A slightly milder version of bang bang shrimp with pasta, but you can crank up the heat easily!
Some Like It Milder
Do you like food that’s a bit spicy but not so spicy that it feels as if your mouth is on fire?
I’m one of these people–and if you are then join the club. Bang Bang Shrimp is a delicious dish, but I always found most versions a little too “five alarm” for my tastes. I don’t mean to imply that I’m a wimp about heat; I’m not. However, when heat is the only thing I can taste, it’s not something that I enjoy.
So I adapted a generic recipe for Bang Bang Shrimp that still has a “bang” but is a bit milder than the usual.
For those who like more heat, it’s easy to adapt this to your tastes. All you have to do is add more cayenne, chili garlic sauce or red pepper flakes–individually or all three!
Pasta? Yes Indeed!
The pasta is the thing that completes this dish.
The best choices to use here are linguine, fettucine or bucatini (if you can get it). The reason is the sauce for the shrimp is rather thick and dense and you need a pasta that will hold up well where the sauce adheres. Generally, the flatter the pasta, the better it is for a thicker sauce. Bucatini is not flat, but it is a thicker spaghetti with a hole running down the center. It’s something like a drinking straw.
Ranges Make This Adaptable
I’ve given ranges for all the hot ingredients in this recipe.
If you use the lowest amounts of each, you’ll end up with a meal that’s piquant where the flavors shine through and a nice heat sensation.
Using the largest amounts will, of course, produce a much hotter end product. I’d advise you to start small and taste because you can always add more of whatever pleases you. And you can use more than the largest amounts if you’re a big fan of very hot food.
Watch The Video
The Recipe
Bang Bang Shrimp With Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 lb shrimp peeled and deveiened
- 2 tbs oil
- 1/2-1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 8 oz linguine cooked per package directions, drained
- 2-4 tbs chili garlic sauce photo of the product--affiliate link
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 4 cloves garlic finely minced or put through a press
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- 1/2 cup chopped green onions
- 3 tbs minced fresh cilantro
- 1/2-1 tsp red chili flakes
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, chili garlic sauce and garlic. Set aside.
- Place shrimp in a medium bowl and add the salt, cayenne and garlic powder. Toss to coat all the shrimp.
- Heat oil in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook until shrimp are starting to sear, about 2 minutes. Turn shrimp and cook the other side until it starts to sear, about 2 minutes.
- Add the pasta and sauce and turn off the heat. Toss until everything is coated with the sauce. Add the lemon juice, green onions and cilantro and toss to combine. Sprinkle with the red pepper flakes.
I haven’t ever seen chili garlic sauce. What area of the store would I find it? Asian?
Yes, that’s where you’ll find it. Sometimes it’s referred to as “chili paste” (at least in some recipes) and I found that confusing so I looked online at a recipe that had step-by-steps and it’s definitely the chili garlic sauce that is used. I will post a link in the recipe to what the jar looks like. There’s a couple of brands, but what I used was from the same company that puts out the sriracha sauce (with the rooster on the jar)
Hey! This looks great. My wife hates spice so a slightly less spicy version might due the trick but i do like that i can amp it up slightly for myself. Hoping to try this next week sometime!
Joe recently posted…Power Air Fryer Review
My mom always said you can add but you can’t take it out. Make it mild for your wife, then go to town with the heat on your portion!!!