Shrimp Truck Shrimp Scampi (say that five times, fast)
Let's assume you've made it to Giovanni's Shrimp Truck, but like me, can't trek to the North Shore every day. What we really need is the secret to making their famous shrimp at home. This recipe is the closest I've come to reproducing shrimp truck mojo from the confines of my own kitchen.
Shrimp Shack Garlic Shrimp
Add a scoop of rice to serve one as a meal.
- 1/4 c. olive oil (sub. butter for extra artery clogging power)
- juice of one lemon
- 2 tablespoons white wine
- 8-10 or more good sized cloves of garlic, minced. You can never have too much.
- 1 T paprika
- a dozen shrimp, the biggest buggers you can find
- sticky plastic tables, stray cats, graffitti (optional)
- lemon wedges (optional)
Sautee everything but the shrimp over medium-low heat until the garlic is a nice golden brown. While shrimp is cooking, spill soda on the plastic table to create authentic stickiness. Crank the sautee heat to turbo and add the shrimp. Keep stirring until the shrimp are just barely done. Remove immediately to prevent them going all rubbery and flavorless.
Serve shrimp over rice, scraping all the little garlic bits onto the rice. By now the stray cats will have been drawn by the aroma and your shrimp truck experience is complete!
ooh, I'm printing this one as I type! Thanks for sharing!
Part of me cringes whenever someone tries one of my recipes. So far, no death threats because of anything I've published. G'luck Kat, and please let us know how you think it compares.
I'm sure it will be just fine,though I haven't had the original...YET!
Kat, you'd have figured this out on your own, but my initial draft failed to mention that the garlic should be minced. Whoop! Fixed now.
he he thanks! :)
This is a recipe I found.
PAN-FRIED SHRIMP
Shrimp Shack, Punalu'u, O'ahu
''Best of the Best from Hawaii Cookbook''
1 gal. water
1/2 cup garlic powder
1/16 cup cayenne powder
4 lbs. shell-on black Tiger shrimp
1/2 cup butter, to cook & dip in
5 Tbs. garlic, chopped
rice
1. Bring water to boil, add garlic powder & cayenne.
2. Drop in shrimp, return to boil, drain.
3. In sautépan, heat butter & chopped garlic.
4. Sauté shrimp until golden brown,
5. Serve w/ rice, garlic butter & cocktail sauce.
From a Honolulu Advertiser article:
''Bright banana-yellow Shrimp Shack in Punalu'u is cleanest & quaintest shrimp stop. Owner Irene Theofanis has operated for 6 years & was featured on Food Network special called "Beach Eats." Theofanis uses Kaua'i shrimp & believes are cleaner because of special diet & well-controlled environment in plastic-lined pens w/ recirculated water.''
Nate, it's interesting that the recipe you found calls for the shrimp to be cooked twice: boiled then sauteed. I'll have to try that and see how it changes things.
Okihwn, I know the Shrimp Shack well. My wife worked a film shoot that had the yellow shack in the background. Honestly, there are any number of excellent shrimp shacks/trucks around the top of Oahu. Giovanni's is my current fave, but that's just me. The Shrimp Shack is another that gets frequent mentions and accolades.