Lightened-Up Bang Bang Shrimp Salad

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, put them in a bowl, cover them and place them in the fridge.

Next, gather all of your greens. Start by chopping 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 add your chopped green onions sprinkling them onto the very top.

Next, you’ll make your Bang Bang sauce. Side note: the Thai sweet chili sauce 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, sweet chili sauce and Sriracha together in a small bowl until smooth and creamy. Put it in the refrigerator until you are ready.

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 set aside. 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, remove the shrimp from the oil and stack them 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).