These Bang Bang Crispy Shrimp Tacos are where the appetizer meets dinner! Copycat Bang Bang Shrimp get all wrapped up in your favorite tortillas with a sweet and tangy coconut mango slaw for a flavor explosion that’s ready to devour in less than an hour.
Who wants to make Friday night tacos a thing?! Bye bye Taco Tuesday!
Honestly, why is Tuesday so special, anyway? I say every day of the week should be equal opportunity taco night. Especially when the tacos involve spicy crunchy shrimp and the best damn slaw in the world.
You’ll love these crunchy shrimp tacos. They’re perfect for any night of the week, especially a busy weeknight.
Let’s talk shrimp tacos, shall we?
This page includes step by step instructions, as well as tips and notes. If you’d like to skip all that, feel free to scroll down to the full, printable recipe card at the bottom of the post. There is also a “jump to recipe” button at the top of the page if you’d rather not exercise your scrolling finger!
I have become quite the taco aficionado in the past few years.
I love them all! From slow cooked chicken tacos to Instant Pot carnitas to Korean fusion bulgogi tacos. Even homemade Buffalo Wild Wings Street Tacos have graced our table to rave reviews!
One thing about my love of tacos – I used to be very anti-corn tortillas.
I know, I know. Crazy right? How could I possibly enjoy quesabirria properly without corn tortillas?!
Luckily, shrimp don’t discriminate between flour and corn. They taste amazing on both, so feel free to use your fave when you make these!
Bang Bang Shrimp were made for tacos!
The crispy, spicy shrimp appetizer, made famous by Bonefish Grill, has hundreds if not thousands of copycat recipes online. (Here’s mine!) This shrimp taco recipe may not be an exact replica – but the shrimp are completely scrumptious in their own right.
The heat-to-sweet factor in this shrimp taco recipe is easy to adjust based on your preferences. Following the recipe as written will give you a good balance of nice spice. When I make them again, I’m planning on bumping up the sriracha for even more bang.
The two sauces you really need for this recipe to be spot-on can be found in the ethnic section of any grocery store or conveniently picked up on Amazon. The sweet chili sauce
is essential for the bang bang sauce, and there are many brands available. As for the spicy factor, I used sriracha
, but an Asian garlic chili sauce
would work just as well.
Ingredients
For the shrimp tacos:
- light mayonnaise
- Thai sweet chili sauce
- garlic chili sauce, or sriracha sauce
- fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
- buttermilk
- cornstarch
- vegetable oil
- flour or corn tortillas
- fresh cilantro
- lime wedges
For the coconut mango slaw:
- coconut milk
- mango puree
- lime juice
- kosher salt
- fresh cilantro
- red cabbage
- carrots
- red bell pepper
- mango
- coconut chips, or flakes
- green onion
What makes these spicy shrimp tacos so good?
The fresh slaw! It may well be my favorite part of this taco recipe…I actually ended up eating the leftovers by themselves.
I took elements of a classic slaw (cabbage and carrots) and worked in some sweet mango and coconut – and it’s a completely magical combo.
Not only are there raw mango slices and coconut flakes IN the slaw – the liquid base is made of coconut milk and even more pureed mango, with cilantro and lime thrown in for good measure. There’s no mayonnaise or dairy in this yummy side dish, allowing for the extra calories in the fried shrimp.
Also meaning you’ll probably be eating this slaw on everything this summer. I know I will be.
(Of course, if mango’s not your thing, try these with my Fresh Pineapple Coleslaw instead!)
How to make crispy shrimp tacos
For the Coconut Mango Slaw:
- In a blender, add coconut milk, mango puree, lime juice, and salt. Blend until well combined, then add the cilantro leaves and pulse until they are mostly shredded. Set aside.
- Combine the cabbage, carrots, bell pepper, mango, coconut, and green onion in a large bowl. Pour the coconut-mango sauce over the vegetables and toss, massaging with your hands to incorporate. Season with salt and pepper if desired, then chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, making the shrimp in the meantime.
For the Crispy Fried Shrimp:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise and chili sauces. Set aside.
- Deep Frying: Place a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-low heat. When the pan is hot, add the oil. The temperature of the oil should be 375 degrees F.
- While the oil heats, prep the shrimp. In a separate medium bowl, toss the shrimp in the buttermilk and allow to soak for 2-3 minutes. Drain the excess buttermilk.
- Add the cornstarch to the bowl and toss to completely coat the shrimp.
- When the oil is heated to 375 degrees, add the coated shrimp and cook in batches for 2-3 minutes on each side (depending on size), flipping with tongs. They’ll be a nice golden brown when done. Use the tongs to quickly but carefully transfer the fried shrimp to a paper towel-lined plate briefly, then add them to the mayo-chili sauce bowl and toss to coat. Transfer them to a serving bowl. Repeat the process with the remaining shrimp.
- Serve immediately with coconut mango slaw and your favorite toppings in flour or corn tortillas. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve a squeeze of fresh lime juice and additional Thai sweet chili sauce, if desired.
Check out these other delicious recipes with shrimp!
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Bang Bang Crispy Shrimp Tacos
Ingredients
Coconut Mango Slaw
- ½ cup coconut milk well stirred
- ½ cup mango puree
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- Pinch kosher salt
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves packed
- 2 cups red cabbage thinly sliced
- 1 cup carrots shredded
- 1 red bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1 mango thinly sliced into strips
- ½ cup coconut chips or flakes
- ¼ cup green onion chopped
Bang Bang Shrimp
- ½ cup light mayonnaise
- ⅓ cup Thai sweet chili sauce
- 2-3 teaspoons garlic chili sauce or sriracha
- 1 pound large shrimp peeled and deveined
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 2 cups vegetable oil for frying
- 6-8 8- inch flour or corn tortillas
- Fresh cilantro for serving
- Lime wedges for serving
- Thai sweet chili sauce for serving
Instructions
For the Coconut Mango Slaw:
- In a blender, add coconut milk, mango puree, lime juice, and salt. Blend until well combined, then add the cilantro leaves and pulse until they are mostly shredded. Set aside.
- Combine the cabbage, carrots, bell pepper, mango, coconut, and green onion in a large bowl. Pour the coconut-mango sauce over the vegetables and toss, massaging with your hands to incorporate. Season with salt and pepper if desired, then chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, making the shrimp in the meantime.
For the Bang Bang Shrimp:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise and chili sauces. Set aside.
- Place a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-low heat. When the pan is hot, add the oil and allow it to come up to 375 degrees F.
- While the oil heats, prep the shrimp. In a separate bowl, toss the shrimp in the buttermilk and allow to soak for 2-3 minutes. Drain the excess buttermilk.
- Add the cornstarch to the bowl and toss to completely coat the shrimp.
- When the oil is heated to 375 degrees, cook the shrimp in batches for 2-3 minutes on each side (depending on size), flipping with tongs. Use the tongs to quickly but carefully transfer the fried shrimp to a paper towel-lined plate briefly, then add them to the mayo-chili sauce bowl and toss to coat. Transfer them to a serving bowl. Repeat the process with the remaining shrimp.
- Serve immediately with coconut mango slaw in flour or corn tortillas. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with lime wedges and additional Thai sweet chili sauce, if desired.
Aimee Shugarman says
For all the times I’ve made Bang Bang Shrimp, we inhale it too fast to eat on a taco. Next time though, totally doing that….with the mango slaw. YUM.
Pam Greer says
OMG! Yes, let’s make Friday night all about tacos. Let’s make every night all about tacos!! These sound amazing!
Donna says
Ummmmm….amazing!!! The flavor in these tacos is just out of this world!! And that slaw…my new fave! yum
Kimberley says
Just made this after finding it on pinterest. Amazing! I was a little nervous because I have never really fried anything but it turned out so good! And the slaw was super fun with the coconut milk and mango. I will definitely be making this again.