Shrimp Tacos
Yewande Komolafe
2145 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
2,145
35 minutes
Hawaii-Style Garlic Shrimp
- Total Time
- 15 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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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.
Powered byPreparation
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
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.
Mike
Shrimp shells are edible, and are a source of glucosamine! They add a bit of crunch.
Jack C
The shells would seem to be scarcely edible, so why are the shells left on before the crunchy coating is added?
M
Lots of things are edible...but shrimp shells just aren't fun to eat.
JPnyc
Delicious (how wrong can you go w/shrimp, butter, (LOTS of) garlic, and lemon? I used 2 heads of garlic, and only had APF on hand. I'd caution against browning the garlic. In my experience, incl. this one, garlic that browns is bitter, period (and mine was only slightly browned). Didn't ruin the dish, but next time I'll cook the garlic slowly and pull it off the heat just as the first bits start to brown.
Elizabeth
My personal preference is no shells. I cooked this recipe as written but with peeled jumbo shrimp and it was fabulous!
Joe
The patted dry shrimp cannot get the rice flour and the condiments to adhere to the shrimp. Just douse the shrimp in beaten egg white before coating, and follow the rest of the procedure, and you get a beautifully crisp and crunchy coating.
Leslie
You cut down the back of the shrimp with a paring knife and pull out the vein.
Grubs
Cooking with the shell on adds much richness to the flavor as the shrimp cooks in its own juices.
Lisa
To devein shrimp with shells on, use kitchen scissors. Simply snip up the back and pull out the dark vein. The shells will still stay on. I always eat them, but if you don’t want that extra crunch, they are easy to pull off if you have cut them this way.
Bill
You can use mochiko to make butter mochi. Google it, it's delicious!
Squirreljam
How do you devein with shells on?? Maybe I’m doing it wrong?
Jessica
How is it possible to devein a shrimp with the shell ON?
Leslie
How does one devein a shrimp still in the shell?
TriciaPDX
Use raw shrimp. Cooking a shrimp twice would make it dry and rubbery.
Kristin
I loved it but I cut way back on the cayenne for my kids. I also have super charged cayenne from a friend so I ended up using about 1/2 a tsp for 2 lbs shrimp. Believe it or not it was still a bit spicy. I would have gone spicier if making for adults who like spice.
Marti_DC
Made this for my birthday dinner this weekend. We LOVED it. I was concerned about the amount of cayenne, but it wasn't an issue. The "heat" starts a little at the back of the mouth and it was nothing. I cleaned the shrimp and removed their legs and heads, but left the shells intact. My guests got messy. I ate the shrimp, shells and all. Hey... I'm getting old. I NEEDED THE ROUGHAGE. Really, terrific! Served with (handmade) pasta with fried lemons and chile flakes. Balanced tastes.
Michael Trombetta
Use a frying pan, and don't press the shrimp as they suggest.
Mitsa Lasky
This was very enjoyable. It tasted even better the next day. Definitely use the amount of garlic and butter - it makes a big difference in flavor. I lessened the amount of cayenne and served over coconut rice with roasted asparagus.
Matt B
Make it as is (triple it because 3/4lb of shrimp is a snack). Make sure you fry a whole head of chopped garlic on low in the butter. Makes a perfect crunchy topping. This was just so delicious, a definite add to the “what do I do with this shrimp” rotation. Good with coconut rice and roasted carrots and parsnips I had.
Andrew in Vancouver
Followed recipe with minor adjustments: subbed regular rice flour, and chili crisp for cayenne. Added a fair amount of crushed ginger. Came out great. Super jumbo Argentine shrimp (9/16) from Costco. Cleaning was a chore, but that's on me. Very easy, once shrimp cleaned, delicious! Will repeat.
Nick
Mmmmm, a bit average to say the least. Suggest that you use the shrimp for another recipe such as scampi.
NettieO
This was really really good! I didn’t use anywhere near the amount of cayenne advised in recipe, I used about 1/4 of a teaspoon and probably could’ve added more. We felt lemon was a must, as well as having very dry shrimp before tossing in flour in mix. A KEEPER OF 5 STARS!
Chilmark508
Disappointing. I did use rice flour but it didn't stick nearly as well as I expected and the shrimp didn't end up with crusty shells. The jumbo shrimp in my market were 8/lb, probably larger than those in the photo with the recipe. Even though I often eat shrimp shells, these were so thick and tough that I had to take them off the shrimp to eat. Maybe because the spice mixture didn't stick so well or because it was all on the shells which I couldn't eat, the dish was not as tasty as I expected.
Heather
I’ve eaten shrimp with the shells on before, and while I don’t hate it I definitely prefer shells off. So I made it that way and it was delicious. I made as written other than adding broccoli to the pan before the shrimp to add a veggie for a pretense of healthy eating.
ML
I was surprised to find this rather dull, won’t make it again. A basic shrimp scampi would be preferable and easier.
WeLaJo
Quick, easy and so, so tasty! Great fast weeknight recipe.
Boyo
I washed the shrimp in a beaten egg mixture before frying. Ingredients adhered nicely.
Caitlyn
To devein a shrimp with the shell on, fold the shrimp in half around its legs to part the shell pieces along the backside, slip a toothpick crosswise about a quarter inch below the surface, between the shell pieces (perpendicular to the length of the shrimp) and pull straight up. The digestive tract will come out with it. That said, this recipe is bomb as hell and if you cook the shrimp right- dry em out and coat them, fry them hot enough- the shells really are just a bit of crunch.
Ellen NYC
Delicious. I used peeled and deveined shrimp which turned out crispy, spicy and oh so tasty. I will make this again - and again.
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