Kahuku Garlic Butter Shrimp
The Weeknight Plate Lunch
Drive up Kamehameha Highway, where food trucks parked in dirt lots serve paper plates heavy with shell-on shrimp, drowning in foaming butter, demanding a heavy stack of paper napkins. The secret the local aunties know—and a rule you cannot skip—is keeping the shells on to protect the meat and hold the sauce. A light dusting of mochiko yields a shattering crust, while cooking two heads of minced garlic gently and setting it aside prevents a burnt mess. Serve it hot, add two scoops of rice, and don't wipe your hands until the plate is empty.
Before you start
Prepare the shrimp.
Using kitchen shears, cut a shallow slit down the back of each shrimp shell. Rinse out the dark vein under cold water, keeping the shells entirely intact, and pat incredibly dry with paper towels to ensure a crisp crust.
Ingredients
- jumbo shrimp1 lb
- mochiko flour3 tbsp
- sweet paprika1 tbsp
- cayenne pepper1/2 tsp
- Hawaiian sea salt1 tsp
- black pepper1/4 tsp
- garlic1 large head
- unsalted butter4 tbsp
- neutral cooking oil2 tbsp
- lemon1/2 med
Method
- 01
Dust the shrimp with the seasoned flour.
In a large bowl, whisk together the mochiko, paprika, cayenne, salt, and black pepper. Toss the highly dried shrimp in the flour mixture until evenly coated, tap off the excess, and set aside.
- 02
Infuse the garlic butter.
Place a large skillet over medium-low heat and melt the butter with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the minced garlic and cook gently for 3 to 4 minutes until highly fragrant and pale gold—do not let it brown.
- 03
Separate the garlic from the pan to prevent burning.
Immediately pour the garlic butter out of the skillet into a heat-proof bowl and set it aside, leaving the skillet completely empty.
- 04
Crisp the shrimp over high heat.
Return the skillet to medium-high heat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Fry the shrimp in a single, uncrowded layer for 2 minutes per side until the shells are bright pink and the coating is crispy.
- 05
Recombine the garlic butter and deglaze with lemon.
Reduce the heat to low, pour the reserved garlic butter back into the pan, and toss the shrimp vigorously for 60 seconds so the shells soak up the sauce. Squeeze the lemon juice over the top, toss once more, and remove from heat.
Notes
Build the plate lunch.
Serve alongside two mounds of medium-grain white rice (like Calrose) and a scoop of creamy Hawaiian mac salad. Crucially, do not waste the pan drippings—spoon the remaining garlic bits and melted butter directly over the rice and shrimp.
Flour substitutions.
If you cannot find mochiko (sweet rice flour) in the Asian aisle, Wondra flour or a 50/50 mix of all-purpose flour and cornstarch provides the closest textural match to achieve that delicate translucent crunch.
Using frozen shrimp.
Frozen shrimp is perfectly acceptable. Look for bags labeled 'EZ-Peel,' which are already split down the back and deveined, saving weeknight prep time. Just ensure they are fully thawed and patted fiercely dry before coating.
From Cook Hawaiian in America.