Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp

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A few months back, while we were on the North Shore of Oahu, we fell in love with Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp. It was on repeat in our rental house for our week on the island and I've been making my own version at home ever since coming back to California. If you love shrimp like I do, you're gonna love this Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp. It is super easy, loaded with flavor and perfect served over rice with all that juicy goodness!

Overhead shot of cooked shrimp in a chili garlic butter sauce with a garnish of minced parsley and a spoon sitting on the right edge of the enameled cast iron skillet, with a small bowl of white rice on the top left corner on the side of the skillet.


 

Why I Love This Recipe

The Shrimp trucks on the North Shore of Oahu are responsible for my full blown obsession. While we were on vacation we made a point of barely cooking and making sure to stop at pretty much ever little pod of food trucks we encountered. My sister and I went back for the Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp 4 times... it's that good. Really simple sautéed shrimp with obscene amounts of garlic, some herbs and spices and butter. It's a flavor explosion and I promise you'll want this in your quick and easy weeknight rotation! You can eat it with white rice or even add it to a bowl, like the Avocado Shrimp Quinoa bowl.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Mise-en-place with all the ingredients required to make hawaiian garlic shrimp.
  • Extra Large Shrimp – peeled and deveined. If using frozen make sure the shrimp are fully defrosted before starting.
  • Garlic
  • All-purpose Flour
  • Paprika
  • Cayenne Pepper
  • Salt & Pepper
  • Unsalted Butter
  • Olive Oil
  • Lemon Juice
  • Parsley
  • White Rice

*For a full list of ingredients and instructions please see recipe card below.

An overhead shot of a bowl of cooked Hawaiian garlic shrimp over white rice with a garnish of minced parsley. There is a fork nestled in the rice on the left hand side of the shallow ceramic bowl. Above the bowl you can see a a small plate of minced parsley, a bowl of white rice, and the remaining garlic shrimp in the enameled cast iron pan ready to be assembled.

How to Make Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp

A baking sheet with paper towels laid out and shrimp on it and another paper towel to soak or blot the extra moisture out.

Step 1: Blot the shrimp dry of excess moisture on both sides. 

A white low bowl with flour, paprika, cayenne pepper and salt and pepper.

Step 2: In a bowl, sprinkle with flour, paprika, cayenne pepper and salt and pepper.

A white low bowl with shrimp coated with a flour and spice mixture.

Step 4: Toss to coat the shrimp.

A skillet with olive oil and a piece of butter partially melting.

Step 3: Melt butter with olive oil in a large skillet.

A skillet with Hawaiian garlic shrimp in a chili butter sauce with minced garlic added.

Step 5: Add shrimp in an even layer in the skillet. Cook on the first side until pinkish on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Then flip and cook the opposite side until just cooked through, about 2 minutes longer. Add garlic and sauté 30 seconds until fragrant.

A skillet with Hawaiian garlic shrimp in a chili garlic butter sauce with a garnish of minced parsley and a small glass bowl of white rice on the side.

Step 6: Remove from heat, toss with lemon and parsley. Serve right away with steamed white rice topped with extra garlic butter sauce from the pan.

How to Store Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp

You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Warm it on the stovetop or on the microwave.

How to Freeze Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp

You can freeze this shrimp in a container for up to 5-6 months. When its time to eat, thaw in the fridge overnight and warm it on the stove when its thawed.

Tips & Tricks

When it comes to making Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp - there's not much to it which means we should focus on great quality ingredients! A few thoughts:

  • For max garlic flavor - use the kind that comes whole in it's own paper. The pre-peeled stuff doesn't yield as much flavor by a long shot
  • The recipe below calls for extra large shrimp but if you can't get your hands on extra large, use any size and adjust cooking time as needed.
  • Remember that when you're cooking shrimp a general rule here's what shrimp should look like in it's cooking process: undercooked shrimp are a wide and flexible "U" shape, overcooked shrimp are an "O" shape and completely curls up on itself in a tight O, and perfectly cooked shrimp are a "C" in shape and ready to eat!
A tight overhead shot of cooked Hawaiian garlic shrimp in a chili garlic butter sauce with a garnish of minced parsley

FAQs

What do you eat Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp with?

White Rice is the answer in our house! All the juices from the cooking liquid are the perfect sauce to pour over a bowl of steamed white rice and enjoy with your Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp.

How to tell when the shrimp is cooked?

A general rule here's what shrimp should look like in it's cooking process: undercooked shrimp are a wide and flexible "U" shape, overcooked shrimp are an "O" shape and completely curls up on itself in a tight O, and perfectly cooked shrimp are a "C" in shape and ready to eat! Also check out my guide on how to cook the perfect shrimp.

Similar Recipes

If you tried this recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting today!

Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp

Author: Gaby Dalkin
4.9 from 26 votes
Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp is super easy, loaded with flavor and perfect served over rice with all that juicy goodness!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine Hawaiian
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound extra large shrimp peeled and deveined
  • ¼ cup minced fresh garlic
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • teaspoon paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
  • White rice for serving

Instructions
 

  • Blot the shrimp dry of excess moisture on both sides.
  • In a bowl, sprinkle with flour, paprika, cayenne pepper and salt and pepper and toss to coat the shrimp.
  • Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter with olive oil in a large skillet.
  • Add shrimp in an even layer in the skillet. Cook on the first side until pinkish on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Then flip and cook the opposite side until just cooked through, about 2 minutes longer. Add the remaining butter and garlic and saute 30 seconds until fragrant.
  • Remove from heat, toss with lemon and parsley.
  • Serve right away with steamed white rice topped with extra garlic butter sauce from the pan.

Notes

  • For max garlic flavor - use the kind that comes whole in it's own paper. The pre-peeled stuff doesn't yield as much flavor by a long shot.
  • The recipe below calls for extra large shrimp but if you can't get your hands on extra large, use any size and adjust cooking time as needed.
  • Remember that when you're cooking shrimp a general rule here's what shrimp should look like in it's cooking process: undercooked shrimp are a wide and flexible "U" shape, overcooked shrimp are an"O" shape and completely curls up on itself in a tight O, and perfectly cooked shrimp are a "C" in shape and ready to eat!
  •  

Nutrition Information

Calories: 420kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 188mg | Sodium: 667mg | Potassium: 230mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.4g | Vitamin A: 1236IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 94mg | Iron: 1mg
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19 Comments

4.89 from 26 votes (14 ratings without comment)

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