This Greek-inspired Shrimp Saganaki recipe is our new favorite! The shrimp is pan-seared and baked in a fresh tomato sauce with feta cheese, kalamata olives, lemon and mint. Serve it as a tasty appetizer or weeknight dinner! Video.
I often get the best food ideas from my friends! While walking with my friend Joelle the other day, she shared how she made this Greek Shrimp Saganaki recipe for dinner the night before. After she described every detail, my mouth was watering, and I was sold! I went straight to the store and bought some shrimp and made it. Brian and I loved it! The recipe came from The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook for Beginners, which I have adapted, adding kalamata olives, lemon, and fresh mint, which, to me, elevate it.
The word saganaki refers to the pan in which the dish is prepared, often a small, two-handled skillet filled with flavorful morsels, often involving feta cheese. We’ve taken a few liberties and made this a little bigger—a tasty appetizer served with crusty bread to feed a crowd or perfect as a weeknight main course for 4, served over rice, pasta, or creamy polenta.
Why You’ll Love This
- So easy! 30 minutes of prep time. Once the shrimp and sauce are ready, simply assemble and bake!
- Rich in flavor. Fresh tomato sauce, tangy feta, kalamata olives, and fresh mint pair with seared shrimp in this baked dish.
- Versatile! Serve as an appetizer with crusty bread or enjoy for dinner with rice, pasta, or polenta.
Ingredients
- Shrimp: Use large raw jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined. See our tip below for choosing the best shrimp!
- Tomatoes: Freshly diced tomatoes and their juices.
- Onion and garlic: For rich, aromatic depth of flavor.
- Red pepper flakes: Aleppo is especially nice for a warm, smoky kick!
- Lemon: Both zest and juice for vibrant flavor.
- Honey: A touch of sweetness brings all of the flavors together. If you need to skip the honey for dietary reasons, sub with a touch of tomato paste.
- Fresh oregano: Or sub a teaspoon of dried oregano.
- Feta cheese: Sheep’s feta is nice here!
- Kalamata olives: A lovely addition that adds a pop of rich flavor.
- Mint leaves: Tear the mint leaves for garnish. Sub other fresh herbs like parsley or basil.
How to Make Shrimp Saganaki
Preheat oven to 400F.
Step 1: Sear the shrimp. Pat dry and season with salt and pepper. In a large, wide, ovenproof skillet or braiser, add half of the olive oil and warm over medium-high heat. Add shrimp, sear each side (no need to cook through), and place in a medium bowl with pan juices.
Step 2: Prepare the tomato sauce. Wipe out the skillet and return it to the stove, reducing the heat to medium. Add remaining olive oil, along with the onion and garlic, sautéing until tender, 5 minutes. Make a well in the center and add chili flakes and lemon zest. Sauté for one minute, then combine. Add the tomatoes and their juices, honey, and the oregano. If dry, add a splash of water and white wine (or Ouzo!). Cover, reduce to medium-low heat and simmer until tomatoes break down, 7-8 minutes.
Step 3: Assemble. Pour the remaining pan juices from the shrimp into the skillet. Sprinkle half of the feta over top and nestle in the shrimp. Add remaining feta and tuck in olives. Give the pan a good shake.
Step 4: Bake. Place the pan in the oven uncovered on the middle rack. Bake 15 minutes or until feta melts. Place under the broiler for a few minutes if you’d like the get the top golden!
Step 5: Taste and adjust for salt and add a squeeze of lemon juice if you wish!
Step 6: Garnish and serve. Sprinkle with fresh mint and serve!
Chef’s tips
- Shrimp: The quality of the shrimp (or prawns) will impact the final dish. Try to use wild (vs. farmed) shrimp. For ease, I always look for large, peeled, and deveined wild shrimp that is usually frozen. Costco and Trader Joe’s both carry these but are sometimes out.
- Tomatoes: Fresh, juicy summer tomatoes are delicious here, but you can substitute canned diced or crushed tomatoes in a pinch.
- Honey: Honey is traditional here and elevates the dish. If you want to leave it out for dietary reasons, I’d sub with tomato paste to help sweeten it.
- Make it ahead: If making it ahead for a party, you can prep the whole recipe to the point of placing it in the oven. Store in the fridge for up to 24 hours, covered tightly, until ready to bake. Let it come to room temperature before baking.
What to Serve with Shrimp Saganaki
- Sourdough bread– Tearor cut pieces of it, spray with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and bake until crispy in the oven.
- Serve it over rice, orzo pasta or couscous.
- Serve it over Creamy polenta
- Greek salad
FAQs
Saganaki means “little frying pan” in Greek. It refers to the pan that this dish is traditionally made in!
Yes! We use shrimp here, but there is feta saganaki, cod saganaki, halloumi saganaki, prawn saganaki, and more! Once you have the method down, you can sub the shrimp however you’d like.
Storage
Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Gently warm over medium until heated through. Add a splash of water if needed.
More Favorite Shrimp Recipes!
Love this recipe? Please let us know in the comments and leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below the recipe card. Enjoy! Sylvia
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Shrimp Saganaki Video
Shrimp Saganaki Recipe
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4-6
- Category: appetizer, main, seafood recipe
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Greek
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This Greek-inspired Shrimp Saganaki recipe is our new favorite! The shrimp is pan-seared and baked in a fresh tomato sauce with feta cheese, kalamata olives, and mint. Serve it as a tasty appetizer or dinner! Adapted from The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook for Beginners.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4–1 1/2 lbs large raw jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined. See the post for best shrimp!
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, more as needed
- 1 cup diced onion
- 6 cloves garlic, rough chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (Aleppo is nice)
- 1 lemon, zested, and use fresh lemon juice.
- 2 1/2 cups tomatoes, diced (and their juices)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano (or 1 teaspoon dried oregano)
- 3 ounces feta cheese (1/3 -1/2 cup) sheep’s feta is nice here!
- 1/4 cup kalamata olives, cut in half lengthwise
- 1/4 cup mint leaves, torn (or sub parsley or basil)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F
- Shrimp. Pat dry the shrimp and season with salt and pepper. In a large, wide, ovenproof skillet (or braiser) add half of the olive oil and heat the pan over medium high heat. Add the shrimp, searing each side (no need to cook through), and set these aside in a medium bowl along with any pan juices.
- Tomato Sauce. Wipe out the skillet, return it to the stove, lower the heat to medium, and add the remaining olive oil. Add the onion and garlic, and saute until tender, roughly 5 minutes. Make a well in the center and add the chili flakes and lemon zest- saute for one minute, then combine. Add the tomatoes and all their juices, honey and the oregano. If it seems dry, add a small splash of water and white wine (or Ouzo!). Cover, lower heat to med-low, and simmer gently until tomatoes break down, roughly 7-8 minutes.
- Assemble. Pour any of the pan juices from the shrimp bowl and stir. Sprinkle the tomato sauce with half of the feta. Nestle in the shrimp. Add the remaining feta crumbles, and tuck in the olives. Give the pan a good shake.
- Bake. Place the pan in the oven, uncovered, on the middle rack, for 15 minutes or until the feta starts to melt. Feel free to place under the broiler for a few minutes to get the top golden.
- Taste, adjust salt, add a squeeze of lemon juice to taste if you like.
- Sprinkle with the fresh mint leaves and serve.
Notes
- The original recipe included a splash of ouzo to deglaze the onions and garlic. Feel free to include or sub a splash of dry white wine.
- Serve warm as an appetizer with crusty bread or grilled crostini or as a main entree over rice, orzo pasta, or creamy polenta.
- You can also bake these in 4-6 mini cast iron skillets (4-6 inches in diameter) for a more authentic saganaki experience.
- Leftovers will keep up to 3 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Reheat gently on the stove top adding a splash of water to loosen if need be.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 393
- Sugar: 9.9 g
- Sodium: 758.2 mg
- Fat: 20.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 5.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 16.1 g
- Fiber: 2.8 g
- Protein: 39.1 g
- Cholesterol: 292.6 mg
Great flavors and terrific by itself.
Glad you enjoyed this Sue!
Absolutely delicious! I was a bit worried because my grocery store tomatoes were underwhelming, to say the least, and I also accidentally stirred chopped fresh mint instead of oregano into the dish before baking (realized in time to add the oregano). It was fantastic and did not taste like toothpaste in the slightest! Will definitely make again. I served it over farro.
Love those happy mistakes!
Sooo tasty. I served it with pasta and goat feta. Will be making this again before I run out of garden tomatoes!
Great to hear Christine!
This recipe is traditionally Greek. The sauce is prepared, prawns are green and layered with sauce, prawns, feta assembled and baked in the oven. No olives or mint, just oregano.
This is our inspired version.:)
This is bursting with flavor. Keeping in my rotation. Served with spaghetti squash but I can see why sourdough would be great as well. I had feta with sundried tomato and basil on hand so used that!
Glad you enjoyed Leslie!
I was excited that I happened to have all the ingredients. I think this comes from using your recipes all the time, so I’ve got the ingredients on hand. I appreciate that so much!
I did sub lime zest for lemon, and used a 22.5 oz can of tomatoes and that worked.
Thanks for a tasty and easy recipe 🙂
Awesome to hear Gillian, so happy you liked this!
Oh my, where do I start? First off I am a long time fan of all your recipes and share them often. One of my good friends has recently joined the fold and has made many herself. Currently I am undergoing treatment for a fractured vertebrae. Laurie has been kind enough to make us meals several times a month. Yesterday she brought this shrimp dish. We were floored! It was amazing! So full of flavor and she brought it over with orzo cooked in a stock made from the shrimp shells and vegetable broth, lemons for squeezing, and a loaf of crusty bread. I must say as soon as I can walk again I’ll be making this many times. The sauce was so flavorful and Laurie said it was an easy dish too! We are blessed to have them as our friends and blessed to have your fabulous recipes!
I love this, and thanks for sharing the blog Terri- always appreciated! And I am so happy you have good friends who bring you food during your recovery, so nice! 🙂 Glad you enjoyed this one. Best wishes as you heal-our bodies are truly amazing! xo
This recipe was amazing! I used ripe yellow tomatoes and roasted garlic and it came out incredible. Plus it was so easy. Thank you for sharing this recipe, I can’t wait to make it again!
Awesome to hear Randi!
Incredible. Fast and tasty. Thanks for the best recipes.
So glad you gave it a try Cheryl!
I knew this would be good, but I was genuinely stunned by just how good it was! We served it over whole wheat orzo. Deelicious! A loaf of crusty sourdough bread would have sent the meal into the stratosphere, but I was between bakes. Next time. Thank you for another perfect recipe.
Wonderful Marnie! Thanks for the review!
Oh my gosh – this shrimp dish sounds fab and I’ve got those shrimp thawing right now!!
Oh good! Let us know how you like it!
Since, I am vegan, can I substitute tofu and/or cauliflower for the shrimp?
I don’t see why not! Let us know what you try.:)
Simple and delicious. The whole family loved it.
Great to hear Diana!
This was absolutely excellent and is definitely going in the rotation. Completely blown away by how good it was.
My only question – is the 15 minute cook on the shrimp in the oven correct? I added them in the last 5-6 minutes for fear of overcooking.
Great to hear!So happy you enjoyed this!
Why am I just now getting introduced to this?!… What a brilliant combination of flavors and simplicity! Perfect for a low carb lunch served on low carb wraps! Thanks so much.
Ha! I know- crazy how some things just take awhile to find us. So glad you enjoyed!
Simple and beautiful flavours!
So glad you enjoyed Viera!