Hawaiian Shrimp Truck Special (Garlic Lemon Butter Shrimp).
Being apart of a big family has its advantages and disadvantages.
I am one of seven kids. There’s mom and dad, and they been together forever – since my mom was fifteen and my dad was 18, three older brothers, two younger bothers and one little sister. And yes, I also have cousins galore.
This means I have family everywhere. This is personally one of my favorite advantages. When I am running low on inspiration they are who I turn to. I have family members in Canada (but he’s normally in Utah or Tahoe – actually he is really just all over the place – yes, Brendan), Florida, Vermont, Ohio, Pennsylvania and California.
This time though, I turned to an unlikely source.
One of my older brothers, Trevor. See Trevor and I? Well, we fight more than we get along, but I am pretty sure we would not be “us” if we didn’t fight. I mean he just gets on my nerves. I can’t help it. But I love him and I love where he is living.
Trevor’s living and working in California and we all know how people in California know how to eat some dang good food. I asked him what he has been eating and he said he’s broke, so not much. Surprise, surprise. And I am not trying to be mean, but the kid can’t save a dollar for the life of him. It’s just a known fact.
Anyway, he did say he has been loving Hawaiian foods and he told me about this place he goes to. It sounds awesome and I am jealous (oh, to live in a place with good restaurants and grocery stores that carry things like rhubarb in the spring – mine does not). He mostly told me about beefy dishes because he is mostly a beef and chicken only kind of guy, BUT he did get me thinking about Hawaiian food.
Like any normal person I spent the next two hours researching Hawaiian Shrimp Trucks which, FYI, are a huge thing along the shores of Hawaii.
Also FYI, I really want to go to Hawaii. Like today. Please, please, please today?
I looked at like a gazillion recipes and read like a gazillion descriptions regarding top shrimp trucks along the shores and somehow I came up with this super simple recipe for Garlic Lemon Pepper Butter Shrimp. Basically it is caramelized garlic in butter and lemon with some pepper that you toss together with shrimp. It’s the best thing ever. So tender, juicy and buttery.
You have to marinate the shrimp in olive and garlic for at least thirty minutes, but the longer the better. Then just sauté and smell the amazingness that is taking place. I served it just like they do in Hawaii – with rice, pineapple slices and a lemon wedge. Oh, and I think they leave the entire shell on the shrimp, but for easy eating purposes, I just left the tail shell on.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Hawaiian Shrimp Truck Special (Garlic Lemon Butter Shrimp).
By halfbakedharvest
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Hawaiian
Keyword: Garlic Lemon Butter Shrimp
Garlic Lemon Pepper Butter Shrimp is caramelized garlic in butter and lemon with some pepper that you toss together with shrimp.
Ingredients
- 1 pound raw tail on shrimp
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 lemons juiced, divided
- 5-6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped plus more for garnish
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
-
Add the shrimp to a gallon size ziplock bag or medium size bowl. Add the olive oil, juice of 1 lemon, chopped garlic, 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, flour, cayenne pepper and pepper. Toss well to combine, seal the bag or cover the bowl and place in the fridge for 30 minutes or up 24 hours.
-
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot use a slotted spoon to scoop the shrimp out of the marinade and into the hot skillet, season with salt and pepper. Make sure to scoop up all the garlic as well. Saute the shrimp until pink, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove the shrimp from the pan leaving the garlic in the skillet. Add the salted butter and 1 teaspoon pepper (or more or less to your taste) to the skillet. Cook the garlic in the butter until it begins to caramelize and turn golden brown. Remove from the heat and stir in 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, the juice of 1/2 a lemon and zest if using. Drizzle with the warm garlic butter over the shrimp. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley.
So we could devour without pausing. Obviously.
This dish looks so Springy and outside eating worthy. Glad you found it to share with us.
Thanks Norma!
Somehow you always make shrimp so appetizing. I always say I don’t care for it, but whenever you post a shrimp recipe, I can’t stop craving it. You must be a magician, or something 😛
haha! Ya! 🙂
Thanks Rachael!
Loved the story and the best part . . . the ending . . . the food devoured! It looks so delicious–so much so, I am going to make it tonight! Your pictures are fantastic! Do you take them yourself? And the last pic, just made me smile with a feel good giggle 🙂
Thank you so much, Summer!!
My mouth is watering and I’m not even a shrimp person (only eat shrimp cocktail haha). This is definitely something I would eat tho! Looks amazing!
Thanks Kathy!
I will SO jump on that Hawaii trip with you, girl! Let’s go! And let’s eat these shrimp alllllll day, please!
Thanks Ashley!!
Swoon! I am in love with this simple yet insanely delicious recipe. Definitely making for our Friday night date night!! Thanks Tieghan!
Thanks Meg!
Holy yum! These look incredibly tasty! I love food trucks but one in Hawaii….I can’t imagine anything better. (Logging onto Expedia.com as soon as I’m done commenting.)
Thanks Kellie! Hope you find some tickets!
Mmmmmm I love Hawiian flavors and I want to try this shrimp NOW!
Thanks Sophia!
Yes, family can get on your nerves! I appreciate your honesty:) Shrimp look amazing and as a Californian I have to say I love Hawaiin food too.
Thanks Liz!
Love this shrimp recipe, so happy you shared this with us 🙂
Thanks Amanda!
This tropical twist on shrimp is so gorgeous and mouthwatering! I could totally imagine grabbing a big plate of this from some little island shack and devouring it by the beach. Oh, you’ve got my imagination running wild!
Thanks Georgia! Doesn’t Hawaii sound awesome right now? I have been picturing it for weeks! HA!
Wow, this looks really great. A bonus that it is gluten free as well 🙂 I have eaten shrimp from a shrimp truck when we were in Maui a few years ago. Your recipe looks like it will be just as good. Thanks for sharing.
You must be talking about the Geste shrimp truck parked at the harbor. Shrimp is the best there…matter of fact I’m going to head there today :)..Glad you loved the food here on Maui and please come back and visit anytime
Thanks so much!
Yes and YESSSSS!! Love these flavors, Tieghan!
Thanks Lauren!
1.) I love shrimp.
2.) I’ve never been to Hawaii and want to go so badly.
3.) Pinning and making this recipe asap. 🙂
Doesn’t Hawaii sound so good right now? I will do pretty much anything to go, LOL! It’s obviously snow now. 🙁
Thanks for pinning!
Totally making this for myself – my husband somehow doesn’t like shrimp much anymore – wth?!
Question for you – if you had your own food truck – what would your theme be?! I love how diverse your food is here. Keep up the great work!
I have Hawaii dreams too, and this shrimp only makes me want to go more! I have been craving seafood like a crazy person..and garlic + lemon is always a good idea!
Thanks Cindy!
I love seafood! This dish sounds completely yummy! Beautiful pictures!
Thanks Sommer!
I <3 <3 <3 shrimp {and Hawaii, but that goes without saying} Simple recipes are the best – pining!
Thank you!
im jealous of those people who have seasonal produce at their disposal all the time!
Me too!
Thanks Dixya!
I’m one of 8! I have 7 sisters. Just wait until all your brothers and sisters start having kids. In like ten years when you all get together and they have kids running everywhere it’s going to be a mad house. I have 20 nieces and nephews, but my sisters started having babies in high school, I would advise against that 😉
Haha! I never meet many people who beat me with siblings! I cannot even imagine my brothers with kids… they can barely take cake of themselves! LOL!
Thanks Jackie!! 🙂
I can’t bevilee I’ve been going for years without knowing that.
Hawaii is on my list of dream vacation spots as well, of course for the beautiful scenery and warm weather, but also for the food. I’ve heard it’s all phenomenal, I feel like I could close my eyes, eat this shrimp and pretend I’m there…..
Thanks Nicole!
All I can say is….I’m glad I found you!
Thank you so much!! 🙂
These shrimp sound AMAZING. Also, I went to Hawaii (Maui) for the first time last year and it was incredible. You must go!
Glad you loved your trip here. Being born and raised here I guess I take the food for granted. We are waiting for Olive Garden, Sonic, In & out burger, etc to open on Maui lol. Hope your next visit here is just as great.
Thanks Amanda!
I love shrimp, these look killer. So wish I had these in front of me for dinner!
Yum, shrimp or prawns as they are called here are amazing! So making this tonight! Thanks
Thanks so much! Hope you loved them!
Shrimp is my lover. I want to eat that whole skillet of yum!
Thanks Brenda!
Coming from Hawaii I can tell you that those shrimp trucks have some of the best shrimp I have ever eaten. Your recipe looks on poin,t the only thing is that they don’t usually serve it with pineapple unless it’s a really touristy place. Btw love your blog, so much inspiration
Thanks so much, Celia!! I added the pineapple because I love it, but I also thought they added it. Thanks for letting me know!
Tieghan, ah-MAZING – made tonight for my parents and we all loved it. So buttery but fresh from the lemon. My only question was if you’re not supposed to put the oil from the marinade into the pan to cook? Thank you for a great recipe!
So happy you loved this, Amy!!
You are supposed to scoop the shrimp + garlic out with a slotted spoon. Sorry, I will add that to the recipe.
Thanks so much!
I have been meaning to try this and I finally made it tonight accompanied with Fire Rock Pale Ale. It was delicious, thanks for the recipe!
So happy you loved the recipe! Thanks!
If this dish is as good as your writing, it’s a winner! Question: I have couple of pounds of cooked jumbo shrimp. Have you ever tried already cooked shrimp for this recipe? What do you suggest?
DOESN’T ANYONE ACTUALLY WRITE A REVIEW OF THE RECIPE INSTEAD OF JUST TELLING THEIR GUESS OR HOW THE PICTURE LOOKS?? I DON’T REALLY CARE HOW YOU THINK IT LOOKS — I WANT TO KNOW AN ACTUAL REVIEW OF WHAT THE RECIPE MAKES TO DECIDE WHETHER IS IT IS WORTH MAKING!
I made it and will definitely make it again! The only thing was that I didn’t think I needed nearly that much butter! The shrimp sat in the sauce while it was served but I just dumped it down the sink after (maybe that’s cause I served the shrimp with pan fried spuds, steamed broccoli & corn on the cob? – no rice to sop up the sauce). I would make only half the “drizzle” next time 🙂
SO happy you loved this and sorry about the too much butter! Thanks!
Hey Tieghan,
Can’t wait to try this recipe! It makes me drool and reminisce of Food Truck crawling, lol.
When you plan your trip to Hawaii (hopefully soon!) just know that the (famous) shrimp trucks are on the North Shore o f O’ahu…Giovanni’s is probably the most well-known, and a personal favorite!
If you do make it out to Hawaii and branch out to other islands, Kauai is great! We’ve our own little shrimp truck and lots of other nummy goodness…I’d be happy to make recommendations 🙂
aw! I will and THANK YOU!
This recipe looks amazing. I am trying it for dinner right now! We travel to Hawaii every year for vacation and I was really craving the shrimp truck food. Thanks for finding the recipe and posting!
I eat today those shrimps in Hawaii. And he was prapered them next yo me . So… I try to remember some of ingredients. In the skillet he warm up already prapered garlic butter, them shrimps , then white wine, sone spices , half and half… It was very delicious!
Wow, sounds awesome! 🙂
How much is the olive oil? 1/4…?
Thanks!
Oops, sorry about that. It is 1/4 cup. Thanks!
Looks soooo good!!!!
I made this tonight for the Hubs and I. And we loved it. I sprinkled it with toasted coconut on our plates, since I did not have any coconut for the rice. That was pure perfection. Thank you for the recipe.
Just made this tonight! Tastes so amazing. I of course added more chopped garlic. I just love garlic! But thank you for this recipe! My family loved it !
Garlic is delicious!! Glad you loved it! Thanks Chelsea.
Made this tonight. I only had an hour to marinate. Loved the light fresh flavors. I added a little bit more garlic and white ends of green onions along with the butter. Saved the green ends of onions as garnish. I love garlic so I’d add much more garlic next time and leave to marinate much longer.
Thanks for the lovely dinner 🙂
I’m A garlic lover as well! Sounds amazing! So happy you like it!! Thank you!
Quick question about the recipe: It does specify the quantity of olive oil, just 1/4… I want to make sure I get this part right! Can you please clarify? Thank you 🙂
Hey Kim! So sorry about that, it is a 1/4 cup. Fixing the recipe now. Thanks so much and I hope you love this!
There’s a terrific amount of knowledge in this article!
Thank you!
The shrimp had no flavor…very bland. Sorry, didnt care for it. We are a family of shrimp lovers, and we were all very underwhelmed.
Ah such a bummer. Sorry it wasn’t what you were looking for /:
OMG – had a hankering for some Hawaiian Shrimp Truck shrimp and this recipe was spot on – YUM!! Tasted just like the 5 Star Shrimp Truck – we must have eaten there 3-4 times our week in Oahu. Thanks so much!
I am so glad you loved this Kelly! Thank you so so much!
I love this recipe so much! Have made it twice before, and every time, my family has loved it!
Thank you Dasha! I am really glad your family enjoyed this recipe!
Hi there, in the recipe you mention pepper twice, which pepper do you mean by that?
Yours sincerely
Alvin
HI there! I just mean regular black pepper. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I went to Oahu twice. There is a shrimp truck there called Giovanne’s that is over the top amazing!! The garlic shrimp is so garlicky it takes days to get the garlic off your breath!! He serves it without the shell (usually about 8-12 shrimp, two scoops of rice and a slice of lemon. Oh, It is so amazing!! I found the recipe for his shrimp. Takes about 15 cloves of garlic 🙂 Your recipe sounds very close to his. If you ever get to Hawaii go to Oahu and go to Giovanne’s.
Ooo that sounds amazing! I would really like to try it! Thank you so much Pat! I hope you love this recipe! xTieghan
How is this Hawaiian?
Hi Desiree! By the way it is prepared with a little twist of my own! Is there something I am missing? Please let me know! xTieghan
Hello! I’ve been making this recipe for years — since I first read it on your blog. We probably make it (slightly evolved from its original form) about 4 or 5 times per month. So delicious and easy. Today, a friend is moving so we’re collecting recipes to “shower” her with, and this is the first thing that came to mind! I’m proud to share this recipe from your blog 🙂 THANK YOU for the yummiest thing in my whole kitchen.
Hi Stephanie! Wow! This is so sweet to read! I am SO glad you have been loving this recipe for years and you are still making it! I hope your friend loves this just as much! xTieghan
Okay, I’ve never actually commented on a recipe before but THIS!!!! Wow. We just finished eating, and I have to say this went above and beyond my expectations. I’m not even a shrimp person and I couldn’t stop eating this. And I love how simple the ingredients are! I didn’t even have to go grocery shopping to make this. Thank you for sharing this!
Thank you so much Svetlana!! I am so happy to hear how well this turned out for you! xTieghan
Oh my goodness, all of your recipes are so good. Last night, thai chicken, and this tonight. My husband loved it and wished I made more. It was perfect! Tomorrow night either falafel or creamy tuscan pasta. I got some buratta cheese and it is so delicious. Thank you for all of your wonderful recipes. I am on a roll!
Thank you Kim!! I am so glad this recipe turned out so well for you!! I hope you continue to enjoy my recipes! xTieghan
Hi! I marinated this shrimp overnight and when I checked on it the acid in the lemon juice cooked the shrimp. I’m disappointed that shrimp would be rubbery and overcooked now, So I would maybe wait to put the lemon juice in until the end or just do a quick marinade!
Hi Mara! I am sorry about that! Please let me know if there is anything I can help with! xTieghan
Have you ever made this recipe and added noodles instead of rice?
Hey Lisa,
Noodles would work well here! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy New Year! xTieghan