Pat the shrimp completely dry with a clean paper towel.
Butterfly the shrimp on the backside. Place the tip of a small paring knife in the cut near the head of the shrimp, then cut along the back of the shrimp about three-quarters of the way to the tail. Don't cut all the way through the shrimp - just a slight slit to open up the back of the body. This will make your shrimp extra tasty and open up like a beautiful butterfly once cooked.
Set up 3 wide, shallow bowls and a large empty plate on your countertop - 1 bowl for the whisked egg, the second bowl for starch, and the third bowl for panko bread crumbs. Season the eggs with a small pinch of salt. Season the starch with 2 small pinches of salt. Place the empty plate nearby where you will put your coated shrimp.
Preheat a 6-quart air fryer at 400F for 5 minutes.
While the air fryer is preheating, using the same hand, dip the shrimp in the egg until well-coated, then lightly dust with starch, and then back to the egg. Finally, place the egg-covered shrimp into the bowl of breadcrumbs. Use a dry hand to coat and lightly press evenly with breadcrumbs. Repeat the process for the remaining shrimp.
Spray the air fryer basket with a generous layer of avocado oil. Carefully place the shrimp into the basket with some space between each piece. You’ll need two separate batches to cook the entire shrimp (see notes). Spray more oil on top of each shrimp. Air fryer at 330F (165C) for 3 minutes, then gently and carefully flip them and air fry for another 3 minutes.
In the meantime, whisk the bang bang sauce ingredients in one bowl.
Garnish the shrimp with spring onion, drizzle a few spoonfuls of bang bang sauce over the shrimp, and serve the extra sauce on the side.
Notes
It’s likely you will need to make the shrimp in two separate batches. Please make sure to cool the first batch over a cooling rack so the shrimp won’t turn soggy.
To prevent bread crumbs from falling off of the shrimp, use a little gentle pressure to press the shrimp onto the bread crumbs.
Only drizzle the bang bang sauce over the shrimp right before serving to keep the shrimp extra crunchy/crispy.
It’s worth it to spend a little time butterflying the shrimp. It improves the shrimp texture in the mouthfeel and the presentation.
Size of the shrimp: I use extra-large white shrimp (8/12 count per pound). A slightly smaller version (10/15 count per pound) is okay as well.
The nutritional label is estimated without the sauce. For a detail information, please see my bang bang sauce recipe.