This Hawaiian Shrimp, made with paprika, butter, and bold garlic, and served with crispy shrimp, is a 15-minute solution for a great appetizer or side dish.

⭐Hawaiian Shrimp: A Quick Look
- Time & Yield: Ready in 15 minutes, serves 2
- Taste & Texture: Buttery garlic shrimp with crispy coating, bold peppery heat, and juicy center-simple ingredients, big island-style flavor
- Heat Level🌶: Cayenne pepper adds the heat
- How To Make: Coat shrimp with spices and flour, sauté garlic in butter and oil, then cook shrimp until crispy and golden
- Recipe's Highlights: Quick 15-minute spicy shrimp, Crispy garlic butter coating, Simple pantry ingredients recipe
⭐️Why You'll Love This Recipe?
I've always been a massive fan of Hawaiian food trucks, especially their spicy garlic shrimp; the garlicky flavors and juicy shrimp are irresistible, similar to these zesty shrimp recipes.
This Hawaiian shrimp recipe is my homemade attempt to recreate the magic of those food truck-favorite appetizers, with my twist. My family loved it.
And I'm sure you will, too.
Hawaiian Shrimp Ingredients
- Shrimp: I used medium-sized raw frozen shrimp: peeled, deveined, and tail-off. If you are using frozen shrimp, thaw and pat dry before using. Feel free to substitute with your preferred shrimp variety.
- All-purpose flour. The binding agent coats the shrimp well, making each bite super tasty with all the garlic, butter, and pepper.
- Garlic. Never skip this ingredient; this Hawaiian shrimp cannot taste better without garlic.
- Cayenne pepper: Adjust the quantity to suit your heat tolerance, or substitute with paprika.
- Grape seed oil and butter. I substituted half the butter for grapeseed oil, but you may use any cooking oil.
- Parsley. You can use fresh/dried parsley.

How To Make Hawaiian Shrimp?

- Step 1. Add the shrimp to a mixing bowl with salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and flour.

- Step 2. Combine them well until the shrimp is evenly coated. And set aside for 10 minutes.

- Step 3. Heat butter, grapeseed oil, and garlic over medium heat, and sauté until garlic is lightly golden.

- Step 4. Add shrimp to the pan and cook for 3 minutes on each side until crispy and golden brown. And serve hot.
Loved this recipe and Want to save it?
The Leftovers
You can repurpose the leftover Hawaiian shrimp into tacos, fried rice, pasta, or a salad.
- Refrigerate. Store the leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for about 3 days.
- Freeze. Store in an air-sealed container or zip-lock bags; they can be used for up to 2 months. To thaw, transfer them to the refrigerator a day prior.
- Reheat. Sprinkle with water and cook covered until it turns warm.
♨️How To Adjust The Heat?
Adjust the quantity of cayenne pepper to make this Hawaiian shrimp mild or hot.
Alternatively, you can completely substitute the cayenne pepper with paprika for minimal heat but with the same spicy kick.
Variations
- White wine. This is for added flavor, enhanced acidity, and a slight sweetness to the shrimp.
- Ginger. It gives an earthy flavor.
- Pineapple. Add this spicy grilled pineapple to make it more tropical.
Frequently Asked Questions
Generally, medium or large shrimp are ideal for this Hawaiian shrimp recipe. If you're using frozen shrimp, ensure it's thawed and dried.
This dish is great to enjoy as soon as it's made; however, you can prep everything by marinating the shrimp with spices and flour for 3 - 4 hours before serving, then tossing it into the skillet just before serving.
This Hawaiian shrimp is best served as a side dish or appetizer. To make a complete meal, serve it with a bed of steamed rice or quinoa.
Other Shrimp Recipes
If you enjoyed this Hawaiian Shrimp Recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know your thoughts in the 📝 comments section below the recipe.
📖 Recipe

Hawaiian Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 cup shrimp cleaned and deveined
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon whole black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper /paprika
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon butter
- 2 tablespoon grapeseed oil
- 2 tablespoon garlic
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, add shrimp, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, all-purpose flour.
- Combine them well until shrimp gets evenly coated. And keep aside.
- In medium flame, add butter, grapeseed oil, and minced garlic.
- Sauté until garlic changes its color slightly.
- Add shrimp mixture.
- Cook for 3 minutes on each side and until it turns to crispy and golden brown.
- Transfer to serving bowl and serve hot.
Notes
- Substitute cayenne pepper for paprika for the less spicy version.
- Store the leftovers in an air-tight container refrigerated for about three days.
- For the freezer, use an air-sealed container or zip-lock bags; they're good for up to 2 months. To thaw, transfer them to the refrigerator overnight.
- To reheat, sprinkle water and cook covered until it turns warm.










Have tasted Hawaiian shrimp on our last vaccation, still then searching for the recipe. And I did not know that this dish making is that real easy.
I’m so happy that it was a hit, Liz!