These boom boom shrimp are jam-packed with addictive flavor. From the golden brown fried shrimp to the creamy sweet-and-spicy boom boom sauce, this is the perfect snack or party treat that your friends and family will fight over for the last bite!
Boom boom shrimp are skewered shrimp fried in a flour-cola batter that is then served alongside a flavorful sauce. Similar to “goop,” or special sauce, “boom boom” sauce is ridiculously flavorful and decadent, made primarily with mayo, sweet chili sauce, ketchup, and sriracha.
Regardless if you have a lot or a little experience in the kitchen, this is the perfect quick and easy recipe to make for friends and family when you really want to go all out. The best part is that from start to finish, it only takes 20 minutes to have these boom boom shrimp ready on the table!
From frying shrimp perfectly to quick cooking tips, discover how to make the best boom boom shrimp today.
Boom Boom Shrimp Explained
Interestingly enough, boom boom sauce originated from the midwest gas station chain, Sheetz, which became notorious for making this sauce and serving it alongside fried pickles. Since then, it has become such a success that creative home cooks have adapted it to suit a variety of dishes, including savory deep-fried shrimp.
Boom boom sauce combines creamy mayonnaise with sweet and spicy ingredients to create a pink-colored, super addictive sauce that honestly could even make cardboard taste good!
What really makes the sauce stand out is the secret ingredient – peanut butter. It may seem odd, but the small addition of creamy peanut butter adds richness and depth of flavor to your boom boom sauce that is guaranteed to spark questions from your friends.
You can tell them your secrets if you want – or you can keep it our little secret!
How to Fry Shrimp
Learning how to fry shrimp perfectly is a skill worth practicing. It may take some patience, but with a few key tips and tricks, you can learn how to fry shrimp easily. Here are a couple of tips to note:
- Pick the right frying oil- all oil has a smoke point or a temperature at which the oil will begin to smoke. The best oils for frying have a high smoke point, such as avocado oil, canola oil, or peanut oil.
- Don’t crowd the pan- Crowding the pan will cause the temperature of the oil to drop, making for inconsistent frying. To avoid this, work in batches and add additional oil to the pan as necessary.
- Wait until the oil is hot- Adding your shrimp to a pan that is not sufficiently hot will make it hard to perfectly time the cooking process. To tell when your oil is hot, sprinkle 1-2 drops of water into the pan. If it sizzles, it’s good to go!
How to Serve Boom Boom Shrimp
If serving your boom boom shrimp as an appetizer, you can serve them as skewers with a side dish of boom boom dipping sauce. If you want to serve boom boom shrimp as part of dinner, you can remove them from the skewers and toss them directly in the sauce.
Leftovers
Now, when it comes to leftovers, these boom boom shrimp are pretty addictive, so you likely won’t have a hard time eating them in one go. However, if you have leftovers, you can store your fried shrimp and boom boom sauce separately in airtight containers. The shrimp should last for 3 to 4 days. The sauce should last up to 1 week.
Reheating
To reheat shrimp, either the oven or an air fryer is the best method, as the microwave will leave your fried shrimp mushy and not crispy. If using the oven, prepare a baking dish with foil and bake your shrimp at 300°F for about 10 minutes. Check after 10 minutes and continue cooking until they are fully reheated.
If using the air fryer, place your shrimp in the air fryer basket and heat at 350°F for 2-3 minutes or until they are thoroughly reheated.
Quick Tips
- If using frozen shrimp, allow them to thaw in the fridge overnight, or put them in a bowl and run them under cold water until they are sufficiently thawed.
- This recipe calls for unflavored soda water, but you can use ginger ale or even Sprite for added flavor.
- Sriracha can be omitted if you don’t like it very spicy, or you can add even more than this recipe calls for.
Boom Boom Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 lb shrimp (peeled, deveined, with tails removed)
- 1 ½ cups flour
- ¾ cup cornstarch
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 12 oz unflavored soda water
- canola oil (for frying)
Boom Boom Sauce
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup sweet chili sauce
- 1 tbsp creamy peanut butter
- 1 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tbsp sriracha
- scallions (for garnish)
Instructions
- In a large skillet with the heat set to medium, add enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan by 1 inch.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, and garlic powder.
- Toss the shrimp in your flour mixture, then skewer each shrimp (3 on each skewer) and set aside.
- To your flour mixture, whisk in the can of soda water.
- Coat each skewer in your wet flour mixture, then fry on each side until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side. Use a pair of tongs to flip your skewers.
- For the boom boom sauce, combine all ingredients except sesame seeds and scallions in a medium-sized bowl.
- Taste and adjust flavor as necessary. Serve on the side with scallions garnished on top of the sauce.