Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp

This may seem like an aggressive amount of garlic but it is truly necessary for this dish.

For the people of Maui.

Months ago, I saw people ranking the best garlic shrimps on the island of Maui. A lot of names got tossed around - Giovanni’s, Big Wave, and Geste - to name a few. The dish reminds me of another Cantonese dish where shrimps are pan-fried in the shell and then tossed in a flavorful sauce. The Cantonese version of the sauce is made of soy sauce, ketchup and oyster sauce and cooked with minced garlic and scallions. While delicious, I think that the Hawaiian version holds a special place in my heart because of the exuberant amount of garlic that is used.

When choosing shrimp for this dish, make sure you choose a small enough shrimp whose shells become crispy and edible when panfried. This means using a “large” (U31-40) shrimp rather than a “jumbo” (U21-25). Also, you will want to purchase fresh shrimp as the frozen kind tend to have the shells and heads removed. Do not worry, you will fry these shrimps hard enough that the shell become as crispy as potato chips.

Ingredients for the Shrimp

• Vegetable or canola oil for shallow frying

• 1 - 1.5 lbs large (U31-40) shrimp, heads removed, shells on

• 2 tablespoons sweet rice flour (glutinous rice flour)

• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Ingredients for the Garlic Sauce

• 15-20 garlic cloves, minced

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika (substitute Hungarian)

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• Juice from 1/2 lemon

• Dash of MSG

Special Equipment

• Dutch oven or pan with high sides

• Baking tray with accompanying wire rack

Serves 2 as a Main Dish, Serves 4 in a Multi-Course Meal

Directions for the Shrimp

1. Remove the heads from the shrimp. Set aside for shrimp stock. Add to a bowl and cover with both types of flour and salt. Toss the shrimps in the flour mixture. Note, the flour won’t necessarily cover the shrimp entirely, this is totally fine.

2. Add about 1/2-inch of oil to a heavy bottom pot like a Dutch oven. Bring this oil up to 375 degrees. Fry the shrimps in batches for two minutes, turning about halfway through the cooking time. Transfer the fried shrimps to a tray lined with a wired rack. Using the rack will keep the shrimps crispy in between cooking methods.

Directions for the Garlic Sauce

1. Carefully dispose of the oil used to fry the shrimp. Clean the pot out and return to the stove. Heat the butter up over medium heat. Gently fry the garlic, lemon juice, and seasonings in the butter for one to two minute before adding the shrimp back into the butter mixture. Be sure not to burn the garlic and reduce your heat if necessary.

2. Toss the shrimps in the butter mixture until they are thoroughly covered. Immediately transfer to a plate and serve!