Garlicky Shrimp

The first time I visited Hawaii in April 2009, Shrimp Trucks were one of many stops my friends and I made. Locals — before Yelp became a thing — gave us recommendations to visit the Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck and Hawaii Ono Shrimp Truck along Oahu’s North Shore. The former was the best-known and nearly always had long lines, whereas the latter had arguably just-as-good garlic shrimp as its more famous competitor without the wait time.

Sunset at Oahu, Hawaii /yuenStudios 2009

I had since not been back to Oahu to taste the garlicky, saucy, savory shrimp rice plate because of the long lines, but had a strong craving for it last year while watching a food television show. Could I make some at home? Short answer: absolutely, YES! Better yet… it was EASY to make with very simple ingredients! [UPDATE: I finally had a chance to go again in December 2022 and modified this article accordingly.]

Hawaiian Garlic Butter Shrimp is easy to make with very simple ingredients.

Hawaii was such a beautiful place with friendly, laid-back people. We had met many locals who told us how they got there: they visited one of Hawaii’s many islands, fell in love with the places, people, and culture, and decided to stay! Maui seemed to be the island of choice although I met one Southern California mountain couple in December 2022 who was looking to retire on the Big Island for its remote, quiet lifestyle.

Back to garlic shrimp. Earlier today, I made my parents a plate for lunch, and though they liked it, they suggested some modifications based on grandpa’s decades of experience as a Chinese chef. The result was a crispy, visually more appetizing shrimp plate than I had ever made before.

Oahu Shrimp Trucks

After this article was originally written in September 2022, my family and I vacationed in Oahu, Hawaii, for a week in December that year. We made stops at Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck and Fumi’s Shrimp along the island’s infamous North Shore. Giovanni’s was full of garlic flavor and its shrimp had a great consistency and firmness. When I asked the server where the shrimp came from, she said that they bought them frozen from a wholesaler (locally whenever possible). That was quite a surprise but also underscores that tasty shrimp dishes can be had from frozen ones too. Fumi’s raised its own shrimp right behind its store.

Both the Garlic Butter and Lemon Butter Shrimp plates were delicious at Giovanni’s, but surprisingly, a local who had lived in Oahu for 20 years told a patron at Fumi’s that they were no longer the best. He mentioned that after having tried every single shrimp truck, Romy’s was his favorite. We did not get a chance to stop by there, but definitely will the next time we visit.

Fumi’s had a larger list of flavors and prided itself in growing fresh shrimp right in its own backyard. They were larger than Giovanni’s but were also priced a bit more. I would skip the Original (steamed) flavor. Slice of pineapple was a nice touch.

Blue Water Shrimp at the Hilton Hawaiian Village served Spicy Garlic Shrimp (photo above) at a high price but unfortunately was not worth salivating or spending that much money for.

Ingredients

• Extra-large shrimp (or prawn) with shell on and deveined
  • Shell-on is key for a nice seafood, crunchy taste, though you can use de-shelled shrimp too (just will not have as nice a flavor, in my opinion)
  • Frozen or fresh is fine
  • We left the head on and did not devein (removing intestine) for this recipe as my mom insisted it was fine to leave them as-is. I do prefer the head on, but remove the main central vein
    • To devein, poke a toothpick through the upper part of the body and lift up to reveal the intestine. Gently pull it out and wash off your fingers in a bowl of water
• Minced garlic
  • Use as much as you want
• Unsalted butter
  • Use as much as you want for a more buttery, but perhaps unhealthy, taste
• Olive oil
• Egg (optional)
  • My mom learned from her Chinese chef dad that adding egg before coating with the dry mix would give a visually more appealing color to the dish and add a bit more oomph to the taste
  • For this recipe, she snuck eggs in AFTER I had already coated the shrimp with dry mix. She wanted to prove that it would add more flavor… and it did!
• Dry Mix: All-Purpose Flour, Paprika, Salt, Pepper, Cayenne Pepper
  • You may skip the Cayenne Pepper for a non-spicy dish
  • Optional: Both my mom and wife suggested to add corn starch for more crunch, but we did not do so for when I wrote this article. It did taste better with some mixed in
• Lemon
• White rice
• Optional
  • Green Onions, Parsley (chopped) for garnish and taste
  • Pineapple and Mango (cubed)
  • Hawaiian Macaroni Salad

Preparation

• Defrost shrimp in the refrigerator overnight
• Wash shrimp, drain, and pat dry with paper towels
• Cook the white rice
• Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl by combining:
  • Flour, paprika, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and corn starch (optional)
  • Skip the cayenne if you do not want any spiciness. A little of it goes a long way
• Optional: Stir egg in a separate bowl

Garlic Butter Sauce

• On medium-low heat, melt unsalted butter (it should only bubble lightly), then add minced garlic until fragrant (but NOT browned!)
  • If garlic becomes brown now, it will become more bitter during the final steps of cooking
• Set aside the Garlic Butter Sauce

Shrimp Grilling

• Optional: Dip shrimp into egg
  • My parents found this to add flavor and a nice, visual appeal to the dish
  • Shake off excess egg
• Toss shrimp in the Dry Mix to coat or use a Flour Dredge

• Add olive oil to pan at medium heat
• Add shrimp in single layer only
  • Do not overcrowd the pan. If you do, the shrimp will not come out crispy. Cook them in batches
• Once underside of shrimp is a crispy pink (1.5 – 2 minutes), flip it and cook for another 1.5 – 2 minutes
  • Set cooked shrimp aside if you plan on making a large batch
• Set heat to medium-low, add Garlic Butter sauce to the shrimp, and let marinate for a minute for the sauce to combine
  • Add extra butter and garlic as desired

Enjoy!

Now, it is time to EAT! Serve the grilled shrimp hot with rice.

• Drizzle remaining garlic butter sauce over the rice and shrimp
• Squeeze lemon all over the rice and shrimp for that extra kick
• Optional
  • Garnish with green onions and/or parsley
  • Add pineapple, mango, and/or Hawaiian Macaroni Salad

Personally, I love eating some of the crispy shell and suck out the juices from the head, but there are those who prefer them de-shelled.

Got suggestions or ideas for this recipe? Please share in the Comments!

Variation: Pork Belly Garlic Butter

Variation: Garlic Butter Pork Belly

Just for fun, we threw some pork belly onto the pan and poured the garlic butter sauce all over to see how it would taste. Not bad at all! Just be mindful to cook the pork fully before adding any garlic as it takes a significant amount of time to prepare. You would not want the garlic to burn and become bitter.

Where To Buy

• Extra Large Shrimp
• Cayenne Pepper
• Flour Dredge