Lightened-Up Bang Bang Shrimp Salad

Many of you may have seen my previous restaurant post about Bonefish Grill (if you haven't check it out here!). If you have, or if you've ever ventured to one yourself, you probably know that patrons go nuts over their signature Bang Bang Shrimp. If you don't believe me, check out the line on $5 Bang Bang Shrimp Wednesdays.
I had the pleasure of tasting the delicious appetizer during my last visit, and now I'm hooked. The shrimp was tangy, sweet, gooey, and crunchy all at the same time, a glorious feat of culinary mastery. And although I could sense that the sauce contained gratuitous amounts of mayonnaise and the shrimp was surely deep fried, I couldn't have cared less! I ate all the shrimp I could, and when they were all gone, I proceeded to nibble on the bed of lettuce and cabbage that the shrimp had been sitting on. I was pleased to find that the warm Bang Bang sauce had seeped down past the hot shrimp and coated the lettuce, creating a unique and tangy dressing.
Several weeks later, the idea hit me - if Bang Bang sauce made such a great dressing before, surely it would be an excellent addition to a salad!
And from that idea, I present to you my lightened-up version of Bang Bang shrimp topping a fresh and healthy salad.

My recipe used a sauce almost identical to the restaurant's, but includes pan-frying the shrimp instead of deep-frying them. If you're pressed for time or want to cut down on excess oil even more, feel free to bake the shrimp in the oven!

So, if you're ready to try this tangy, fresh, and oh-so-addictive salad yourself, grab these ingredients:

1 lb uncooked shrimp
1 head iceberg lettuce
1 package broccoli slaw
1/3 cup chopped green onions
2 cups Panko bread crumbs
Oil
3/4 cup mayonnaise
3/8 cup Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
1 teaspoon Sriracha

Ready? Let's go.

Start by washing, peeling, and deveining all of your little shrimp.

I know this part can be gross, but really, would you rather risk eating feces?

Once your shrimp are all cleaned, inside and out, cover them and place them in the fridge. 

Next, gather all of your greens.

Start by chopping up the entire head of lettuce into strips, making sure to remove the yellow leaves (you don't want your salad to be bitter!).

Place all of your lettuce into a large serving bowl. Top with the broccoli slaw mixture, then chop your green onions and sprinkle them onto the very top.

Next, you'll make your Bang Bang sauce. BEHOLD - the three greatest ingredients that I've never expected to use together:

Side note: the Thai Sweet Chili Sauce (center) was fairly difficult to find, so don't get it mixed up with Thai Chili Oil, or any other chili condiments that don't include the word 'sweet' in the title. Sweetness is the key to this recipe!

Mix your mayo, chili sauce, and Sriracha together in a small bowl until smooth and creamy.

Next, gab a large frying pan, add 2 tablespoons of oil, and heat on medium.

Place your Panko crumbs into a shallow dish or pan and toss your shrimp in 1-2 tablespoons of oil.

Dredge your shrimp in the Panko crumbs, tossing to coat.

Carefully remove each one (I recommend using tongs for this part) and place them onto the hot pan. Allow the shrimp to cook about 3 minutes on each side, or until the breading is browned and the shrimp are no longer translucent (they should have a nice pink color to them).

Next, stack your shrimp in a bowl and pour the Bang Bang sauce all over them, tossing well to coat evenly. 

Scoop yourself (and everyone else, if you're willing to share) a heaping bowl of the salad mixture and top with generous amounts of the hot shrimp and sauce.

And there you go! No need to muscle past patrons on Bang Bang Wednesdays anymore, you've got the means to make your own at home (and impress your friends).

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