This Greek shrimp saganaki is a quick and easy skillet recipe, that is a fantastic way to incorporate shrimp into your weekly meal rotation. Tender, sweet shrimp are simmered in a perfectly spiced tomato sauce, finished with the right amount of salty feta cheese. All you need is 20 minutes, and a skillet! Serve with tangy dill tzatziki, a village greek salad, and homemade butter naan for a mediterranean feast!
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👩🏽🍳Why This Recipe Works
Budget friendly: Frozen, cooked shrimp works perfectly fine in this recipe, which means you can skip the fancy options at the grocery store. You can use as small or as large shrimp as you'd like.
Time-conscious: The saganaki sauce takes less than 15 minutes to come together. Combined with frozen, cooked shrimp, this is a true 20 minute recipe. Served with crusty bread, or quick cooking pasta, and this is entirely weeknight friendly.
No fancy ingredients: You do not need to venture out for any specialty ingredients, which is the true beauty of many mediterranean recipes. You probably already have most ingredients ready-to-go in your pantry.
🥘Ingredients
- Frozen, cooked shrimp: I prefer to use cooked shrimp to make this a quick recipe. If you have frozen, uncooked shrimp on hand, or even fresh shrimp, you can use those too. The ideal size shrimp ranges from 16-20 or 21-25. This means that you get between 16 to 20 shrimp in a bag, or 21-25 shrimp in a bag. Regardless of the type of shrimp you use, make sure your shrimp are deveined and peeled.
- Diced tomatoes: Canned, diced tomatoes are ideal for the base of this sauce. They add a good, acidic flavour with a little bit of texture. You can use seasoned diced tomatoes, or plain.
- Fresh lemon: I recommend using fresh lemon, as it finishes the dish with a bright, acidic note.
- Feta cheese: I like to use Greek feta cheese, which is made with sheep and goats milk. I strongly recommend crumbling the feta cheese fresh, instead of using pre-crumbled feta.
- Spices and seasoning: You will need red chilli flakes, dried oregano, and ground cinnamon. These are very similar flavors to my favourite greek spicy potatoes!
A full list of ingredients with measurements is located on the recipe card, below.
📖Substitutions
- Diced tomatoes: You can substitute with whole san marzano tomatoes if you do not have diced tomatoes on hand. You will want to break down the whole tomatoes with your hands, to give the same textural element as diced tomatoes.
- Shallot: Feel free to use regular cooking onions, or red onion.
- Fresh lemon: Bottled lemon juice will work fine in a pinch.
- Feta cheese: You can use any feta variety, it does not need to be Greek feta specifically. Alternatively, you can use crumbled goats cheese for a similar tangy flavor.
🔪Variations
- Traditional: Traditional saganaki-style recipes use ouzo, a Greek anise-flavoured liqueur to deglaze the pan. This version is alcohol free, but feel free to add a splash before you add the tomatoes to the pan!
- Mild: Omit the red chilli flakes for a milder tomato base.
- Seafood medley: Amp up this dish with mussels, calamari, or any of your favorite seafood for a delicious assortment.
⏲️Step-By-Step Instructions
Prep Work Before Cooking
Collecting all your ingredients - This will make cooking so much easier. Gather all the spices you will need, and keep them nearby.
Remove the shrimp from the freezer - You do not need to completely thaw the shrimp, however, while you are prepping and making the sauce, keep the shrimp outside at room temperature.
Chop the shallot and garlic - Finely mince the shallots and garlic.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon of olive oil, and add the shallots and garlic to the skillet. [photo 1]
Once the shallots and garlic are translucent and fragrant, add the canned diced tomatoes and ground spices to the skillet. Lower the heat to low, and let the sauce simmer for 5-7 minutes.[photos 2&3]
Nestle the shrimp in the sauce, and let the shrimp warm through for 2-3 minutes. You can put a lid on the pan to keep the heat inside. [photo 4]
Once the shrimp is cooked through, top with fresh lemon juice, feta cheese, and garnish with fresh flat-leaf parsley.
💭Expert Tips
If using raw shrimp: I recommend giving the a quick sear before you start making the sauce. Once the shrimp are opaque and pink, remove them from the pan and make the sauce. Add the shrimp at the end, and finish with lemon, feta and parsley.
Do not overcook the shrimp: Perfectly cooked shrimp should begin to curl up and turn pink, but should not be completely "C"shaped. If your shrimp are becoming tight "C's", you are bordering overcooked.
Be mindful of added salt: Feta cheese is very salty on its own, so I recommend salting the sauce just shy of what you would usually prefer. This helps to avoid an overly salted recipe.
🍽Make Ahead & Storage
You can make the tomato sauce for shrimp saganaki in advance and store it in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. When ready to serve, reheat the sauce on the stovetop and finish the recipe as written.
Another option is to assemble the entire dish in a casserole dish (without baking) and store it in the refrigerator. When you're ready to serve, preheat the oven to 400°F, and bake until the shrimp are cooked and the sauce is bubbling.
If you have leftover shrimp, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. Reheat in a skillet on the stove. I would avoid microwaving to reheat, as the shrimp can get rubbery.
⭐Recipe FAQs
Serve the shrimp with a quick olive oil focaccia, or garlic pull apart bread to mop up the sauce. This shrimp also goes perfectly with plain pasta.
There is no need to thaw frozen shrimp before cooking. Shrimp is extremely quick cooking, and will cook through even if frozen.
Saganaki is a Greek term that refers to dishes cooked in a small, two-handled frying pan. The word typically refers to the pan itself. Shrimp saganaki is a Greek dish where shrimp are cooked in a tomato and feta cheese sauce, like this recipe.
📝More Mediterranean Recipes
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Greek Shrimp Saganaki {No Ouzo!}
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb Frozen shrimp - cooked & peeled, 21-25 size
- 14.5 oz can Diced tomatoes
- 1 Shallot - minced
- 3 cloves Garlic - minced
- ½ teaspoon Oregano
- 1 teaspoon Red chilli flakes
- ¼ teaspoon Ground cinnamon
- Sea salt - to taste
- ½ cup Feta cheese - crumbled
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon of olive oil, and add the shallots and garlic to the skillet.1 Shallot, 3 cloves Garlic
- Once the shallots and garlic are translucent and fragrant, add the canned diced tomatoes and ground spices to the skillet. Lower the heat to low, and let the sauce simmer for 5-7 minutes.14.5 oz can Diced tomatoes, ½ teaspoon Oregano, 1 teaspoon Red chilli flakes, ¼ teaspoon Ground cinnamon, Sea salt
- Nestle the shrimp in the sauce, and let the shrimp warm through for 2-3 minutes. You can put a lid on the pan to keep the heat inside.1 lb Frozen shrimp
- Once the shrimp is cooked through, top with fresh lemon juice, feta cheese, and garnish with fresh flat-leaf parsley.½ cup Feta cheese
✱Recipe Notes
- If using raw shrimp: I recommend giving the a quick sear before you start making the sauce. Once the shrimp are opaque and pink, remove them from the pan and make the sauce. Add the shrimp at the end, and finish with lemon, feta and parsley.
- Do not overcook the shrimp: Perfectly cooked shrimp should begin to curl up and turn pink, but should not be completely "C"shaped. If your shrimp are becoming tight "C's", you are bordering overcooked.
- Be mindful of added salt: Feta cheese is very salty on its own, so I recommend salting the sauce just shy of what you would usually prefer. This helps to avoid an overly salted recipe.
Raman says
Love the recipes. You are doing a phenomenal job!!! Keep it up girl ??