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Switching things up with Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos with Fried Avocado. Crispy pan-fried avocado stuffed into warmed tortillas and topped with extra saucy, spicy-sweet, bang bang style shrimp. A fun take on a restaurant-style favorite. And the fried avocado…well it only takes things up a notch. Quick and simple, no deep-frying, saucy, and so delicious.
Bang bang shrimp tacos have been on my to-make list for a while now, but something was holding me back. They just didn’t feel quite special enough. Something felt like it was missing.
We all know I love to recreate restaurant-style favorites at home, so I knew these had potential. And that sweet, spicy, and creamy bang bang sauce sounded pretty darn delicious. It has sweet Thai chili sauce, which is always a favorite.
But when recipes don’t feel exciting enough, I usually hold off on making them or just forget about them altogether. So sometimes they never see the light of day, but other times, I’ll finally figure out that one missing element.
And that’s what happened with these tacos.
My cousin Maggie and I were walking to dinner in Vail the other night when she mentioned that she really wanted me to make fried avocado tacos.
When she mentioned it, I dismissed the idea, because to be completely honest, I’ve never understood why you’d fry an avocado. It’s awesome just as is, you know?
But the next day, I saw bang bang shrimp on my recipe list and something about the idea of the crispy avocado with the saucy shrimp sounded like perfection. And then, I was excited. Which was awesome, because recipes have been tricky lately.
Obviously, I made the tacos, and happily, they turned out sooo good. The avocado adds just the right amount of crispiness to the saucy shrimp. It’s a different taco, but it sure is delicious.
The details
Start with the sauce. Bang bang sauce is usually mayo, sweet Thai chili sauce, and hot sauce. I doubled the sweet Thai sauce and used an avocado oil-based mayo. You could also use yogurt, but I do think mayo is probably best here.
I also added a zest of lime. This gives the bang bang sauce just the right amount of zing.
For the shrimp, it’s actually pretty simple. Traditionally, restaurants will deep fry the shrimp and then toss them with the bang bang sauce. But I really hate frying, so I simply dipped the shrimp in flour and pan-fried them. It worked pretty perfectly, with no fried taste, which we prefer.
And then the avocado. It’s coated in Panko bread crumbs and then pan-fried. Truly soo delicious. The avocado on its own is reason enough to make these. Crunchy outside, so creamy inside.
Finish them up
Layer up some shredded lettuce or cabbage, cilantro, and then the fried avocado. Add the saucy shrimp, then drizzle over extra sauce. Looks fancy, and like these tacos took hours to prepare, but in reality, there’s nothing fancy about them.
Again, these aren’t traditional. Or even made in the traditional way of bang bang style shrimp. But they are fun, and they’re pretty darn delicious!
Looking for other taco recipes, try these:
Crispy Braised Chipotle Beef Tacos
Mushroom Al Pastor Tacos with Garlic Lime Special Sauce
Crispy Chipotle Sweet Potato Tacos with Lime Crema
Lastly, if you make these Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos with Fried Avocado, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Bang Bang Shrimp and Fried Avocado Tacos
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 791 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1/2 cup olive oil mayo
- 1/3 cup sweet Thai chili sauce, or to taste
- 3 teaspoons hot sauce
- flaky sea salt
- 1 lime, zested + quartered
Tacos
- 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, or use gluten-free
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 3 tablespoons mixed white and black sesame seeds
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 avocados, sliced
- 4 tablespoons avocado oil, or peanut oil, for cooking
- 12 warm tortillas, for serving
- shredded cabbage and cilantro, for serving
Instructions
- 1. To make the sauce. Combine mayo, chili sauce, hot sauce, and lime zest in a bowl. Season with salt. 2. To make the tacos. In a bowl, combine the flour, onion powder, and garlic powder. Dredge the shrimp through the flour to coat. Place on a plate. 3. In a bowl, combine the Panko and sesame seeds. Add the egg to another bowl. Toss the avocado slices with lime juice. Dip the avocado in the egg, then dredge through the Panko crumbs. 4. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the avocado slices, in batches if needed, and cook until golden, 1-2 minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining avocado. Season with salt. 5. In the same skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over high heat. Add the shrimp and sear until pink on both sides, 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and toss with half the sauce. 6. Stuff the greens/cilantro, fried avocado, and shrimp into the warmed tortillas. Serve with the remaining sauce.
I made this with pressed and baked tofu instead of shrimp. But otherwise followed the directions. It was amazing. We had never tried fried avocado before. So so good. Thanks!! This is a keeper.
Hi Shannon,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed!! xx
This was so good! We loved it!!!!
Hi Lindley,
Wonderful!! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for giving it a go:) xTieghan
So good. It’s a keeper!
Hi Gwen,
Wonderful!! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for giving it a go:) xTieghan
Made this last night and the family loved it
Hey Silvana,
Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Have the best weekend:) xT
I cannot have egg yolks. So I’m wondering what you suggest for people with egg allergies. I can have egg whites though. Would making a chia or flax eggs work? I’m planning to make these tonight.
Hey Kristin,
I would try buttermilk. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
I thought the recipe was good. I can’t have dairy either, so my husband used a chia egg and it ended up working ok. It was nice to have a recipe with no dairy. I am also a lover of shrimp tacos and avocados. So it was good. I can keep buttermilk in mind though.
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try Kristin!!
These are so good! The flavours and crunch work so well. These quickly went up to one of my favourite tacos
Hey Marie,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it!! Have the best day:) xx
Just made this. It was a hit. Found that I was wanting some raw green onion to go with.
Otherwise it was really unique and a welcomed change. One question. How are you charring your tortilla and why do you seem to layer them per serving?
Hey Patricia,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it!! I char my tortillas directly over a stove top flame. I like to use 2 for more durability. Have the best day:) xx
Loved it. I’m shocked how much I liked the fried avocado. My wife isn’t usually a big shrimp taco fan but gave this meal a full endorsement to make again. Thanks for the recipe! Any suggestions on how to use the leftover sauce?
Hey Nicholas,
Wonderful!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! Sure, you could use the leftover sauce on the new poke recipe that I posted! xT
I made these tonight and followed the recipe without substitutions and it was delicious. My whole family loved it (ages 13-50). I agree with others, fried avocado is absolutely amazing. Thank you for the easy, delicious recipe. Happy Taco Tuesday!
Hey there,
Wonderful!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! xT
Made this tonight and it was a big hit ! I think my prep time was a little longer but I need to follow step by step! Perfect meal for a cold night in NY.
Really delicious! Avocado and shrimp, what’s not to love !
Hey Jean,
Happy Sunday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for giving it a try! xxT
So so good! I used lettuce wraps instead of the tortilla and worked out excellent. A great change to the regular taco 🙂
Hi Shannon,
Wonderful!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! xT
Everything about this was SO good. I didn’t have chili sauce so I just omitted it and used some honey instead. It turned out pretty good!! For the avocado I used everything bagel seasoning and regular breadcrumbs since I didn’t have panko and they were great! I ate one taco with just the sauce and avocado they were so good.
Hey Leesha,
Wonderful!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! xT
These were seriously the best! I am an avid fan of this blog and all of the recipes. This recipe might be top of the list!
My boyfriend was a little nervous because he is not normally an avocado fan (I know) but he even commented that the avocado “made” the recipe! The sauce was delish too!
A total win!
Forgot the rating
5+ stars
Thanks again!!
Hey Loro,
Wonderful!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! xT
This is AMAZING!!!! The best shrimp tacos I’ve ever had. Super easy and a huge crowd pleaser.
Hi Maggie,
Wonderful!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! xT
I am not sure where I went wrong. I usually love your recipes. Tried these last night and I felt the tacos were a bust. Shrimp good but the avocado just tasted like fried panko crumbs with no flavour. Sauce also too lime tasting. Did I read the recipe correctly? One whole lime zest?
Hi Jackie,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, so sorry it was not enjoyed!! Yes, that is correct. Let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan
Just made these!! Soo delicious! The crispy avocados were amazing! My husband definitely enjoyed them ?
Hey there,
Wonderful!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! xT
I plan on making this tonight! Is there a way to use the air fryer?
Hey there,
I’ve not tried this in the air fryer, but I bet it would work well for you! Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Did you make this with the air fryer? If so, how did it turn out? We JUST got one and I’m super nervous to try it, but determined to find a recipe that gets me excited and feel the “I’ve gotta try this!” feeling. This may be the one of it worked great for you.