Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp

June 8: World Oceans Day

Islander grew up on the south-central shore of Oahu. But sometimes she and her family went up to the North Shore for some reason or another. The drive was about an hour one way but the mauka and makai scenery was a nice distraction that made the trip seem shorter. While on the other side of the island, we would stop to eat at one of the many food trucks/lunch wagons that sold shrimp dishes (classic cocktail, sweet and spicy, lemon pepper, fried coconut and garlic butter flavors). They taste so ‘ono (delicious)!

While the North Shore shrimp trucks use fresh shrimp from the Kahuku farms, we use sustainable shrimp harvested from the world’s oceans to cook our mainland meals. When trying any of the seafood recipes posted on our blog, we encourage readers to use brands that practice ethical and sustainable fishing and farming methods (look for labels on the package).

Celebrate World Oceans Day with sustainable seafood and cook Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp. Aloha!

Recipe

(Adapted from I Love Hawaiian Food Recipes)

Ingredients

• 12 jumbo shrimp, shelled and deveined, tails intact
• 1 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 1/8 – ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ½ stick butter
• 12 cloves garlic, chopped
• salt to taste
• 2 tablespoon white wine
• lemon wedges (optional garnish)

Directions

Rinse and pat dry the shrimp. In a pie plate, combine the flour, paprika and cayenne pepper. Dredge the shrimp in this mixture, shaking off the excess flour. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.

Saute the chopped garlic for about a minute. Then lay the shrimp on the bottom of the skillet. Sprinkle salt to taste and cook for about three minutes. Turn the shrimp over and cook for a few more minutes. Finish the dish with white wine, cook until slightly evaporated, the garlic has browned and the shrimp is reddish in color. Serve hot with scoops of white steamed rice garnished with lemon wedges.

Notes

• Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp is a variation of our shrimp scampi. Search our blog for other seafood recipes.
• After eating at the shrimp truck in the North Shore, we would head to Ted’s Bakery for dessert and have a slice of chocolate haupia pie. Try our copycat recipe here.
• One of our favorite movies is Disney’s “Moana” (“Vaiana”), which means “ocean” is many Polynesian/South Pacific languages. It is fun to watch this film on World Oceans Day.
• Islander’s hometown is ‘Ewa Beach. Her ‘ohana (family) would spend some Sunday afternoons at the nearby beach park, with a distant view of Honolulu and Diamond Head. While Daddy would grill something on the hibachi, she and her brother and Mommy would gather a little limu (seaweed) for a side salad to complete our supper menu.
• Islander is partial to the Pacific as her home state of Hawaii is right in the middle of the ocean. She used to participate with her schools to do volunteer trash pickup in ‘Ewa Beach so the community’s park and shore would stay clean. Please keep ALL beaches beautiful by picking up your trash (especially plastic products) and pet waste! Protecting our oceans from land litter is one of the premises of World Oceans Day.