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Garides Saganaki (Shrimp Saganaki)

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Garides Saganaki (Shrimp Saganaki)

One of the things that I really liked about the Greek restaurants was the many tasty appetizers or mezes (or mezedes) that they served. It was really nice when eating in a group as you could order a few mezes and try some of each. One of the mezes that I liked the most was a seafood saganaki. At first I was not sure what would come as I associated the name Saganaki with the fried cheese dish. Apparently saganaki is also the name of the two handled pan that the dish is made in. The seafood saganaki was shrimp, octopus and mussels cooked in a spicy tomato sauce and covered with feta cheese. With just one bite I knew that I would just have to try making this one at home.
The first decision that I made was to simplify the dish by just using shrimp, which was my favorite part. It was quite easy to find many recipes for shrimp saganaki online and I came up with this one using what I liked from several of them. The shrimp saganaki was really easy to make and it turned out great! The spicy tomato sauce, salty feta cheese and succulent shrimp combo was so good! A lot of the recipes that I found called for ouzo, which is a Greek anise flavored liqueur. Although you do not taste the ouzo in the final product, unless you use a lot of it, it adds that something to the dish that just makes it better. Many of the recipes that I read suggested serving the shrimp saganaki with bread and that was a great call. The sauce was so good that it would practically be a crime not to finish it and having the crusty bread on hand to sop it up was perfect. You could easily serve the shrimp saganaki as a light meal or as an appetizer. I enjoyed my shrimp saganaki with a glass of ouzo.
Update May 19 2009:
I recently came across a new idea for shrimp saganaki on Greek Food R & R to use masticha liqueur instead of ouzo for a mastic shrimp saganaki . I was able to pick up a bottle of masticha liqueur and some mastic resin and I made the shrimp saganaki again this time with the mastic flavours instead of the ouzo. I am torn as to which version I like best. I think that I will have to make them both again and have a head to head face off. 🙂

Mastic Garides Saganaki (Shrimp Saganaki)

Garides Saganaki (Shrimp Saganaki)

Garides Saganaki (Shrimp Saganaki)

Prep Time:5 minutes Cook Time:35 minutes Total Time:40 minutes Servings: 4
ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/4 cup onion (chopped)
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 clove garlic (chopped)
  • 1/2 cup tomato (chopped)
  • 1/4 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 splash ouzo (or mastic liqueur, optional)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 pound shrimp
  • 1 handful parsley (chopped)
  • 1/2 cup feta (crumbled)
directions
  1. Heat the oil in a pan.
  2. Add the onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes.
  3. Add the red pepper flakes and garlic and saute for 30 seconds.
  4. Add the tomato, oregano and ouzo and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.
  5. Add the shrimp and simmer for 30 seconds per side.
  6. Remove from heat and stir in the parsley.
  7. Transfer to a baking dish and top with the feta cheese.
  8. Bake in a preheated 425F/220C oven until the sauce is bubbly, about 10 minutes.
Note: Shrimp saganaki is also called garithes yiouvetsi or baked prawns.
Similar Recipes:
Shrimp Linguine in a Tomato and Feta Sauce
Tomato and Feta Baked Eggs
Scallop Saganaki
Garides Tourkolimano (Greek Shrimp)
Baked Shrimp and Feta Pasta
Shrimp Linguine in a Tomato and White Wine Sauce
Mediterranean Fish Stew
Bouyiourdi
Baked Goat Cheese Marinara
Baked Goat Cheese Salsa
Cod Baked in a Tomato and Feta Sauce
Salmon in a Tomato and Feta Sauce (aka Salmon Saganaki)
Shrimp and Feta Soup (aka Shrimp Saganaki Soup)

Take a look at Peter’s post on shrimp saganaki for another great take on the dish.
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Debbie says

    October 9, 2008 at 11:55 pm

    I love ouzo! It reminds me of the Italian liquer anisette. I think it’s a great addition to the shrimp dish….I enjoy seeing all your new Greek recipes.

    Reply

  4. Dee says

    October 10, 2008 at 12:50 am

    Oh Lordy, Kevin! This sounds amazing. I’ve never heard of Saganaki (I thought it was Japanese when I read the title. Duh.) but now I’ll have to hunt it down.

    Reply

  10. Jaime says

    October 10, 2008 at 3:26 am

    oh wow, this looks delicious!!! i am surprised there is so much liquid when all you added was the tomatoes?? i can’t wait to try this! i have not had much greek food so i am happy to see all these dishes you are featuring on your blog 🙂

    Reply

  20. giz says

    October 10, 2008 at 12:41 pm

    This could make me very happy. I like the idea that you minimized the seafood in the dish – it’s simple and I’ll bet it’s entirely flavourful.

    Reply

  23. Lori says

    October 10, 2008 at 2:57 pm

    It looks so good! Your version turned out beautiful. So glad you simplified it with the shrimp. I like the other seafood you mentioned, but have never tried my hand at cooking them. Not sure how they would turn out.

    Thanks for sharing all your Greek recipes I can’t get enough of them.

    Reply

  34. Syrie says

    October 10, 2008 at 7:40 pm

    Kevin, this made my mouth water. It looks wonderful. I love the melted feta on top as well. I will definitely try out this recipe. Thanks for teaching me about something new!

    Reply

  35. Dawn says

    October 10, 2008 at 8:23 pm

    I never tire of feta cheese. I am amazed at how dishes feta is used in.
    I am sooooo hungry right now and all I have is melted ice cream. This dish is killing me Kevin!!

    Reply

  37. ~Madeline~ says

    October 10, 2008 at 9:39 pm

    I didn’t know there were two dishes for saganaki. I love the fried cheese version but this looks fantastic too! And you are right, it would be a crime to waste that delicious sauce.

    Reply

  41. Kevin says

    October 10, 2008 at 11:50 pm

    Anonymous: The bread is a baguette from a local store. Homemade bread is just too good. I eat way too much of it when it has just come out of the oven. 🙂 So I tend to not make it too often.

    Reply

  48. Sweet Bird says

    October 11, 2008 at 9:34 pm

    This looks so good! I’m not sure about the ouzo, but I’d try it to see what it’s like. I used to avoid fennel because of the anise flavor and now I can’t imagine cooking without it.

    Great dishes from your trip!

    Reply

  49. diva says

    October 12, 2008 at 6:08 pm

    i love greek dishes but i tend to only stay within my comfort zone – and that would be moussaka. this saganaki really looks so good, comforting and warming. perfect autumn dish for me! x

    Reply

  50. Katie says

    October 13, 2008 at 4:32 pm

    I love saganaki so I think I’m going to love this too. You are making me regret not going to my Greek neighbors houses this year to help with pastries.

    Reply

  51. CECIL says

    October 14, 2008 at 12:28 am

    I am glad you went to Greece and look at all these recipes!! I am learning here. 🙂 This dish looks extremely delicious.

    Happy Thanksgiving to you!! 🙂

    Reply

  56. Megancake says

    October 19, 2008 at 12:12 am

    You didn’t say how many servings the recipe yields. I would like to make it tomorrow night it looks like it only serves one or two, can you let me know how many? Thanks!

    Reply

  60. Ste B says

    October 6, 2009 at 8:00 am

    this is a very authentic recipe. Had Shrimp Saganaki countless times on my visits to the Greek Islands and this is spot on.

    Love it.

    Reply

  62. Noreen says

    July 25, 2010 at 11:37 pm

    Ooh La La! Excellent! Wish I had more. Served with homemade baguette. Can't wait to have this again . . . and it will be in the very near future.

    Reply

  63. Anonymous says

    June 2, 2011 at 3:50 pm

    just to let you know: ouzo's not a liquer. it's not a sweet drink. the typical meaning of liquer. it's an aperitif.
    your recipe's 'to die' for!
    am about to make your cod in tomato and feta sauce..a bit similar.
    thanks for the cooking inspirations, Kevin!
    carole s.

    Reply

  64. Anonymous says

    October 18, 2012 at 11:10 pm

    I doubled the recipe and added some pureed tomatoes to the diced fresh ones. I also added a squeeze of lemon juice at the end, because I love the taste of fresh citrus with seafood. I recommend using large or jumbo shrimp in this dish so they stand out.

    Reply

  65. Anonymous says

    February 12, 2013 at 4:08 pm

    This was absolutely DELICIOUS!! I didn't use the Ouzo…I just added a splash of white wine. It made much more than just an appetizer serving…which is fine with me! Yummy yummy lunch!! 🙂

    Reply

  66. Anonymous says

    February 19, 2013 at 6:11 pm

    This was incredibly good, and easy! The ouzo adds a unique flavor to the sauce. I added sea scallops and tripled the recipe for dinner. Had to adjust the cooking time and lower the tempeture slightly to have it cook evenly.

    Reply

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