I discovered this fabulous recipe on the Food and Wine website. It was created by Hawaiian chef Sheldon Simeon, who claims it was inspired by the food trucks that serve garlic butter shrimp on Oahu’s North Shore.

The shrimp are “marinated in a mixture of Italian dressing, mayonnaise, key lime juice, and salt, then grilled and tossed in roasted garlic butter. The result: unbelievably sweet, juicy grilled shrimp. You can make the garlic butter in advance, and use any leftover garlic butter on pasta, fish, or toast.”

If you’re not familiar with Chef Simeon, he was born in Hilo on the big island, and his parents’ influence sent him on his path to the Culinary Institute of the Pacific onto an internship at Walt Disney World. Chef Simeon was a finalist on season 10 of Top Chef in Seattle, and won the coveted “fan favorite” title. Earlier this year, Simeon opened Tin Roof, a mom and pop eatery in Kahului, which in in Maui. The food looks incredible. He also authored a cookbook, published in 2021, called Cook Real Hawaii.

Hawaiian-Style Garlic Butter Shrimp

1 cup canola oil
1/4 cup peeled garlic cloves (from 1 head garlic)
1/2 cup unsalted butter (4 ounces), at room temperature
1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup bottled Italian dressing (or a traditional home-made vinaigrette)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup fresh Key lime juice (from about 8 Key limes)
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
2 pounds peeled and deveined tail-on raw large shrimp
1/2 cup chopped scallions
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon paprika

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place oil and garlic in a small baking pan; cover with aluminum foil. Roast garlic in preheated oven until soft and light golden brown, about 40 minutes. Let cool 1 hour. Remove garlic from oil; place garlic in bowl of a food processor. (For sake of ease I sometimes use peeled garlic cloves in chile oil.)

Add butter to food processor, and process until smooth. Stir in salt. Let butter mixture stand at room temperature until ready to use.

While roasted garlic cools, stir together Italian dressing, mayonnaise, lime juice, and salt. Add shrimp, and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Heat a grill pan over medium-high. Remove shrimp from marinade, and discard marinade. Grill shrimp until cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer shrimp to a large bowl.

Add roasted garlic butter, and toss until butter is melted and shrimp are coated.

Sprinkle with scallions, parsley, and paprika; toss to combine.

Transfer to a serving plate.

Honestly I’m not sure I enjoyed the lime juice mixed with the vinaigrette. Something wasn’t right with this recipe, but I’m glad I tried it. If you google Hawaiian garlic butter shrimp, recipes are abundant!