Air Fryer Bang Bang Shrimp Salad is a twist on the famous Bonefish Grill Recipe. Crisp and golden air fried prawns in a tangy, creamy sauce with the perfect amount of spice, served on a fresh salad with zingy lime dressing. This easy Bang Bang Shrimp salad has the perfect mix of flavour and texture and is excellent for lunch or dinner on a hot day.
Bang Bang Shrimp is a popular dish known for its crispy and spicy flavor. It typically consists of deep-fried prawns coated in a creamy and tangy sauce made with a combination of sweet chilli, sriracha and mayo. The name “bang bang” refers to the spicy kick of the signature sauce.
Originating from the Bonefish Grill restaurant chain in the United States, Bang Bang Shrimp has become a popular and well-known dish. It can be served as an appetiser, a main course, or even used as a filling for tacos or sandwiches. Bang Bang Shrimp is known and loved for its irresistible combination of crunchy texture, bold flavour, and spicy kick.
Reasons to Try Bang Bang Shrimp
- Irresistible Flavour – The combination of crispy air fried prawns and the tangy, spicy Bang Bang sauce creates an explosion of flavour that is hard to resist. The sweet, creamy, and slightly spicy sauce perfectly complements the crispy texture of the Panko crusted shrimp.
- Quick, Easy and Convenient – Air Frying shrimp is quicker and makes a lot less mess than traditional frying. Plus the air fryer does all the cooking work, so you don’t need to spend time hovering over the stove. You can whip up the sauce and salad in the time it takes to make the shrimp. Keep frozen shrimp on hand and you can impress last minute guests with a tasty snack!
- So Versatile – Serve air fried Bang Bang Shrimp as a main course (add rice or grains to the salad to bulk it out), an appetiser or a party snack or use it as a tasty filling for DIY shrimp tacos or sub rolls.
Toasted Panko for the Best Air Fried Prawns
My top tip for making air fried shrimp or prawns taste like they were deep fried is to toast the panko breadcrumbs. It might sound like a laborious extra step but trust me – it only takes a few minutes and makes a world of difference. You can even toast the breadcrumbs in advance.
To toast panko (or any breadcrumbs) before air frying, simply heat a small frying pan over a medium heat. Add a dash of olive oil (or butter) and add the breadcrumbs with your choice of seasoning. (I always start with salt and pepper then add other herbs and spices like garlic powder, dried parsley, chilli flakes or grated parmesan depending on the recipe.) Cook, tossing regularly, for a couple of minutes until the breadcrumbs are a golden brown colour. Be careful not to burn them, as they can catch very quickly.
Toasted breadcrumbs will keep for up to one month if stored in an airtight container. You can also keep them in the freezer for 3 months and you don’t need to defrost before using.
Ingredient Notes
- King Prawns or Jumbo Shrimp – peeled and deveined. If you use frozen prawns, make sure they are throughly thawed. Drain any excess liquid and pat dry with kitchen towel for the best results.
- Panko – or any kind of breadcrumbs. I toast my breadcrumbs for the best flavour.
- Egg – to bind the breadcrumbs to the prawns. Buttermilk also works if you cannot use eggs.
- Cornflour – helps the egg coating to stick to the prawns.
- Salad – I use a base of crunchy romaine lettuce with sliced carrots, cucumbers, red onion and radish. I use a mandoline to get super thin and even vegetable slices, which I find really satisfying in a salad.
- Salad Dressing – a quick and easy blend of lime juice, apple cider vinegar and olive oil seasoned with salt and fresh coriander. This zingy dressing is perfect with the creamy and spicy Bang Bang Sauce.
- Bang Bang Sauce – the key ingredient, this tasty sauce is made with mayonnaise, sweet chilli sauce and sriracha. Once you make it for this recipe you will want to have some on hand all the time for dipping, it’s SO addictive.
Serving and Storing Tips
I love to add cooked rice or quinoa to make Bang Bang Shrimp Salad a healthy balanced meal. It’s great for a quick dinner or lunch.
Use Air Fryer Bang Bang Shrimp as a Taco filling with crunchy slaw and guacamole.
Bang Bang Shrimp makes a great sandwich filling too – try it with shredded lettuce in a butter brioche bun or toasted wrap.
Serve mini portions of Bang Bang Shrimp Salad in taco cups as an appetiser for casual dinner parties.
For a lighter (and tangier) Bang Bang Sauce, swap out half or all of the mayonnaise for Greek yoghurt.
If you love spice, you can add extra sriracha to the Bang Bang sauce to taste.
I use a Ninja Foodi Multi-Cooker to air fry my Bang Bang Shrimp and highly recommend. You can also use a regular Air Fryer or oven bake the shrimp at 200c/400f for 10-12 minutes.
I hope you like this recipe as much as I do!
Don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment or tag me on Instagram @carrieskitchen_ if you make it!
More Restaurant Inspired Meals:
- Easy Prawn Jalfrezi
- Pork Meatballs with Soy Glaze
- Chilli Garlic Chicken Noodles
- Salmon Egg Fried Rice
Air Fryer Bang Bang Shrimp Salad
Equipment
- Mandoline Slicer optional, for salad vegetables
Ingredients
- 500 grams king prawns or jumbo shrimp - 1lb
- 2 cups toasted panko* - or regular breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp corn flour or cornstarch
- 1 egg - beaten
- salt and pepper
- spray oil - for frying
- chives - sliced, for garnish
Salad
- 1 head Romaine lettuce - shredded
- 2 carrots - thinly sliced
- 1 cup sliced cucumber
- 1 cup sliced radish
- 1 red onion - thinly sliced
Salad Dressing
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
- 1 tsp flaky salt
Bang Bang Sauce
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup sweet chilli sauce
- 1 tbsp sriracha*
- salt - to taste
Instructions
- Make the salad dressing by combining all the ingredients and whisking together. Drizzle over the prepared Romaine, cucumbers, carrots, onion and radish and toss to combine.
- To make the Bang Bang Sauce, combine all the ingredients together in a bowl. Add salt to taste – I start with ½ teaspoon.
- Prepare three bowls – one with cornflour, one for a beaten egg and the third for the breadcrumbs
- Pat the prawns dry with kitchen paper and season lightly with salt and pepper. Toss in the corn flour, then dip in the beaten egg before coating in panko.
- Arrange the breaded prawns in an even layer in the air fryer basket (you may need to do this in batches – they shouldn't be touching). Spray or brush with a very light coating of oil.
- Air fry at 200℃/400℉ for 5 minutes, then flip the prawns and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Once cooked, carefully toss the prawns in the Bang Bang sauce, then serve on a bed of prepared salad. Drizzle with extra Bang Bang sauce and garnish with chopped chives or green onion.
Notes
Nutrition
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