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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 with Fried Avocado | halfbakedharvest.com

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.

Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos with Fried Avocado | halfbakedharvest.com

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.

Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos with Fried Avocado | halfbakedharvest.com

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.

Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos with Fried Avocado | halfbakedharvest.com

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!

Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos with Fried Avocado | halfbakedharvest.com

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!

@halfbakedharvest

🍤 🌮 #tacos #sauce #shrimp #hotsauce #fried #friedavocado #avocado #tacoshop #spicy

♬ Little Bitty Pretty One – Bobby Day

Bang Bang Shrimp and Fried Avocado Tacos

Author: Tieghan Gerard
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
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.

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Ingredients

Sauce

Tacos

US Customary – Metric

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.
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Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos with Fried Avocado | halfbakedharvest.com
This post was originally published on February 15, 2022
4.45 from 301 votes (236 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I made the bang bang shrimp with fried avocado tacos for my husband and I. We thought they were spot on. Just right right amount of heat, crunch and creaminess. Will definitely be making this one often

    Reply

    2. Hey Ivey,
      I’ve not tested this, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work for you. Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan

      Reply

  3. 5 stars
    Made this dish last night and it was wonderful! Would advise following the recipe exactly as it is perfect. This will certainly become a favourite. Thanks so much for sharing your recipes with the world.

    Reply

  4. 4 stars
    The flavors were really nice and these came together quickly. I felt like it would be nice to have another texture in there though, so may try some mango in it next time.

    Reply

  5. 5 stars
    LOVED these. My husbands first comment after the first bite was “yeah I want these again”. Don’t skip a single step, it’s all necessary from the fried avocado to the cabbage. Thank you for making so many great recipes, I make at least 4 of yours a week that now any time we eat out I think “i could have made that better with a HBH recipe” lol

    Reply

    1. Hey Stephanie,
      Happy Wednesday!! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Thank you so much for your kind message! xTieghan

      Reply

    3. Hi Liz,
      You can just pop them in the oven or under the broiler if you want the char:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe!! xTieghan

      Reply

  9. I made this for lunch today and it was SOOO good! My avos weren’t good enough to fry so I smashed them up with salt and smeared on the bottom of the tortilla! Highly recommend doubling the sauce – it’s so tasty! I put half of the sauce into the pan with the shrimp at the end of cooking (I didn’t flour them, only onion powder, garlic powder, S & P) and it coated the shrimp so well! Topped with extra sauce and more hot sauce! YUM!!

    Reply

    1. Beverly look up girl with the iron cast and search air fryer avocado fries. Or just Google how to air fry fried avocado and you’ll chime across several recipes. I’ve only tried hers though and they were simply amazing! I love love my air fryer! Could even do the shrimp in there I assume.

      Reply

    2. Hi Beverly,
      I’ve not tried that, but you could certainly give it a go! Let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan

      Reply

  11. These look and sound delicious. Definitely going to try this one. I loved watching Red and Hailey in the Olympics. They are both amazing.

    Reply

    1. Thanks so much Karen, they are pretty awesome and we are so proud of them! Let me know if you give the recipe a try! xT

      Reply

  12. Hi! This looks awesome and I want to make it, but my husband is allergic to shellfish (shrimp in this case)- what protein swap might you suggest? Chicken?

    Reply

    1. Hey Julia,
      Chicken would be great here! Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope it turns out amazing for you!! xTieghan

      Reply

    1. Hey Ann,
      I’ve not personally tried this, but you totally could! Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan

      Reply

    1. If you have a gas range, use tongs to get them toasted over an open flame. I use this method for warming and toasting all of my tortillas…even flour. It really adds a whole other layer of flavor. It you don’t have a gas range you can also grill them.

      Reply

    2. Hey Cynthia,
      I put the tortilla directly over the stove top flame. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan

      Reply

        1. Hi Rachel,
          Totally, that will work well for you. Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xxT

          Reply