Hawaii-Style Garlic Shrimp

Recipe from Kathy YL Chan

Adapted by Ligaya Mishan

Updated March 24, 2026

Hawaii-Style Garlic Shrimp
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
15 minutes
Rating
4(678)
Comments
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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

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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
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)

636 calories; 32 grams fat; 16 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 12 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 51 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 40 grams protein; 899 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
678 user ratings
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Comments

Huladanser07

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.

M

Lots of things are edible...but shrimp shells just aren't fun to eat.

Mike

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

Heilman

I remember the original shrimp truck on Kam Highway in Kahuku during the decade that I lived on the North Shore. It was one of my favorite meals. The shrimp were so big and sweet. It was always a real treat. One day I was driving with a girl and feeling hungry and I suggested that we stop at the shrimp food truck to eat. She said that she was not going to eat from a food truck. I was already looking forward to my shrimp meal so I told her that she'll just have to watch me eat from the food truck

Henry

Why devein? It is time consuming and does not add anything to the recipe. I have been eating fresh caught shrimp boils from the sounds of North Carolina all my life. No difference in deveined or as is.

Paladin

? How can anyone eat shrimp shells? And how can you devein shrimp without removing the shells?

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Credits

Recipe from Kathy YL Chan

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