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This Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp recipe is buttery, garlicky, and irresistibly delicious—just like the famous Giovanni’s shrimp truck in Oahu. With crispy, golden shrimp and a rich, savory garlic sauce, it’s easy to make at home and a must-try for seafood lovers!
Giovanni Shrimp Recipe
One of my favorite shrimp dishes is Hawaiian garlic shrimp, made famous by Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck in Kahuku on Oahu’s North Shore. If you’ve been to Hawaii, chances are you’ve tried this iconic, garlicky shrimp scampi—plump shrimps, two scoops of rice, a wedge of lemon—it’s a must-try when visiting Oahu!
My easy Hawaiian garlic shrimp recipe is inspired by Giovanni’s, with buttery, golden shrimp coated in a blanket of flavorful garlic sauce. Many of my friends have tried and tested it, all giving it their thumbs up—they say it tastes just like Giovanni’s! The best part? You can recreate it at home with simple ingredients. It’s utterly delicious and best served with a cold beer.
Give my copycat recipe a try and see for yourself—you won’t regret it! Be sure to check out my tips and tricks below to make sure your shrimp come out perfect every time. If you love garlic and shrimp, be sure to check out my Honey Garlic Shrimp and Garlic Butter Shrimp recipes next—they’re just as delicious and full of garlicky goodness!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Authentic Hawaiian flavors at home. If you’ve tried the famous Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck on Oahu’s North Shore, you’ll love how this Giovanni garlic shrimp recipe comes so close to the original!
- Mouthwatering garlic butter sauce. This garlic butter sauce is absolutely irresistible, coating the shrimp in rich, savory goodness with every bite. It’s full of garlicky, buttery flavor that’ll have you coming back for more!
- Quick and satisfying. No need to wait in long lines for your order. Making it at home is also more affordable, and you can enjoy seconds!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Shrimp – I used large shrimp, headless, shell-on, and tail-on for the best flavor. You can use peeled shrimp if you prefer, but you’ll miss some of the flavor from the shells.
- All-purpose flour
- Cayenne pepper – If you prefer milder heat, paprika is a great substitute for cayenne.
- Unsalted butter – You can use salted butter, but just be sure to cut back on the added salt.
- Olive oil – you can also use regular vegetable oil or canola oil.
- Garlic – the more the merrier.
- White wine – If you prefer not to use wine, you can substitute with chicken broth or vegetable broth.
- Salt
- Sugar
- Fish sauce – Fish sauce is optional but it adds umami flavor to the dish. If you don’t use it, just add more salt to taste. You can also substitute chicken bouillon powder for fish sauce for a different flavor twist.
- Lemon juice
- Ground black pepper
For the full details on each ingredient, be sure to check out the recipe card at the bottom of this post!
How To Make Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp
Give the shrimp a good rinse and clean them up, then devein them. After that, just pat them dry with paper towels.
Grab a big bowl and mix the flour and cayenne pepper together. Then toss the shrimp in, just enough to lightly coat them with the flour mixture—don’t overdo it!
Now, heat up a sauté pan and toss in the butter. Once it’s melted, add the olive oil. Then throw in the garlic and sauté it for just a minute until it smells amazing. Now, add the shrimp to the pan and cook them up. Once they’re looking nice and pink, pour in the white wine, sprinkle in the salt, sugar, fish sauce and black pepper.
Keep stirring until the shrimp are fully cooked and nice and pink. Serve it up right away with rice and lemon wedges, just like Giovanni.
Secrets To Perfect Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp
- Always use shell-on, tail-on shrimp. The shells help lock in the shrimp’s natural juices, making the garlic butter sauce richer and more flavorful. If you prefer peeled shrimp, you can use them, but you’ll miss out on some of that extra flavor boost from the shells.
- Fish sauce is the secret ingredient that takes this dish from good to wow. The umami it adds really rounds out the garlic butter. While it’s optional, I promise you’ll miss out on that extra depth of flavor if you skip it. You can also substitute a pinch of chicken bouillon powder for fish sauce for a different flavor twist.
- Shrimp cook in a flash, and that’s exactly how you want them—just 2 minutes per side is all it takes. Any longer, and they’ll turn rubbery.
- Serve with two scoops of rice and a lemon wedge—just like they do at Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck. Don’t forget to add some extra garlic and oil over the rice for an added umami bomb.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frozen shrimp works just fine. Just make sure to thaw them out fully and pat them dry before cooking. You want to remove any excess moisture so the shrimp can sear nicely in the pan.
You can absolutely use a different size of shrimp, but I always recommend going for large shrimp because they hold up better. If you use smaller ones, just be sure to adjust your cooking time so they don’t overcook.
For sure! This recipe is super easy to double. Just use a bigger pan so the shrimp have plenty of space to cook evenly. You might need to cook in batches to avoid overcrowding and get that perfect sear on every shrimp.
If you love garlic (who doesn’t?), feel free to add extra cloves! Just be careful not to burn it when sautéing—garlic burns quickly, which can make the dish bitter.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. When you’re ready to enjoy it again, just heat it up gently on the stove over low heat to avoid overcooking the shrimp.
This recipe is only 496 calories per serving.
What To Serve With Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp
Serve the dish with two scoops of rice and a lemon wedge, with hot sauce if you like. For a Hawaiian-style meal at home, I recommend the following recipes.
I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for new updates.
Other Recipes You Might Like
Hawaiian Garlic Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 lb (500g) shrimp or tiger prawn, headless, shell-on, tail-on, deveined
- 1/2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 3 dashes cayenne pepper, or paprika
- 2 oz (60g) unsalted butter, 4 tablespoons/half a stick
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 5-6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 2 tablespoons white wine, or Japanese cooking sake
- salt to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce, optional
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- lemon wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Clean and rinse the shrimp, then devein them. Pat them dry with paper towels.
- Mix the flour and cayenne pepper together in a large bowl. Add the shrimp and toss a few times to lightly coat them with the flour mixture.
- Heat a sauté pan and add the butter. Once the butter melts, add the olive oil. Stir in the garlic and sauté lightly until fragrant, then add the shrimp to the pan. Sauté the shrimp, then add the white wine, salt, sugar, fish sauce (if using) and black pepper.
- Continue to stir until the shrimp are cooked through. Dish out and serve immediately with rice and lemon wedges.
Notes
- Always use shell-on, tail-on shrimp. The shells help lock in the shrimp’s natural juices, making the garlic butter sauce richer and more flavorful. If you prefer peeled shrimp, you can use them, but you’ll miss out on some of that extra flavor boost from the shells.
- Fish sauce is the secret ingredient that takes this dish from good to wow. The umami it adds really rounds out the garlic butter. While it’s optional, I promise you’ll miss out on that extra depth of flavor if you skip it. You can also substitute a pinch of chicken bouillon powder for fish sauce for a different flavor twist.
- Shrimp cook in a flash, and that’s exactly how you want them—just 2 minutes per side is all it takes. Any longer, and they’ll turn rubbery.
- Serve with two scoops of rice and a lemon wedge—just like they do at Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck. Don’t forget to add some extra garlic and oil over the rice for an added umami bomb.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi Rasa, I love all you print and eat as much as I can; Love oriental food. I will sound maybe a bit stupid but do you remove the shell before cooking? In this recipe , part of the ingredients is 1pound of shrimp headless, shell-on, tail-on, deveined; would that make it loose some flavor?
Thank you for your response .
Don’t remove the shell, just use shrimp (headless), but shell on and tail-on and deveined. They are delish!
It gives more appetite, is easy to prepare, and is wholesome.
I agree! :)
It seems yummy but if the country I am living in the white wine or other kind of alcoholic not available what I can replace it with please advice
Skip.
We just got back from Oahu where we so enjoyed the Giovanni Shrimp Truck on the North Shore (it’s amazingly delicious). So I went looking for any recipe that might be like it and this one comes darn close. This recipe is easy and delicious. Thank you!
Hi Nancy, awesome, please try more of my recipes, they are all very good! :)
We just got back from Oahu where we so enjoyed the Giovanni Shrimp Truck on the North Shore (it’s amazingly delicious). So I went looking for any recipe that might be like it and this one comes darn close. This recipe is easy and delicious. Thank you!
I would like to add wine to my scampi, what white wine did you use?
I just use white wine, no particular brand.
Delicious! I had these over the weekend, but added some cream of coconut and Old Bay seasoning added. To die for.
Yum, sounds very yummy. I love these Hawaiian Shrimp Scampi.
Holy smoly‼️ The original recipe is fantastic and is now my go-to for the ultimate shrimp scampi nite but did someone say COCONUT⁉️ That sounds delish and I’m definitely down for trying that! Thanks to both of you for sharing. :)
Thank you! :)
Does the white wine matter in this dish, can I replace the white wine with another non alcoholic drink, eg orange juice.
You can skip the white wine. I don’t recommend orange juice.
Too many delicious recipes to have to subscribe to get yours. Good luck!