Shrimp Saganaki (Greek Shrimp with Tomatoes & Feta)

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Greek-style shrimp saganaki makes a quick and easy weeknight dinner.

Skillet of Greek shrimp.

Shrimp saganaki, the classic Greek dish of shrimp in a spicy tomato sauce with feta cheese, can be made almost entirely from pantry and freezer staples, so it’s one of my go-to meals when I have to hit the kitchen running. You begin by making a quick tomato sauce on the stovetop. Then you nestle the shrimp in the sauce, top it with chunks of feta, and slide the pan into the oven to bake. Before serving, you flash the pan under the broiler to brown the feta and then sprinkle fresh mint over top. All that’s left to do is set the pan in the center of the table for everyone to dig in. The sauce is plentiful and packed with flavor, so be sure to serve lots of crusty bread on the side to sop it up.

What You’ll Need To Make Shrimp Saganaki

ingredients for greek shrimp

Step-by-Step Instructions

To start, heat the olive oil in a wide oven-proof skillet over medium-low heat and add the shallots and garlic.

Shallots and garlic in a skillet.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Do not brown.

Wooden spoon stirring shallots and garlic in a skillet.

Add the tomatoes with their juices, salt, pepper, cumin, red pepper flakes, and honey.

Tomatoes and spices in a skillet with shallots.

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened, 15 to 20 minutes.

Skillet of thickened tomato sauce.

Off the heat, arrange the shrimp over the tomato sauce in an even layer.

Shrimp in a skillet with tomato sauce.

Crumble the feta over the shrimp, and then sprinkle with the oregano.

Feta atop shrimp in tomato sauce.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the shrimp are pink and just cooked. Turn on the broiler. Then, using an oven mitt, carefully transfer the pan to the higher oven rack and broil for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the feta is golden brown in spots. Let the shrimp rest for 5 minutes, then sprinkle with mint and enjoy!

Skillet of Greek shrimp.

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Shrimp Saganaki (Greek Shrimp with Tomatoes & Feta)

Greek-style shrimp saganaki makes a quick and easy weeknight dinner.

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 40 Minutes
Total Time: 50 Minutes

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • ¾ cup finely chopped shallots, from about 3 shallots
  • 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 1 (28-oz) can diced tomatoes
  • 1½ teaspoons salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (use less if you are heat-sensitive)
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1½ pounds extra large shrimp (26/30), peeled and deveined, thawed if frozen
  • 6 ounces feta cheese
  • ¾ teaspoon dried oregano
  • 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh mint

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F; set one oven rack in the middle position and another about 5 inches underneath the broiler.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a wide oven-proof skillet (see note) over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Do not brown.
  3. Add the tomatoes with their juices, salt, pepper, cumin, red pepper flakes, and honey. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened, 15 to 20 minutes.
  4. Off the heat, arrange the shrimp over the tomato sauce in an even layer. Crumble the feta over the shrimp, and then sprinkle with the oregano. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the shrimp are pink and just cooked (the cooking time will depend on the size of the shrimp). Turn on the broiler. Using an oven mitt, carefully transfer the pan to the higher oven rack and broil for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the feta is golden brown in spots. Using an oven mitt, remove the pan from the oven (and immediately place the oven mitt or a dishtowel over the handle of the pan because it's very easy to forget that it is burning hot). Let the shrimp rest for 5 minutes, then sprinkle with mint and serve.
  5. Note: If you do not have an oven-proof skillet, simply transfer the tomato sauce to a 9-by-13-inch or equivalent broiler-safe baking dish and proceed from there.

Pair with

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • Per serving (4 servings)
  • Calories: 431
  • Fat: 25g
  • Saturated fat: 9g
  • Carbohydrates: 21g
  • Sugar: 14g
  • Fiber: 5g
  • Protein: 32g
  • Sodium: 1379mg
  • Cholesterol: 252mg

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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Comments

  • Just a question. Why the cumin? I REALLY hesitate to add it. Thanks!

    • — Hillary Williams
    • Reply
    • Hi Hillary, I know the cumin may seem like an odd ingredient for this dish, but it really does work. A number of other readers have commented that they were skeptical of it as well, but were happy with the end result. (It adds another layer of flavor that’s really appealing.) That said, the dish will still be tasty without it (or with less of it).

      • Can you recommend a substitute? I’m allergic to cumin.

        • Hi Jen, Smoked paprika would work really well. Hope that helps!

  • I tried this recipe recently and found it to be very spicy, overwhelmed the other flavors, I will try again without the red pepper, I also found that there wasn’t much sauce to go around after it boiled down, would adding more tomatoes fix that? Overall we liked it and will make some adjustments next time.

    • Hi Louise, sorry that this was a bit too spicy for you! Regarding the sauce, yes, you could definitely add more tomatoes to supplement.

  • An instant hit! Such a delicious, comforting but light meal. My husband and I both love this dish and I immediately added it to our rotation.

  • This is SO good! I added kalamata olives and served it over fried green tomatoes. Everyone loved it and asked that I make it again!

  • This is now my go to meal when I have guests for dinner. I don’t change a thing and it’s perfect! Delicious and great presentation. Love, love, love it!!!

  • Absolutely Delish! Served this over pasta with some warm rustic, buttered bread! My family loved it! Will be a “regular” in my Dinner repertoire!

  • Can you put frozen shelled and deveined shrimp in without thawing first?

    • I would recommend thawing them first; I’d be concerned that they wouldn’t fully cook if they were added to the dish while still frozen.

  • Delish as is, wouldn’t change a thing. So easy and simple while immensely satisfying. Served with crusty bread and olive oil to drizzle. We will definately be making this again and again and again.

    • — Nancy Hartsock
    • Reply
  • Delicious! I reduced the salt to 3/4 teaspoon and used sweet onion rather than shallots. I will definitely make this many times in the future.

  • This recipe was easy to make and so delicious. My fiance is a picky eater and he loved this. I did not have oregano on hand so I used an Italian seasoning mix and it turned out beautifully. I also used Bulgarian feta (more creamy and less salty than Greek) and it was so creamy and yummy.

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