Relive those Island memories at home with these buttery, velvety shrimp-truck style Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp. Simple, easy recipe; ready in under 30 minutes.
Clean and devein shrimp under cold running water, keeping the shells on.To do this, first remove the heads if remaining. Use a sharp paring knife or small scissors to open the shell along the back of the shrimp, slicing into the flesh about ⅛ of an inch down to the tail, exposing the "poop vein." Lift the vein out carefully and discard.
Dry the deveined shrimp on paper towels.
Make the Garlic Butter Sauce
In a large skillet, melt butter over LOW heat.Add chopped garlic to the melted butter and cook for 3-4 minutes.Do not cook the garlic any longer, and do not increase the skillet temperature. If you do, the garlic will get hard and tough.
Pour the garlic and butter into a small bowl and set aside.
Dust the Shrimp
Combine flour, paprika, cayenne, and sea salt in a large resealable bag.
Add the prepared, dry shrimp to the bag, reseal, and shake gently to coat all the shrimp.Tap each shrimp gently to remove excess flour mixture, and then rest on a wire rack.Think of this as "dusting" rather than breading the shrimp. There should not be any clumps of flour hanging on.
Fry the Shrimp
Before frying the shrimp, remove any remaining garlic bits form the pan as best you can: they will burn if they are fried with the shrimp.
Heat half of the oil over MEDIUM-HIGH heat in the same skillet. Add a single layer of shrimp to the pan. Do not crowd.Cook for about 2 minutes on each side, until the flesh is white and the shells are pink.Remove the cooked shrimp to a medium bowl. Add the rest of the oil to the pan and cook the rest of the shrimp.
Once all the shrimp is cooked and in the bowl, squeeze half a lemon over the top of the shrimp, and drizzle in the prepared garlic butter sauce. Toss to coat all of the shrimp.Season with salt to taste.
Garlic shrimp is traditionally served with white rice and fresh pineapple. Make sure to drizzle some leftover garlic sauce over the rice!
Notes
Use fresh, shell-on, jumbo shrimp. (15-20/pound)For the best flavor and texture, Kahuku shrimp should be eaten immediately. However, if you have leftovers, the USDA recommends that, properly stored and refrigerated, cooked shellfish leftovers are good for 3 to 4 days.