panko until fully coated. Set the coated shrimp on a plate as you go.
- Heat the oil. Pour the oil into a large skillet and heat over medium-high until it shimmers about 350°F (175°C) if you’re using a thermometer. You’ll know it’s ready when a pinch of panko dropped in sizzles immediately.
- Fry the shrimp: Add the shrimp in a single layer, without crowding the pan, and fry for about 2 minutes per side, until deep golden-brown and cooked through. Work in batches if needed an overcrowded pan drops the oil temperature and gives you soggy shrimp instead of crispy ones.
- Rest them on a wire rack, not paper towels. This is the step that actually determines whether your bang bang shrimp stay crispy. Paper towels trap steam underneath the shrimp as it escapes, and that trapped steam softens the coating from below within minutes. A wire rack lets the steam escape downward and away instead, so the crust you just fried stays intact. Pro tip: if you don’t have a wire rack, even balancing the shrimp on the rim of a colander works better than a flat plate lined with paper towels.
- Make the sauce. While the shrimp rest, whisk together the mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, sriracha, honey, and lime juice in a small bowl until smooth.
- Toss right before serving, not before. Once you’re ready to plate, toss the shrimp in the bang bang sauce don’t sauce them ahead of time and let them sit. The sauce is what eventually softens the crust, so the longer the gap between saucing and eating, the softer the shrimp get. Tossing them at the last minute is what keeps that crackle intact all the way to the table.
- Warm the tortillas and assemble. Warm the tortillas in a dry skillet for 20–30 seconds per side. Layer shredded cabbage onto each tortilla, top with saucy shrimp, and finish with sliced green onion and sesame seeds if using.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Resting the shrimp on paper towels. This traps steam against the coating and softens it fast use a wire rack instead.
- Saucing the shrimp too far ahead of serving. The sauce will soften the crust the longer it sits, so tossing early basically undoes all the work of frying them crispy.
- Overcrowding the pan. Too many shrimp at once drops the oil temperature and leads to pale, greasy shrimp instead of golden ones. Fry in batches.
- Skipping the shake-off step during dredging. Excess cornstarch or egg clumps and burns in the hot oil, leaving dark specks in your frying oil and an uneven coating on the shrimp.
- Using cold tortillas. They crack and fall apart under the filling the 30-second warm-up genuinely makes a difference here.
How to Store & Reheat
- Fried shrimp (unsauced): Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat in a 400°F (200°C) oven or air fryer for 4–5 minutes to re-crisp the microwave will make them soft.
- Sauce: Keeps in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Assembled tacos: These don’t hold up well once sauced and assembled plan to fry the shrimp ahead if needed, but sauce and build the tacos fresh.
- Freezing: The cooked, unsauced shrimp can be frozen for up to 1 month; reheat straight from frozen in the oven or air fryer at 400°F (200°C) for about 8 minutes.
Recipe Variations & Substitutions
- Baked version: Skip the pan-fry and bake the coated shrimp at 425°F (220°C) for 10–12 minutes, flipping halfway, for a lighter version with slightly less crunch.
- Air fryer version: Air fry at 400°F (200°C) for about 8 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- Gluten-free: Swap the panko for a gluten-free panko-style breadcrumb and double-check your sweet chili sauce brand for gluten-containing additives.
- Milder heat: Drop the sriracha entirely and add an extra teaspoon of honey to keep the sauce sweet without the kick.
- Extra spicy: Add a pinch of cayenne to the panko mixture itself, in addition to the sriracha in the sauce.
- Lower-carb: Serve the shrimp and slaw over rice or in lettuce cups instead of tortillas.
A Note on Nutrition
Shrimp is a lean protein that holds up well even with a light fried coating, and shallow-frying in a controlled amount of oil means these tacos absorb less oil overall than a full deep-fry would. The cabbage slaw adds fiber and crunch without extra sauce or dressing needed. As always, this isn’t medical advice just an honest look at where the nutrition in this dish comes from.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make these in an air fryer instead of frying them?
Yes air fry the coated shrimp at 400°F (200°C) for about 8 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden and cooked through. The texture will be slightly less crunchy than pan-frying, but still solidly crispy.
How spicy is bang bang sauce, really?
As written, it’s mild-to-medium noticeably sweet with a gentle kick. Start with 1 teaspoon of sriracha and add more a little at a time if you want more heat.
Can I make the sauce ahead of time?
Yes, the sauce actually holds up well in the fridge for up to 5 days, so it’s a good one to make ahead. Just don’t toss it with the shrimp until you’re ready to serve.
What’s the best way to keep the shrimp crispy if I’m not serving them right away?
Keep the fried shrimp unsauced on a wire rack (not stacked or covered) until serving time, then toss with sauce at the last minute. Covering them or sauce too early is what causes the coating to soften.
Can I use a different protein instead of shrimp?
Yes this same coating and sauce works well with bite-sized pieces of chicken breast. Just increase the fry time to about 3–4 minutes per side since chicken takes slightly longer to cook through.
Why do my shrimp turn out greasy instead of crispy?
This usually means the oil wasn’t hot enough when the shrimp went in, so they absorbed oil instead of searing. Give the oil time to fully preheat, and test with a pinch of panko before adding the shrimp.
Final Thoughts
Bang bang shrimp tacos live or die on that last stretch between the pan and the plate rest the shrimp on a wire rack instead of paper towels, and save the saucing for the very last minute, and you’ll get the crackly bite that makes this dish worth making in the first place. It’s a small sequencing change, but it’s the one that actually matters here.
Which spice level are you going with mild, medium, or all the way up?
For the shrimp:
- 1 lb 450g large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 1 large egg beaten
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ½ cup neutral oil vegetable or avocado oil, for shallow frying
For the bang bang sauce:
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 3 tbsp Thai sweet chili sauce
- 1 –2 tsp sriracha start with 1, add more to taste
- 1 tsp honey
- Juice of ½ lime
To assemble:
- 8 small corn or flour tortillas
- 1½ cups shredded green cabbage or coleslaw mix
- 2 green onions thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds optional
- Extra lime wedges for serving
Large skillet (for shallow frying)
Wire rack set over a sheet pan or plate
Shallow bowls for dredging
Tongs
Set up your dredging station. Put the cornstarch in one shallow bowl, the beaten egg in a second, and the panko mixed with salt and pepper in a third. Line them up in that order.
Coat the shrimp. Working one at a time, dredge each shrimp in cornstarch, shaking off the excess, then dip in egg, then press into the panko until fully coated. Set the coated shrimp on a plate as you go.
Heat the oil. Pour the oil into a large skillet and heat over medium-high until it shimmers about 350°F (175°C) if you’re using a thermometer. You’ll know it’s ready when a pinch of panko dropped in sizzles immediately.
Fry the shrimp: Add the shrimp in a single layer, without crowding the pan, and fry for about 2 minutes per side, until deep golden-brown and cooked through. Work in batches if needed an overcrowded pan drops the oil temperature and gives you soggy shrimp instead of crispy ones.
Rest them on a wire rack, not paper towels. This is the step that actually determines whether your bang bang shrimp stay crispy. Paper towels trap steam underneath the shrimp as it escapes, and that trapped steam softens the coating from below within minutes. A wire rack lets the steam escape downward and away instead, so the crust you just fried stays intact. Pro tip: if you don’t have a wire rack, even balancing the shrimp on the rim of a colander works better than a flat plate lined with paper towels.
Make the sauce. While the shrimp rest, whisk together the mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, sriracha, honey, and lime juice in a small bowl until smooth.
Toss right before serving, not before. Once you’re ready to plate, toss the shrimp in the bang bang sauce don’t sauce them ahead of time and let them sit. The sauce is what eventually softens the crust, so the longer the gap between saucing and eating, the softer the shrimp get. Tossing them at the last minute is what keeps that crackle intact all the way to the table.
Warm the tortillas and assemble. Warm the tortillas in a dry skillet for 20–30 seconds per side. Layer shredded cabbage onto each tortilla, top with saucy shrimp, and finish with sliced green onion and sesame seeds if using.
Crispy Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos
Last modified: September 19, 2026
