Shrimp Saganaki

Lately I have been coming across recipes for Greek Shrimp Saganaki on blogs and magazines that I follow somewhat regularly. They sounded delicious, and something that would be perfect for a cold January day. However, neither of the recipes sounded quite right for me (or had ingredients that I don’t have readily available). One recipe from Finnish chef Hans Välimäki had a really good looking dish with delicious sounding sauce, another from My Greek Dish blog had other merits but was missing some of the veggies, and so on, you get the idea.

So after a while I decided to mix/match and combine and make my own recipe. I am not sure how authentic Greek this turned out to be, but it sure was tasty! This is a really quick recipe that you can make in less than 30 min. All you need to accompany it is some good fresh bread and you are good to go.

If you are sensitive to spicy foods, feel free to leave out the jalapeno/red chili pepper. As for the shrimp, I prefer to peel them completely so you don’t have to deal with the sauce drenched tails.

The recipe makes about 4-6 servings and while it is more of an appetizer dish, I ended up serving it as itself.

INGREDIENTS:

4 tbsp olive oil

1 red onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 small fennel, diced

1 jalapeno or red chili pepper, diced (optional)

1 can (28 oz) chopped tomatoes (good quality)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 lbs large shrimp (16-20 count)

1/4 cup ouzo

6 oz feta, crumbled

fresh parsley

STEPS:

  1. Peel the shrimp and set aside

  2. In a non-stick frying pan heat 1 tbsp olive oil. Add the onion and saute until it starts to soften. Add the garlic, jalapeno, and fennel, and saute for an additional minute or two. Add the tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well together, cover, reduce the heat and let simmer for about 5 min

  3. While the sauce is simmering heat the additional 3 tbsp olive oil in cast iron pan. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and saute them lightly in the olive oil. When the shrimp start to get some color, add the ouzo and let the alcohol cook off.

  4. Reduce the heat and pour the sauce on top of the shrimp, mix well together and top with the feta. Cover and let simmer for about 2 min until the feta starts to melt.

  5. Garnish with fresh parsley and enjoy with good bread and your favorite beverage

SeafoodNiina OjaShrimp, Saganaki, Seafood, Feta, GreekComment