Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp

During the second leg of our honeymoon, Jay and I went to Oahu. Everyone told us we had to visit Giovianni’s Shrimp Truck located in the North Shore. We rented a Jeep and made the trip. It was one of the best things I have ever had! The line was super long but it was so worth it. We actually went twice during our 6 day stay. I hope this recipe give you as much joy as it did for us during that magical time. PS: Enjoy the shrimp with the shell, if you can.

 
 
 

Hawaiian garlic shrimp

Prep time: 20 minutes | Total time: 20 minutes

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

1 pound medium 21-25 shrimp, cleaned and deveined

1 tablespoon Spanish sweet paprika

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Kosher salt

1 stick unsalted butter

10-12 medium cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil, optional

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1 lemon, halved and cut into wedges

White rice for serving

Instructions:

  1. In a large bowl, toss the shrimp with paprika, all-purpose flour, cayenne, flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set aside.

  2. Melt the butter in a large skillet over low-medium heat. Add the garlic and crushed pepper flakes, stirring occasionally, until garlic is golden brown, about 3 minutes. 

  3. Adjust heat to medium heat and add the seasoned shrimp to the skillet, making sure the shrimp are in an even layer. Cook until shrimp has turned pink, about 3 minutes. Flip and continue to cook until other side is also pink, about 2 minutes more. If you need more fat to the pan, feel free to add the 2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil.

  4. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and chopped parsley, stir until everything is well combined. Let simmer for a minute more. 

  5. Transfer to a plate and squeeze the lemon half all over the shrimp. Serve with additional lemon wedges on the side. Enjoy while warm.

Cook’s Note

*If you are using frozen shrimp, place in a colander and rinse under cold water for 2 minutes. Then soak in cold water for 5 minutes until thawed. Shake off excess water and pat dry.

Buying guide for shrimp

Source: Serious Eats

Shrimp are highly perishable, so it's important to know how to pick out the freshest shrimp available, not just for taste and texture but also for safety. First off, you don't want any shrimp that smell like ammonia—this is a telltale sign of spoilage, and it's worth asking your fishmonger if you can take a sniff before buying. You'll also want to avoid shrimp that are limp, slimy, or falling apart, all of which are signs of decay.

A more advanced sign if you're buying head-on fresh shrimp: look for black spots on the head first, then the body. The black spots are called melanosis; it's the result of the same oxidation process that turns your apples and avocados brown. In other words, they don't definitively mean that your shrimp is bad, but they do indicate that the shrimp could be fresher.

A shrimp's size is measured by the number of individual shrimp it takes to make up a pound. A label of 16/20 means that there are between 16 and 20 of these shrimp in a pound. Sometimes you'll see a letter U as well, like U10, which means fewer than 10 of those shrimp make up a pound.