Shrimp Saganaki (Greek-style shrimp with tomatoes and feta)
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, Greek extra virgin olive oil preferred
- 1/2 cup onions, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1/4 cup Greek ouzo or white wine, optional
- 1 28-ounces can diced tomatoes
- 1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt or Kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, more or less to taste
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 1/2 pounds extra large shrimp, 26/30, peeled and deveined, thawed if frozen
- 6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
- 1 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoons fresh dill, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Set an oven rack in the middle position and set a rack about 6 inches below the broiler.
- In a large oven-safe skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes or until softened, stir in the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes making sure the onions and garlic don’t get browned.
- Stir in the Greek ouzo or white white (if using) and bring to a boil. Cook until the liquid is reduced by half, about 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in the tomatoes with their juices, salt, pepper, about half of the dried oregano, crushed red pepper flakes and honey. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cook stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat.
- Arrange the shrimp in an even layer over the tomato sauce. Top with the crumbled feta cheese and sprinkle with the remaining dried oregano.
- Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 12-14 minutes or until the shrimp have just become pink and cooked through. Exact time will vary depending on the size of the shrimp.
- Turn the broiler on and with an oven mitt carefully place the skillet on the rack under the broiler. Broil for about 2 minutes or until the feta cheese is browning in a few spots.
- Remove from the oven and allow to rest for about 4 minutes, then sprinkle with fresh herbs and serve.
Notes
- If using frozen shrimp (which is as good as the fresh shrimp sold at the market), make sure to defrost it before cooking.
- Unless you live in a coastal town, the fresh shrimp sold at the fish counter in any supermarket is previously frozen.
- You can use extra-large, large or jumbo shrimp.
- If you don’t have an oven-safe skillet, transfer the sauce to a 3 Qt baking dish and top it with the shrimp. Follow recipe as written.
- Ouzo is a Greek anise-flavored liquor made from grape remnants used in wine making.
- Get a piece of good quality Greek feta cheese and crumble it yourself. Pre-crumbled cheese usually gets a bit dry and loses it’s flavor.
- Serve with crusty bread and some kalamata olives on the side.
Nutrition
Calories: 457 kcal, Carbohydrates: 19 g, Protein: 31 g, Fat: 25 g, Saturated Fat: 8 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 12 g, Trans Fat: 0.01 g, Cholesterol: 252 mg, Sodium: 2610 mg, Potassium: 655 mg, Fiber: 3 g, Sugar: 10 g, Vitamin A: 894 IU, Vitamin C: 22 mg, Calcium: 385 mg, Iron: 3 mg
