This quick and easy Greek shrimp saganaki is a delicious dish perfect for sharing with friends or family. It's gluten free and ready in 30 minutes! Works equally well both as a family meal and party food idea.
This easy Greek shrimp saganaki is another recipe inspired by my recent holiday in Greece. It was probably my favourite dish during my stay in Greece. One that I knew I definitely wanted to try to recreate back in the UK. And here it is!
Tomatoes are such a quintessential Mediterranean vegetable (or fruit!). It's practically impossible to be in that part of the world and not eat something containing tomatoes at least once a day.  Greek tomatoes were sweet and delicious and I just couldn't get enough of them.
The tomato sauce in the saganaki shrimp I tried on several occasions was especially delicious. Tangy, sweet and full of flavour, it complemented the juicy shrimp extremely well.
How to make Greek shrimp saganaki: step-by-step
Start with the sauce.
The tomato sauce is really quite simple to make, doesn't require a long list of ingredients and is ready in about 20 minutes. Use good quality, very ripe sweet tomatoes as they will produce a delicious, flavourful sauce. I also think it's a good idea to add a few anchovy fillets to the sauce for a richer, deeper flavour.
1.To make the sauce fry the garlic and onion in a little oil, then add the wine.
2. Add the tomatoes, tomato pasta, olives and anchovies and cook for about 20 minutes or until the sauce has thickened, stirring often.
3. Remove from the heat, stir in the shrimp and some of the feta, scatter the remaining feta over the top and pop under a grill for a few minutes, if possible. Alternatively cook briefly on the stove top.
Top tips
- I considered using unpeeled shrimp in this recipe, but in the end decided not to. They are simply not as easy to come by here in the UK. Remember that shrimp cooks very quickly so add it to the sauce towards the end (see Instructions below).
- Seasoning: Keep in mind that the sauce contains a few salty ingredients (feta, olives, anchovies). It is, therefore, a good idea to season the dish once you've taken it off the heat, rather than during cooking. You may not need to add any salt at all, just some freshly ground pepper to taste.
- Not suitable for freezing.
Serving suggestions
My favourite way of serving saganaki with shrimp and tomato is with fresh crusty bread (and freshly chopped parsley). The bread tastes super delicious if you dip it in the sauce. For a more substantial meal serve with kritharaki (Greek orzo pasta), quinoa or rice.
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Check out also this collection of healthy easy one pot chicken recipes.
Keep in touch!
How has your shrimp saganaki turned out for you? Let me know in the comments below, thanks!
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Easy Greek Shrimp Saganaki
Ingredients
- 20 large raw shrimp peeled
- 4 large very ripe tomatoes finely chopped
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 80 g (2.82 oz) feta cheese
- 2 tbsp green olives finely chopped
- 2-3 anchovy fillets marinated in oil, finely chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
- 3 tbsp olive oil plus more for drizzling
- 5 tbsp white wine
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, olives, anchovies, stir and cook over a medium heat for about 20 minutes or until the mixture has thickened, stirring often.
- Remove from the heat, stir in the shrimp and 2 quarters of the feta, crumble the remaining feta over the top, drizzle with a little oil and slide under a grill, if possible, for about 5 minutes (alternatively don't remove the pan from the heat, stir in the feta, shrimp and cook for 3 minutes - ensure the shrimp is pink before serving)
- Season with pepper and some salt (if needed), sprinkle fresh parsley over the top and serve with fresh crusty bread.
Notes
- Remember that shrimp cooks very quickly so add it to the sauce towards the end (see the Instructions below).
- Seasoning: Keep in mind that the sauce contains a few salty ingredients (feta, olives, anchovies). It is, therefore, a good idea to season the dish once you've taken it off the heat, rather than during cooking. You may not need to add any salt at all, just some freshly ground pepper to taste.
- Not suitable for freezing.
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is automatically generated and should be considered as an estimate.
**A note about baking: If using a fan-assisted oven refer to your appliance's instructions and adjust the temperature accordingly.
Nicole Fraser
This looks amazing but where is the saganaki part? Saganaki is a fried cheese dish...........
Monika
Saganaki is a type of dish prepared in a frying pan, fried cheese being one example, but there is also shrimp saganaki.
Angie | Fiesta Friday
That looks delicious! I think I've heard of this one, just not sure if I have actually had it. I happen to have a good friend who is from Greece. And he owns a pizzeria! He claimed the Greeks invented pizza, to which I replied the Italians perfected it, lol.
Monika
And I would also add that the Americans made it super popular:) As for the shrimp dish I am sure your Greek friend knows it, apparently it's very popular everywhere in Greece.
cookingwithauntjuju.com
We are both thinking shrimp this week - I can never get enough of that favorite shellfish. Looks good and saucy - I rarely add salt to any recipe as I find there is usually more than enough in the other ingredients. Thanks for co-hosting!
Monika
Yes we are on the same page with shrimp this week, and I agree with you about the salt too. Happy FF:)
Jhuls
I am drooling over your photos!? This looks amazingly good! Thanks for sharing, Monika. Happy Fiesta Friday!
Monika
Thank you Jhuls! Happy FF to you too:)
Michelle Frank | Flipped-Out Food
I saw your recipe on #CookBlogShare: it's beautiful! My hubster is all about these saucy tomato dishes, but unpeeled shrimp would be right out. Your photos make me want to grab some crusty bread and dive face-first into that skillet!
Monika
Thank you for your kind words and for stopping by!
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie
Oh you are so lucky to go to Greece! It's somewhere I've always wanted to go to but for some reason never quite got to. Now being tied to school summer hols it's tricky to find a good time to go - August would be a wee bit too hot for me I think. This is a lovely recipe and one I've not heard of before. I can just imagine how good this would be...though I think it might lack something, made with british tomatoes...our tomatoes are so rubbish here! Eb x
Monika
Thank you! It's true the tomatoes in Greece were amazing, but the vine tomatoes here can be good too, especially when very ripe. Yes it was hot, but bearable, nothing like the heat wave across Europe a couple of weeks ago, so we were actually pretty lucky:)
Corina
I don't often cook with shrimps but this looks delicious! I do love the flavours in the sauce.
Monika
Thank you Corina:)
joskitchenlarder
Prawns and tomatoes go so well together and all tasty little additions of olives, feta and anchovies make it truly Mediterranean dish. Love it!
Monika
Thank you! Glad you like it:)
hijackedbytwins
Oh I adore shrimps and this looks like my ideal meal. I have never heard of this dish before I need to look into Greek cuisine a bit more. Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x
Monika
Thank you Kirsty, I also hadn't heard of this dish until about 2 weeks ago, it's one definitely worth remembering:)