Hawaii-Style Garlic Shrimp

Name: Hawaii-Style Garlic Shrimp
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: american
Ingredients: 3/4 pound shell-on jumbo shrimp, deveined; 2 tablespoons mochiko (sweet rice flour), such as Blue Star brand (see Tip); 1 tablespoon smoked paprika; 1 teaspoon ground cayenne; 1 teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal); 1/4 cup unsalted butter; 1 head of garlic, cloves minced; 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more as needed; 1 lemon; Cooked rice, for serving

Recipe from Kathy YL Chan

Adapted by Ligaya Mishan

Published Feb. 5, 2023

Hawaii-Style Garlic Shrimp — Chris Simpson for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Sophia Pappas.

Total Time: 15 minutes
Rating: 4(629)
Comments: Read comments

Three decades ago, the first shrimp truck rolled out on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. It served jumbo shrimp, a dozen to a plate with two scoops of rice, crackly shelled and dark with paprika and a rubble of garlic and butter — so much butter that the sheen stayed on your fingers all day. Rivals soon appeared and today, at least a dozen trucks vie for customers, both locals and tourists who drive an hour from Honolulu. When Kathy YL Chan, the writer behind the Onolicious Hawai‘i blog, reverse-engineered the recipe, she dredged the shrimp in mochiko (sweet rice flour) for extra crispness, although all-purpose flour works, too. She calls for one head of garlic here but uses two heads herself; feel free to adjust according to your taste. —Ligaya Mishan

Featured in: Motorcycle Rides, Beach Breezes and the Shrimp I’ll Never Forget

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Ingredients

Yield:2 servings

¾pound shell-on jumbo shrimp, deveined
2tablespoons mochiko (sweet rice flour), such as Blue Star brand (see Tip)
1tablespoon smoked paprika
1teaspoon ground cayenne
1teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
¼cup unsalted butter
1head of garlic, cloves minced
1tablespoon olive oil, plus more as needed
1lemon
Cooked rice, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Pat the shrimp dry. Combine the mochiko, paprika, cayenne and salt in a large bowl. Add the shrimp, toss to coat and set aside.
Step 2
In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until toasty and golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour the butter and garlic into a small bowl.
Step 3
Return the skillet to medium heat and add the olive oil. Once the oil is warm, add the shrimp in a single layer. (Do this in two batches if needed.) Cook the shrimp for about 2 minutes on each side, until crackly and browned, adding oil if the pan dries out.
Step 4
Pour the garlic butter back into the skillet (and if you cooked the shrimp in batches, return the first batch). Toss until the shrimp is glossy. Cook for another minute.
Step 5
Put the shrimp on a platter and squeeze lemon all over. Eat the shrimp (peeled or with their shells) with rice.

Tip

If you don’t have mochiko, you may substitute all-purpose flour.

Ratings

4 out of 5

629 user ratings

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Comments

Huladanser072 years ago

I grew up hitting up the North Shore garlic shrimp trucks in Oahu and this recipe doesn’t disappoint. I’ve been making this recipe from the original blog since 2020, and it’s a hitter - easy weeknight dish or great dinner party dish for garlic lovers. The key is to dry your shrimp out to get the crisp, with or without shell. I dry the shrimp in the fridge between towels on a baking sheet the night before. I’ll also amp up the garlic and pulse it in a food processor with oil.

Mike2 years ago

Shrimp shells are edible, and are a source of glucosamine! They add a bit of crunch.

Jack C2 years ago

The shells would seem to be scarcely edible, so why are the shells left on before the crunchy coating is added?

nonstopeats8 months ago

Subbed in cornstarch for flour. Perfectly crispy!

Kristin11 months ago

I loved it but I cut way back on the cayenne for my kids. I also have super charged cayenne from a friend so I ended up using about 1/2 a tsp for 2 lbs shrimp. Believe it or not it was still a bit spicy. I would have gone spicier if making for adults who like spice.

Marti_DC1 year ago

Made this for my birthday dinner this weekend. We LOVED it. I was concerned about the amount of cayenne, but it wasn't an issue. The "heat" starts a little at the back of the mouth and it was nothing. I cleaned the shrimp and removed their legs and heads, but left the shells intact. My guests got messy. I ate the shrimp, shells and all. Hey... I'm getting old. I NEEDED THE ROUGHAGE. Really, terrific! Served with (handmade) pasta with fried lemons and chile flakes. Balanced tastes.

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