Boom Boom Shrimp starts with succulent shrimp, then fries it up tempura-style for a light and crispy exterior, all smothered in a spicy Boom Boom sauce. This Southern favorite is next level and works great as an appetizer, main dish, or even as a salad topper. Plus, it's ready in under 30 minutes!
A Quick Look at the Recipe
👩🏻🍳 Recipe Name: Boom Boom Shrimp
⏱️ Ready In: 25 minutes
🧑🧑🧒 Serves: 10 as an appetizer
🍴Calories: ~650 (estimated)
🥣 Main Ingredients: Shrimp, tempura batter, boom boom sauce
🎯 Difficulty: Moderate
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My friends, this is one of my new favorite recipes. When I first set out to test this recipe, I was a little intimidated. I don't particularly love frying, but I found crispy tempura shrimp easier to make than your typical fried food, and the boom boom sauce comes together in just minutes, making this a quick meal.
This recipe takes just under 30 minutes to make and is a hit with my whole family (even with my spice-adverse son!) We've made this several times since my first attempt, and none of us gets tired of it. I love it as a main dish served with rice and veggies (I love it alongside these air fryer sweet potato cubes, or these garlic green beans), but it also goes great stuffed in a taco shell or on top of a salad. You can also serve it as an appetizer. Delish!
Why I Love This Recipe
I love these delicious, crispy shrimp so much. Here's why.
- Easy. While there is some frying involved for the shrimp, this is actually a really easy recipe and can be made in minutes. Crispy shrimp paired with a spicy boom boom sauce make for a mouthwatering combination.
- Comes together fast! The boom boom sauce comes together quickly, and the shrimp fries up in just minutes, making this a quick recipe perfect for busy weeknights or your next party.
- Versatile. These boom-boom shrimp are so delicious, and you can use them in a million ways. Serve them as an appetizer, a main course, or even on top of salads or stuffed into a taco!
- That sauce! If you've never tried boom boom sauce, you're in for a treat. Slightly sweet and slightly spicy, the homemade boom boom sauce is a delicious coating for the tempura shrimp.
Key Ingredients
You need surprisingly few ingredients to make this recipe. Here are the star players
For The Tempura Shrimp
- Shrimp. Use large shrimp for the best results, ensuring a juicy interior and crispy exterior.
- Peanut oil. Ideal for frying the shrimp, providing a golden brown and crispy finish. While I love using peanut oil here, it can admittedly get a little pricy. Canola oil is a fine substitute (especially if that's what you have on hand).
- Flour and egg yolks. This will be the base of the tempura shrimp batter.
- Ice water. Using ice water in your tempura batter is very important as it slows down the formation of gluten and prevents the crust from absorbing too much oil. This keeps the tempura coating light and airy, instead of heavily fried.
For the Boom Boom Sauce
- Mayonaise. This gives the boom boom sauce its creamy texture.
- Sweet chili sauce, sriracha sauce, and ketchup. These three sauces combine to give the mayonnaise-based sauce a sweet and spicy kick.
- Garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and cayenne pepper. You'll use these in the boom boom sauce and the shrimp batter for some extra flavor.
Variations and Substitutions
- Air fryer option. For a healthier alternative, you can skip the tempura batter and just air fry the shrimp instead. Simply coat the shrimp with cooking spray and air fry at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 8-10 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- Try a different sauce. Experiment with different sauces. Similar, yet slightly different, yum yum sauce or bang bang sauce are great alternatives to this classic boom boom shrimp.
- Make it vegetarian! Substitute shrimp with tofu or cauliflower florets for a vegetarian-friendly version of this dish.
- Dip instead of coat. If you're serving this shrimp as an app, you could also simply fry up the shrimp, then serve the boom-boom sauce on the side. It makes a great dipping sauce.
- Sub ½ cup of flour in the tempura batter for cornstarch. You don't have to do this, but to create an even lighter batter, try subbing some of your flour for cornstarch. To keep your tempura coating light and airy, you want to prevent as much gluten as possible from forming. Using cornstarch can help with that because it lowers the gluten formation. If using cornstarch, use a 1:1 ratio (½ cup cornstarch + ½ cup flour) for the batter.
How to Make Boom Boom Shrimp
Here's how to make this spicy shrimp dish.
Step 1: Prepare the boom boom sauce. In a small bowl, combine the mayo, sweet chili sauce, sriracha sauce, ketchup, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and cayenne pepper. Mix well and set aside.
Step 2: Make the shrimp tempura batter. In a high-sided pot, fryer, or cast-iron skillet, heat peanut oil on medium-high heat until it reaches 350° Fahrenheit.
Make the shrimp tempura batter by mixing 1 cup of flour, egg yolks, and ice water in a medium bowl until smooth. Place the remaining flour in a separate bowl.
Step 3: Batter the shrimp. Dredge each shrimp piece in the bowl with the flour, then dip it into the batter.
Step 4: Fry the tempura shrimp. Add the shrimp to the hot oil, then fry in batches for about 3 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden brown and crispy.
Step 5: Cool slightly. Remove the tempura fried shrimp from the oil and place the shrimp on a paper towel-lined plate to cool/drain for 2-3 minutes.
Step 6: Coat shrimp with boom boom sauce. Toss the shrimp in the prepared boom boom sauce to coat. Serve hot with rice and veggies, as an app, or on top of a salad.
Boom Boom Shrimp Frequently Asked Questions
Boom boom sauce tastes sweet and tangy, with a bit of a spicy kick to it. It has a creamy texture and is a versatile sauce for chicken or shrimp.
Boom boom shrimp is crispy, popcorn-style shrimp tossed in a creamy sauce that's perfectly sweet with a spicy kick, and is totally addictive. It's often served as an appetizer but can also be served as a main dish alongside rice or veggies.
Boom boom sauce is made from a mixture of sweet chili sauce, ketchup, mayo, sriracha, and spices, and works great as a sauce for shrimp, as in this recipe. It's also delicious when used as a dip.
Yes, the boom boom sauce can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. I love making a double batch of this sauce, as it goes great with other dishes too. It's the perfect dipping sauce for chicken tenders, French fries, or sweet potato fries.
You should use thawed shrimp for this recipe. If starting with frozen shrimp (I actually usually use the shrimp found in the frozen section at Costco), just thaw it in the fridge overnight, or place it in a collandar in the sink and run it under cold water for a few minutes until thawed. Once thawed, it's ready to coat in your flour mixture/batter.
Ugh - soggy shrimp is the worst! This is where the batching comes in! You can't crowd the pan since adding too many shrimp at once can lower the temperature of the oil, preventing the batter from becoming crispy. Make sure to fry the shrimp in a single layer and avoid overcrowding the pan to ensure extra crispiness.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container for 1-2 days in the fridge. The best way I've found to reheat these is in the air fryer, but you could also place them on a sheet pan and pop them in the oven for 20-30 minutes at 385, or until they crisp up again and the shrimp are heated through.
What to serve with Boom Boom Shrimp
There are so many different ways to enjoy this decadent treat. Here are a few ideas:
- As an appetizer. (To make eating these easier for a party, consider serving the boom boom sauce on the side for guests to dip the tempura shrimp in.) We love this with a side of air fryer French fries, or crispy air fryer kale chips.
- On a bed of steamed rice or in a rice bowl. (We love it this way, with a side of roasted veggies.)
- On top of a salad.
- Added to noodles.
- In a taco.
- In a stir-fry.
- As a shrimp po'boy - just stuff the mixture into a sub roll!
More Easy Weeknight Dinner Recipes With Shrimp
If you try this Easy Boom Boom Shrimp recipe, let me know what you think in the comments below! And don't forget to tag me @frontrangefed on Instagram so I can see your masterpiece!
Recipe
Super Easy Boom Boom Shrimp Recipe (Sweet & Spicy!)
Ingredients
For The Shrimp Tempura
- 1 lb whole shrimp peeled, tails removed
- 2 cups peanut oil
- 1 ½ cups water, with ice
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 egg yolks
For The Boom Boom Sauce
- ¾ cup mayo
- 3 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
- 2 tablespoon sriracha sauce
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Make the Boom Boom Sauce. Combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a medium-sized bowl and mix well. Set aside while you fry the shrimp.
- Heat the oil. Heat the peanut oil in a high-sided pot or fryer until 350 degrees.
- Make the ice water. Combine 1 ½ cups water with ice and let sit for 2 minutes.
- Make the shrimp batter. In a medium bowl, add 1 cup flour, 2 egg yolks, and 1 ½ cups ice water from the ice water mixture above.
- Fry. Place the remaining cup of flour in a shallow bowl. Dredge each shrimp piece in the flour, then dip it into the batter. Add the shrimp to the hot oil and fry for about 3 minutes, flipping halfway through. (Work in batches if you need to - don't crowd the pan.)
- Remove the shrimp from the oil and place on a plate lined with paper towels. All the shrimp to cool for 2 minutes, then add to a large bowl and toss with the boom boom sauce.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
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Sarah says
Delicious! Great recipe!
Chris says
Such a great appetizer, this reminds me of a certain restaurant I always went to in the 2000s ...