Those who followed me on social media know that this summer I spent my vacations in Greece, specifically in Crete, a wonderful island rich in history and stunning and untouched places! To be honest, the Greek islands have become our favorite destination, so much so that just before the pandemic, my husband and I had been to Santorini too, much smaller and more picturesque. Through their very simple and affordable cuisine, I discovered typical dishes that I wanted to replicate once I got home to share with you all. Shrimp saganaki is truly part of this tradition! And if you are a lover of Greek cuisine like me, you absolutely have to try them! The recipe is based on strictly fresh shrimp or prawns, although frozen ones could be used, but I do not recommend it because it would lose all the authentic flavor of this succulent dish! The addition of feta cheese, which Greeks use a lot and which many will wrinkle their noses at for pairing with seafood, is instead a great demonstration that certain combinations can be made, achieving truly pleasant results! In fact, the contrast between these two ingredients is remarkable but also exquisitely perfect, as the sweetness of the shellfish surprisingly embraces the saltiness of this local cheese. And as I mentioned, since the ingredients of Greek cuisine are rather simple, you just need to add some fresh cherry tomatoes, an onion, plenty of parsley, and extra virgin olive oil, and you’re done! You will get a sauce perfect for bread dipping that will be perfect, if you like, even for seasoning two spaghetti by diluting it with a couple of ladles of cooking water! A very simple recipe with great final yield in both taste and presentation.
If you love international cuisine recipes, I invite you to also check out these super tasty preparations:
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Greek
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer, and Fall
Ingredients
⚠ THIS RECIPE CONTAINS ONE OR MORE AFFILIATE LINKS. The products I recommend are the same ones I use in my recipes; buying them through my blog helps support me and my work, while it will not cost you anything extra!
- 21 oz shrimp (or already peeled prawns)
- 14 oz cherry tomatoes (fresh)
- 1.4 cups tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 5.3 oz feta
- chopped parsley (plenty)
- 1.3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- to taste chili powder
Tools
- 2 Gloves
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Sieve
- 1 Pan
- 1 Baking Dish
Steps
Before preparing this succulent dish, proceed with a very delicate operation, namely cleaning the shrimp by removing the internal intestine (fig. 1).
Then cut the back of the shrimp with a small knife or toothpick and remove the intestines by gently pulling them, trying not to break them (fig. 2).
Once cleaned, rinse thoroughly under running water (fig. 3).
Pat them dry with kitchen paper towels and set aside. In a large pan, sauté a finely chopped onion with a good drizzle of oil for a couple of minutes over high heat (fig. 4).
Add the previously washed and chopped tomatoes (fig. 5), also add the tomato paste and let it cook for 5′ covered with a lid over low heat (fig. 6).
Add the tomato sauce and cook for another 5′ still with a lid (fig. 7).
After this time, complete by also adding the shrimp (fig. 8).
Let it flavor for another 5′ over low heat, then adjust the salt, sprinkle with plenty of finely chopped parsley, pepper to taste, and turn off the heat (fig. 9)
Transfer the slightly cooled sauce inside a baking dish* (fig. 10).
Add the feta cut into cubes and continue baking in the oven
Once cooled, sprinkle with more parsley to taste.
Ready for the bread dipping test.
And voila… your shrimp saganaki is ready to be enjoyed!
Bon Appetit from La Cucina di FeFè!
Storage
👉 You can store shrimp saganaki in the fridge covered with food wrap for 2 days. You may choose to prepare the sauce the day before and bake the next day at the time of serving.
Tips, notes, variations, and suggestions
🟣 * For practicality, you could use a wok and continue cooking directly inside it, even after adding the feta. In that case, cover with a lid and let cook for 20′ over low heat.
