Tim Curci and Chris Parker opened the first Bonefish Grill in St. Petersburg, Florida in 2000, positioning it as an upscale casual seafood restaurant in a market dominated by Red Lobster. The menu was deliberately differentiated — seasonal fish specials, a wood-fire grill, craft cocktails — but Bang Bang Shrimp became the breakout star. The name is Thai-influenced, referencing the sweet chili sauce at the heart of the dish. Bonefish eventually trademarked the name, which is part of why the thousands of restaurant copycats on food blogs call their versions “bang bang shrimp” without attribution — legally, you can describe the flavor profile but not claim the Bonefish identity.

The dish spread through food media in the 2000s the same way a TikTok recipe does today: one blogger made it, a dozen more linked to it, and suddenly every home cook was making “bang bang shrimp” with varying degrees of success. (Bonefish’s sister chain under Bloomin’ Brands, Outback Steakhouse, has its own fried-appetizer icon — the Bloomin’ Onion — built on the same principle of a light coating and a punchy dipping sauce.) The most common failure is using panko breadcrumbs instead of cornstarch, which produces a completely different texture — crunchier but heavier, with sauce absorption that turns the coating soggy within minutes.

The sauce is three ingredients: mayonnaise, Mae Ploy sweet Thai chili sauce, and sriracha. That is it. No peanut butter. No hoisin. No cream cheese. Anyone adding these extras is improving on the Bonefish formula or compensating for using the wrong brand of sweet chili sauce.

Mae Ploy vs. generic sweet chili sauce: Mae Ploy sweet chili sauce (sold in a clear glass bottle showing the glossy orange-red sauce, widely available in Asian grocery stores and the Asian section of most large supermarkets) is the preferred brand for one specific reason — it is less sweet than most Western-market sweet chili sauces and has a mild tamarind background note that adds savory depth. Generic or supermarket-brand sweet chili sauces are formulated for broader palates and lean sweeter, which makes the finished sauce cloying. If Mae Ploy is unavailable, use any sweet chili sauce but reduce the quantity from 1/4 cup to 3 tablespoons and add an extra teaspoon of rice vinegar to compensate.

The ratio: 1/2 cup mayo : 1/4 cup sweet chili : 1 tablespoon sriracha. This is the baseline. For a sweeter sauce, add a teaspoon more sweet chili. For more heat, add more sriracha or a half-teaspoon of sambal oelek. For a lighter sauce, use 1/3 cup mayo and add 2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt — the texture is nearly identical and the calorie count drops significantly.

Make it ahead: The sauce is actually better after 30 minutes of resting at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator. The flavors integrate fully and the spice distributes evenly through the mayo. Make a double batch and keep it in a jar — it keeps for 1 week refrigerated and works as a dipping sauce, a sandwich spread, or a salad dressing base.

Breadcrumbs (panko especially) create a thicker, crunchier shell that absorbs sauce instead of holding it on the surface. Within 3–4 minutes of tossing, panko-coated shrimp are soggy and the sauce has been absorbed into the coating. Cornstarch creates a thin, glass-like crust with microscopic surface fractures. The sauce fills those fractures and bonds to the exterior rather than penetrating through to the shrimp. The result is a shrimp that stays crispy longer after saucing and delivers more sauce flavor per bite, since it’s all on the surface where your tongue encounters it first.

Cornstarch also fries cleaner — less debris in the oil, shorter fry time, lighter color that makes the shrimp look appetizing rather than dark brown.

The same cornstarch-fry-then-toss method drives a whole family of restaurant appetizers. PF Chang’s Dynamite Shrimp is the closest cousin — nearly the same sauce and technique under a different name — and Panda Express Honey Walnut Shrimp uses an identical cornstarch crust under a sweeter mayo-based glaze. Master this coating once and all three are within reach.

Bonefish Grill now serves a Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos version on their menu, and it’s arguably the better format for home cooking. Warm small flour tortillas (6-inch) in a dry skillet until pliable. Add a base of shredded cabbage and a thin smear of additional bang bang sauce. Pile 4–5 sauced shrimp per taco. Top with sliced avocado, pickled red onion, and a squeeze of fresh lime. The acid from the lime and onion cuts through the richness of the sauce in a way the cabbage base in the original doesn’t.

For the slaw, toss 1 cup shredded napa cabbage with 2 teaspoons rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, and a pinch of salt. Let it sit 5 minutes before using — the cabbage wilts slightly and becomes more pliable in the taco.

The shrimp cannot be fully made ahead, but the components can:

Up to 3 days ahead: Make the sauce. Store refrigerated. The flavor actually improves with time.

Day-of, up to 2 hours ahead: Peel and devein the shrimp, pat dry, and refrigerate on a plate. Shred the cabbage and keep in a covered bowl with a damp paper towel.

Up to 15 minutes ahead: Fry all the shrimp and hold unsauced on a wire rack in a 250°F oven. The crust stays crisp at low heat in dry air. Pull from the oven, sauce immediately, and serve.

Do not fry-then-sauce and try to hold them — the clock starts the moment the sauce hits the hot crust.

Per serving (4 servings from 1 lb shrimp, with full sauce):

• Calories: ~380
• Protein: 25g
• Carbs: 22g (mostly from the sweet chili sauce and cornstarch)
• Fat: 22g (mostly from mayo)
• Sodium: ~680mg

The restaurant version runs approximately 740 calories for the full appetizer order, which Bonefish serves as a single plated portion sized for 2–3 people. The calorie difference between home and restaurant versions comes primarily from more liberal sauce application at the restaurant and a larger shrimp quantity per plate.

What is bang bang sauce made of? Three things: full-fat mayonnaise, Mae Ploy sweet Thai chili sauce, and sriracha. Standard ratio: 1/2 cup mayo, 1/4 cup Mae Ploy, 1 tablespoon sriracha. Mae Ploy is the preferred brand because it is less sweet and has more complex flavor than generic sweet chili sauces. The sauce keeps refrigerated for up to 1 week and doubles as a dipping sauce or sandwich spread.

Why cornstarch and not breadcrumbs? Cornstarch creates a thin, lacquer-like crust that holds sauce on the exterior rather than absorbing it. Breadcrumbs absorb sauce and turn soggy within minutes of tossing. The cornstarch crust also fries in 60–90 seconds vs. 2–3 minutes for a breadcrumb coating, which means less time in the oil and a lighter finished dish.

Can I make this in an air fryer? Yes. Spray cornstarch-dredged shrimp generously with avocado oil and air-fry at 400°F for 6–8 minutes, flipping once. Toss in sauce and serve immediately. The texture is slightly drier than deep-fried but the flavor is essentially identical. Saves roughly 100 calories per serving.

What size shrimp does Bonefish Grill use? Small — 51–60 count per pound. More pieces per serving means more sauce coverage per bite. If you can only find medium (26/30), butterfly them by cutting 3/4 of the way through lengthwise to increase surface area and match the sauce-to-shrimp ratio of the smaller size.

How do I keep bang bang shrimp crispy? You can’t hold them long once sauced — serve within 5 minutes. For parties, fry in batches and hold unsauced at 250°F on a wire rack. Sauce each batch right before serving. Never sauce ahead and try to hold — the crust absorbs the sauce and softens within 10 minutes.

What should I serve it on? Classic: shredded napa cabbage as an appetizer. Popular variation: flour tortillas with slaw as tacos. Also works over jasmine rice as a main course. The Bonefish restaurant version comes as a standalone appetizer on the cabbage bed — that is the format to recreate if you want the original experience.