Dynamite Shrimp Tacos Recipe

You may know of dynamite shrimp as an appetizer from the Cheesecake Factory. It's also one of the most popular menu items from P.F. Chang's. Bonefish Grill also serves dynamite shrimp, but they call it by its other name: bang bang shrimp. Each iteration is slightly different, but what they all have in common is crispy battered and fried shrimp with a rich, creamy, and spicy sauce. If you're the kind of person who likes to put sriracha on everything, this recipe is for you, because dynamite shrimp live up to their name. They're hot and spicy for sure, but the heat melds with the other flavors to create an enjoyable whole. It may not be feasible to eat out every time we want our favorite restaurant dishes. Luckily, it's easy to create restaurant-quality dynamite shrimp tacos at home.

Recipe developer Michelle Bottalico has created a recipe for dynamite shrimp in taco form. We dip shrimp in a spiced buttermilk batter and cornstarch before tossing them in hot oil. Cornstarch is a secret ingredient that makes the shrimp coating extra crisp. The hot shrimp are then tossed with a creamy sauce made from mayonnaise, Thai sweet chili sauce, and two whole tablespoons of sriracha. The delectable shrimp are served on corn tortillas and topped with cabbage, tomato, scallion, and cilantro for a colorful dish that's crispy, crunchy, creamy, spicy, and of course, delicious, all in one.

For the dynamite sauce, you will need mayonnaise, Thai sweet chili sauce, and sriracha. The ingredients for the dynamite shrimp are raw, peeled, and deveined shrimp, buttermilk, salt, pepper, garlic powder, cornstarch, and an oil suitable for frying. Finally, for the tacos and toppings, gather corn tortillas, purple cabbage, tomato, scallions, and cilantro.

Stir the mayonnaise, chili sauce, and sriracha together in a small bowl to mix well. Set aside.

Place the shrimp in a mixing bowl with the buttermilk, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder and toss to coat.

Place the cornstarch in a shallow bowl and dredge the shrimp in the cornstarch until fully coated, making sure to let the buttermilk drip off each shrimp before dredging. Set aside on a wire rack.

Heat about ¾ inch of the oil in a pot on medium until it reaches 375 F.

Fry the shrimp in the oil in small batches for 3-4 minutes until golden brown. Do not overcrowd the shrimp.

Remove the shrimp from the oil with a slotted spoon and set them aside on a dish lined with paper towels.

Transfer the shrimp to a mixing bowl and pour ¾ of the sauce over them. Toss to coat the shrimp evenly.

Warm the tortillas in a dry skillet on medium for about 30 seconds per side.

Assemble the tacos by placing the cabbage on the tortillas and topping it with shrimp, tomato, scallion, and cilantro.

Drizzle the remaining sauce over the tacos and serve immediately.

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If you're not up for tacos, you can enjoy dynamite shrimp in a variety of other ways. These fried shrimp pack a flavor punch, so they work well on their own as an appetizer. Just toss them with the creamy sauce and serve them with toothpicks. Or serve them with the sauce on the side for dipping. Spruce up the presentation by serving the shrimp on a bed of lettuce, which makes them photo-worthy and adds the nutrition of leafy greens at the same time. Use the extra sauce to drizzle over the whole dish to dress up the lettuce. You can also chop the lettuce and toss it with cabbage, scallions, tomatoes, and cilantro for added color and texture before placing the shrimp on top.

For a more complete meal, serve dynamite shrimp on rice or on one of these other 19 types of popular grains with stir-fried vegetables on the side. Similarly, make a grain bowl by layering your favorite grain, dynamite shrimp, and all the taco toppings in a bowl before drizzling everything with sauce. If you're a pasta lover, toss the fried shrimp and sauce with your favorite pasta shape cooked al dente, top with scallion and cilantro, and enjoy.

Dynamite shrimp tacos are best served freshly made because the shrimp will be the most tender and the coating the crispiest. These delicious shrimp tend to disappear fast, but if you have leftovers, you can take a few steps to improve the final result when you're ready to enjoy them again. Store the shrimp, tortillas, and toppings separately in the refrigerator. Assembled tacos will get soggy and are hard to reheat since the toppings are crunchiest when raw. You can keep the leftover cooked shrimp in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Before serving, revive the shrimp by tossing them in a pan of hot oil until just heated through. Remove them from the heat promptly, or the shrimp will overcook. When the shrimp are on the heat, warm the tortillas as directed in the recipe, and then assemble the tacos.

You can make the dynamite sauce up to a week ahead, and it will actually develop more flavor as it sits. The shrimp can be made 3-4 days ahead if necessary and stored in the refrigerator, and so can the chopped toppings. Just keep in mind that chopped tomato and scallion will wilt over time, and the shrimp won't be as crisp. If you're unable to use the cooked shrimp within that time, freeze them for up to three months before defrosting and reheating as directed above.

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