Garlic shrimp delight — no food truck necessary

Since she was young, Edeliza “Liza” deGuzman-Corpuz was challenged by her father to name the ingredients in their daily meals. Because of this rigorous training, she is able to duplicate almost every dish she tastes.

Those detective taste buds have resulted in a lip-smacking garlic shrimp recipe that puts the shrimp trucks to shame.

The sauce she invented is so good, you will put noodles or rice in the pan to soak up every drop of the delicious liquid.

Growing up in Bulacan, north of Manila, and as the youngest of nine children, deGuzman-Corpuz put her taste buds to work during mealtime to discern all the flavors in her food.

“My father was traditional; he wanted his daughters to be good cooks,” she says.

And she is. The Ewa Beach resident has a large repertoire of good dishes, but the garlic shrimp stands out. It’s a favorite of her husband, Rupert Corpuz, and sons Austin and Jorden.

This stellar recipe is the result of many trips to North Shore food trucks and much experimentation.

The sauce starts out as you would guess — melted butter and olive oil are the base to simmer a huge amount of chopped fresh garlic. DeGuzman-Corpuz has tried to use the precut, bottled garlic, but says it doesn’t match the taste of fresh.

There is the right amount of kick from red pepper flakes, and she ingeniously bolsters the taste by adding garlic powder. The sauce is a perfect, complex combination of salt, sweet, shrimp and spiciness.

Also included is oyster sauce, agave for sweetness, ground pepper, and of course, beautiful butterflied shrimp. Any size shrimp, with shells on, can be used. But she hints that the larger the shrimp, the fewer there are to devein and butterfly.

Then, she adds two unusual ingredients: a packet of Sazon Goya con Azafran (with saffron) seasoning, which provides an attractive yellow sheen — and Ritz crackers!

The Sazon Goya seasoning packets can be tricky to locate. Foodland sells another version of the Sazon Goya seasoning, one with coriander and annatto (con culantro y achiote). The version deGuzman-Corpuz uses is available at military commissaries or at the Mercado de la Raza Latin foods store on Beretania Street.

A key to the success of the dish is the Ritz crackers, crushed and added in at the end to soak up the buttery garlic sauce. Unsuccessful with crushed Italian breadcrumbs, garlic croutons and club crackers, she discovered that original-flavored Ritz has the right taste and the perfect flakiness to complete the recipe.

DeGuzman-Corpuz makes her specialty often. Though she works full time at Pearl Harbor, she can assemble the dish quickly when she gets home. It’s so delicious, it’s hard to stop eating it.

All who enjoy this recipe will be glad deGuzman-Corpuz heeded her father’s advice: “If you like to eat, you need to learn how to cook.”

LIZA’S GARLIC SHRIMP

By Edeliza “Liza” deGuzman-Corpuz

• 3 pounds raw white shrimp, unpeeled
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh garlic, about 10 to 16 cloves
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons ground pepper
• 4 teaspoons dried parsley
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoons blue agave nectar or sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
• 1 packet (1/4 teaspoon) Sazon Goya con Azafran seasoning (substitute with another Sazon Goya variety or make a homemade mix; see recipe below)
• 15 Ritz crackers, crushed
• Lemon wedges (optional, for garnish)

Defrost shrimp, if frozen. Wash to remove any bits of shell. Cut the back of the shrimp with scissors and devein, if needed. Set aside.

In a large skillet over high heat, melt butter and add olive oil. Reduce heat to low and add garlic. Stir until garlic sizzles, about 5 to 10 minutes. Be careful not to brown it.

Add shrimp and garlic powder, pepper, parsley, oyster sauce, agave, pepper flakes and seasoning mix. Stir thoroughly and continuously until shrimp are cooked, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add crackers and stir.

Serve hot over rice or pasta. Garnish with lemon wedges if using. Serves 3 to 4.

SAZON GOYA DE AZAFRAN REPLACEMENT

By Edeliza “Liza” deGuzman-Corpuz

In bowl, combine 1/4 teaspoon each of: ground black pepper, ground cumin, oregano, garlic powder, and Mexican saffron, paprika or achiote powder. Use 1/4 teaspoon of the mix.

Liza’s tips:

>> Do not use bottled, precut garlic. It doesn’t have the same taste as fresh garlic.

>> Use shell-on shrimp. Shells add flavor.

>> Butterfly the shrimp using kitchen shears. The sauce will adhere to the shrimp meat.

>> The larger the shrimp, the fewer you need to clean.

>> Put the crackers in a plastic bag and crush them with your hands.

Nutritional information unavailable.

Lynette Lo Tom, author of “The Chinese Kitchen,” is fascinated by old-fashioned foods. Contact her at 275-3004 or via instagram at @brightlightcookery. Nutritional analysis by Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S.