Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta (Greek Garides Saganaki)

Garides Saganaki, or Greek Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta Cheese, is a one-skillet, easy recipe that's packed with bright, fresh flavours. And it takes only 25 minutes. It's low-carb on its own but I love serving it with crusty bread to mop up all the sauce. If you have ever been to Greece it would be impossible to have missed out on this delicious Greek shrimp saganaki appetizer, served in every Psarotaverna (fish tavern), which are prepared in a small, two handled heavy bottomed frying pan, itself called a saganaki or sagani. The most common traditional Greek recipes cooked in a saganaki pan include cheese saganaki and mussels saganaki. When preparing a Greek shrimp saganaki recipe, the shrimps are first sautéed in olive oil, deglazed with traditional Greek ouzo drink, then added in a spicy tomato sauce and finished off with fresh herbs and salty feta cheese. Simply irresistible.

1½ lbs large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
½ tsp. kosher salt, dived
¼ tsp. black pepper, freshly ground, divided
1 tsp. lemon zest, freshly grated
2 Tbsp. lemon juice, freshly squeezed
3 cloves garlic, minced, divided
1 small yellow onion, diced (or ½ large)
½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp. dried oregano or 1 Tbsp. fresh
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes, preferably fire roasted
¼ cup dry white wine, such as; sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, or pinot grigio
6 oz feta cheese, crumbled

To Serve:
grilled garlic bread or pita
fresh parsley, chopped

In a small bowl, toss the shrimp with 1 Tbsp. of the olive oil, the lemon zest, 1 Tbsp.(or half) of the lemon juice, 1 clove of the minced garlic, ¼ tsp. of kosher salt, and 1/8 tsp. black pepper. Stir to coat and set aside.

Sauté the diced onion in 2 Tbsp. olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet with a cover until softened and starting to brown (about 3 minutes).

Add the remaining 2 cloves minced garlic, crushed red pepper (¼ tsp.), and dried oregano (1 tsp.) to the onions. Stir and continue sautéing until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the white wine (¼ cup) and remaining lemon juice (about 1 Tbsp.) and stir to deglaze, scraping any browned bits from the bottom. Add the diced tomatoes (28 oz), and the remaining ¼ tsp. kosher salt, and 1/8 tsp. black pepper to the skillet. Stir and bring to a simmer (you can cover if it gets too bubbly).

Add the shrimp and any juices from the bowl into the tomato mixture and stir together. Cover and simmer for about 5 minutes, or until shrimp are almost cooked.

Sprinkle the crumbled feta (6 oz) on top and simmer uncovered for another 2-4 minutes, until shrimp are completely cooked and feta has melted (you can add the cover if it's splattering, but simmering uncovered will help it thicken a bit).

Drizzle remaining 1 Tbsp. of olive oil on top.

Serve, bread or pita and garnished with fresh parsley, if desired.

Makes 4 servings.