These Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos are a healthier version of the Bonefish Grill favourite – you're gonna have these tacos on repeat, trust me!
THESE BANG BANG SHRIMP TACOS PEOPLE!
These are a glorious new discovery of mine.
Now Americans and Canadians alike, let me tell you about the magic of Bonefish Grill.
The first time I ever ate at the American seafood chain was in Myrtle Beach on a family vacation a few years back, and as a general seafood hater (I know!!!), let's just say I was not looking forward to the dining experience. While I typically dislike fish, I do like shellfish (umm hello, SCALLOP TACOS).
So when I saw the Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos on the menu, I was intrigued. Now when I go to the States, we HAVE to go to Bonefish Grill every trip for these tacos, they're that good. There's something about the crunch of the batter, the sweet-spicy sauce that coats them, then the simple toppings like the coleslaw, diced tomatoes and cilantro on delectable fresh corn tortillas…
I'm drooling already and it's like 8 in the morning as I'm typing this LOL!
Given my love of Bang Bang Shrimp, you can imagine my despair at not having Bonefish Grill in Canada. But where there's struggle and hardship, there's always a silver lining. The sauce – it's SO easy!
Honestly, anyone could make it. The secret? A little bit of mayo, sweet chili sauce and sriracha all mixed together. Yep, just three ingredients. It doesn't get any easier than that!
I've seen a bunch of recipes that recommend deep-frying the shrimp and as someone who's more fixated on eating healthy but still enjoying my favourite foods, I thought I would make a slightly lighter version of the kind you get at Bonefish Grill. No heavy batters, not a ton of oil and some light mayo make these a healthier taco but still keep the flavour.
I've added a quick coleslaw too because that really brings out the flavour of the shrimp but if you're feeling lazy you could just use some chopped up romaine lettuce. Just be sure to use the real corn tortillas for an authentic taco flavour and maybe throw in a bit more Bang Bang sauce. It can't hurt.
You're gonna want to eat these Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos for lunch, dinner, weeknights, weekends, whenever! If you've got 30 minutes, you've got yourself a delicious restaurant copy cat without even having to leave your house!
While I *THINK* these are hands down my favourite taco recipe on my blog, these Kalbi Beef Tacos are a close second so if you're not quite into shrimp I do have lots of alternatives for you. I think my love of tacos comes from multiple family vacations where it was an absolute MUST to stop at at least one Mexican restaurant – whether we were in North Carolina, Virginia, Vancouver or Halifax, we were always on the lookout for tacos, enchiladas and the like.
Secretly, I think my parents just wanted an excuse to drink a ton of margaritas. Oh, the things I was ignorant of as a kid lol!
Even at home, tacos became the “fun meal” we would have quite often on a Friday night and honestly, I've tended to carry on the tradition as an adult. They're relatively healthy and hardly even considered a cheat meal, but they taste just as good as one.
I highly recommend that you serve these on corn tortillas (they usually go one sale every couple of months at your local grocery store – I buy them in bulk then freeze them!), and I also think you should just go crazy and get a huge pile of guac and pico de gallo to go with them. But these are suggestions only – they're your tacos after all!
Will you be trying these Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos?
You're seriously gonna have these tacos on repeat all year long! I can't even deal with how tasty these are – they're the perfect weekend meal so if you feel yourself coming to the end of the week and looking forward to eating ALL the junk food, think again! Tacos on repeat!
If you try any of my recipes be sure to let me know in the comments, on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook – I’d love to see what you're cooking up!
I loooooove these corn tortillas and really they are the only way you should make these tacos!
Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos
Ingredients
- 12 corn tortillas
- 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
Pico de gallo (Quicker option: just use regular chopped tomatoes as shown in video)
- 1 large hothouse tomato
- 1/2 small yellow or red onion diced
- 2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
Coleslaw
- 1 package pre-chopped cabbage mix
- 2 tbsp vinegar
- 1 tbsp white sugar
- 1 tsp canola oil
- 1/2 tsp celery salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Bang Bang Shrimp
- 2-3 tbsp Olive oil for frying
- 50 shrimp
- 2 cups flour
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup light mayo
- 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
- 1 tbsp Sriracha
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Mix ingredients under the coleslaw heading together, then mix ingredients under the pico de gallo heading together.
- Mix light mayo, sweet chili sauce and sriracha together. Set aside as the Bang Bang sauce. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over med-high heat.
- Toss shrimp in egg then coat in flour, then fry for 2-3 min per side until shrimp are crispy. Remove shrimp and let drain on a paper towel lined plate. Toss in Bang Bang sauce until well-coated.
- Microwave corn tortillas for 30 seconds until soft (I usually do about 2-3 at a time on plates I'm serving tacos on)
- Add coleslaw to corn tortillas, then add shrimp and pico de gallo (or tomatoes). Serve with guacamole and sour cream if desired.
Nutrition
James | Thyme to Mango says
Oooh these looks do colourful and delicious and amazing! Having never visited the States, I haven’t been to a Bonefish Grill, but I can certainly appreciate awesome looking Tacos like these (I mean, it’s TACOS!!!!).
Nicole says
I made these tonight and I had to come back and tell you these bang bang toacos are amazing and very easy. This was restaurant worthy right in my kitchen. Thank you for the recipe!
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy to hear that Nicole thank you so much for sharing!!! I make these tacos all the time they’re my go-to on a Friday night when I want something special for dinner haha
Alissa says
I made these tonights and they turned out AMAZING. So delicious and easy! Thanks so much 🙂
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy to hear that Alissa!!!
Lisa says
So disappointed! I cannot print your recipes at all. Says website unsafe and has been blocked. Your recipes look so good! HELP!
Taylor Stinson says
Sorry to hear this has been an issue Lisa – it could just be your anti-virus…maybe it needs updating? I’m able to print the recipes just fine without that warning so it’s very strange this is happening to you!
Sally Alonzo says
Hi! I have a suggestion – try to copy the recipe and paste it into a Word document or such. That’s how I do it because I like to have a picture with my recipe printouts.
Alex says
Does the coleslaw save well in the fridge/do you think I could make it 24 hours in advance?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Alex – you should definitely be able to make it 24 hours in advance. I wouldn’t make it any further in advance but 1 day should be ok!
Lain C says
This recipe is AWESOME! A variation I have tried is to use buttermilk as shrimp dredge and cornstarch as the breading (in place of eggs / flour) the batter turns out a bit lighter and you can tell people it’s gluten free, if you care about that kinda thing!
Taylor Stinson says
Oooh great idea! Glad you enjoyed Lain 🙂
Kayleigh says
Do you use raw shrimp or cooked? Thanks!
Taylor Stinson says
Raw shrimp!
Diane O says
Made the shrimp tonight! Used regular flour and low carb tortillas. My entire family thought they were amazing. Already been asked to add them to our menu rotation. Thank you for sharing this idea and recipe with us.
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed, Diane! They are a favourite in my family as well 🙂