Spice up Lenten fish fry with Boom Boom Shrimp

PITTSBURGH — There’s no question as to what menu item is the most ordered at Friday fish fries during Lent.

This tasty seafood dish is one of the more unusual dishes served at local fish fries in Pittsburgh. The slightly spicy “boom-boom” sauce is made with mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce and sriracha.

I marinated the shrimp in buttermilk and tossed them in cornstarch to make the dish gluten-free, but other recipes call for dredging it in a flour mixture. Some also use egg in the batter.

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Boom-Boom Shrimp

INGREDIENTS

For boom boom sauce

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sweet chili sauce

2 tablespoons sriracha, or more to taste

Pinch of salt

For shrimp

1 pound large raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, rinsed and patted dry

1 cup cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup vegetable oil, for frying

DIRECTIONS

Make sauce: Combine mayonnaise, chili sauce, sriracha and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Whisk to combine, taste to see if it’s spicy enough (if not, add more sriracha) and set aside while you prepare shrimp.

In large bowl, whisk together cornstarch, garlic powder, white pepper and salt.

Working in batches, dredge the shrimp in cornstarch mixture, shake off excess and place on plate or sheet pan while you heat oil.

In a large skillet heat oil to 325 degrees.

Place 4 or 5 shrimp at a time in the hot oil and cook for around 2 minutes per side, or until golden brown and shrimp is opaque.

Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel-lined plate or rack. Repeat with remaining shrimp.

Once all shrimp are cooked, add them to the bowl with the sauce and toss very gently to coat. (You don’t want to knock off the coating.)

Slide onto a platter. If desired, garnish with sesame seeds and scallions. Serve immediately. Serves 4. — Gretchen McKay, Post-Gazette

Tribune News Service

Originally Published: March 12, 2025 at 3:03 AM EDT