Bang bang shrimp. The name alone spikes my curiosity. What is bang bang shrimp!? Just about the yummiest spicy shrimp pasta ever.
The first time I heard of bang bang shrimp pasta was years ago, I was on the facebook (haha) and someone shared an overhead cooking video, at the time these were so amazing and new!
I can't even remember what company it was but it had pasta, shrimp and looked spiiiicy. Yum.
I really didn't think about it for awhile but the first time I made bang bang shrimp pasta I wondered "what have I been missing out on!?"
You just keep eating it and loving it.
You really are in control of how spicy this gets though, I think mine is more mild than a lot and still, it clears my sinuses. This recipe is definitely more spicy than this creamy cajun shrimp pasta, which is a bit more mild.
This bang bang shrimp pasta is a lighter version than the classic.
I use Greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise and lemon juice instead of lime. I just like the way this tastes better.
Typically I have lemon juice on hand and right now I am fully stocked up because my friend gave me a ton of lemons awhile back and I juiced them and froze it in individual tablespoon ice trays.
Actually they are baby food trays from when my kids were babies.
The yogurt gets mixed with sambel olek which you can find at any grocery store in the asian cooking section.
This is where all the spice comes from! I love sambel olek, especially for angry edamame.
For the shrimp I toss it in paprika, salt, pepper and just a little bit of corn starch for texture when it cooks.
But the most important part of all is the pasta water!
Add half of a cup of pasta water to the sauce will give the bang bang shrimp pasta a nice smooth texture. Without it the sauce gets kind of clumpy.
I will say this is something you want to time out right and eat it right away as it sits, it thickens.
So to get that gorgeous silky smooth sauce, scoot on over to the table and dig in!
Bang Bang Shrimp Pasta
Bang bang shrimp. What is bang bang shrimp!? Just about the yummiest spicy shrimp pasta ever.
Ingredients
- 8 oz spaghetti
- 1 lb shrimp, deveined, cleaned and dried on paper towels
- 1 tbsp high heat oil, sunflower oil is my choice
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 garlic cloves
- 7 oz greek yogurt, small container
- 3 tbsp sambal olek
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ tsp sriracha
- ½ c reserved pasta water
shrimp seasoning
- ½ tsp paprika
- a few pinches of salt and pepper
- *optional garnishes: green onions, crushed red pepper and sesame seeds
Instructions
- Boil the spaghetti in slightly salted water and reserve ½ cup pasta water before you drain it
- Season cleaned and dried shrimp with paprika, salt and pepper
- Heat a saute pan over medium heat with 1 tbsp oil (high heat flavorless oil works best, like sunflower oil)
- Add the shrimp to the pan in an even layer so they aren't overlapping, cook until pink and transfer to a plate (this takes only 3-4 minutes)
- Turn heat down to low and add the butter and garlic, cook for 2 minutes until fragrant
- Turn the heat off
- In a small bowl whisk together the greek yogurt, samba olek, lemon juice and sriracha
- Pour this into the pan, whisking until smooth
- Add back in the shrimp and the spaghetti, toss everything together
- Use the pasta water if the sauce gets too thick
- Serve with some sliced green onions, crushed rep pepper and sesame seeds
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 274Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 166mgSodium: 920mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 24g
This information comes from online calculators. Although moderncrumb.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
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