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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

  • This is delicious. I served it with orzo and peas, so good!

    • — Pamela on November 13, 2022
    • Reply
  • We have made this dish over and over to enjoy many times . We love it !

    • — Beth on November 7, 2022
    • Reply
  • Omg. I’m still in the process of eating this. Between bites I’m tapping this review. Can’t say anything else right now. Maybe ever. It’s restaurant quality. So easy. So fast. Crazy delicious.

    • — Dawn R on November 6, 2022
    • Reply
  • The cumin is really throwing me off. Going to try again sans the cumin.

    • — Taylor on November 4, 2022
    • Reply
  • WOW ! We just loved it! Another winner at our table. Yamas! 🍷

    • — Louise L. on November 2, 2022
    • Reply
  • Wow, this is delicious and so easy to make. My family loved it.
    Thanks for another outstanding recipe.

    • — Marsha K Clausen on October 3, 2022
    • Reply
  • Another outstanding recipe! This is my go-to site for delicious food. I haven’t found a recipe I didn’t like. Thank you, Jenn!!

    • — Margo Mestre on October 2, 2022
    • Reply
  • We loved this recipe. Delicious! We served with warm country bread and lemon pepper roasted asparagus.

    • — Jeanne on October 1, 2022
    • Reply
  • How long will this keep in the fridge? Would love to use it for meal prep!

    • — Melissa on September 25, 2022
    • Reply
    • Hi Melissa, Because of the shrimp, I wouldn’t let it sit for more than 24 hours. Hope that helps!

      • — Jenn on September 26, 2022
      • Reply
  • Quick question…I made this the other night (family favorite – my husband says ” please keep in the rotation”). Since it was just the two of us, we had a bunch leftover, but we were also going out of town for a couple of days. So I emptied the cooked leftovers into a pyrex dish, covered tight, and stuck in freezer. Now home, I pulled out of freezer last night and put in fridge. Any concerns about reheating tonight? Thanks!

    • — Carolyn Houck on September 16, 2022
    • Reply
    • Should be fine, Carolyn. Glad you enjoyed!

      • — Jenn on September 16, 2022
      • Reply
      • Thanks so much, Jenn! I tell all my friends about your books and website. Every recipe I make of yours has come out so well!

        • — Carolyn Houck on September 16, 2022
        • Reply
  • I have made this dish before and loved it! This time I need to transport it and so I’m wondering if I can make it ahead of time and freeze it. Thank you for sharing your terrific recipes💜

    • — Marilyn on August 31, 2022
    • Reply
    • So glad you like it, Marilyn! Unfortunately, I don’t think it would freeze very well though.

      • — Jenn on August 31, 2022
      • Reply
  • I love shrimp and this recipe has become one of my favorites when it comes to making them. Spicy, full of flavors and has that greek garlicky touch. Enjoy serving with fried green plantains.

    • — JdiCerda on August 21, 2022
    • Reply
  • Make this and don’t be scared to use the mint. Jenn Segal knows what she’s doing.

    • — Amanda on August 17, 2022
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    • I second this. I’ve been making this recipe for a few years now, but had always skipped the honey and used parsley instead of mint. I followed the recipe exactly tonight and it was SO much better—and it was always delicious before too.

      • — Kelley on April 12, 2023
      • Reply
  • Soooooo GOOD. Just perfect. I will make this again and again forever. Thank you for this great recipe!

    • — RebeccaG on August 4, 2022
    • Reply
    • Hi. Could you use mussels in this recipe. Have never been able to recreate mussel sagnaki. It would make my day.

      • — Pauline on September 11, 2022
      • Reply
      • Sure, Pauline. I think mussels would be delicious here.

        • — Jenn on September 13, 2022
        • Reply
  • Hi! I have so many ripe beautiful tomato’s from my garden. Can you tell me how I could use them for this recipe instead of canned?

    • — Pam on July 28, 2022
    • Reply
    • Hi Pam, I think you could use fresh tomatoes here. When you dice them, just make sure to also use all the juice they generate. Hope you enjoy!

      • — Jenn on July 28, 2022
      • Reply
  • So yummy! My whole family loved this dish! I loved every recipe I’ve made from Jenn!

    • — Liz in CO on July 14, 2022
    • Reply
  • Awesome recipe! Loved it!

    • — Julie on July 11, 2022
    • Reply
  • I never leave reviews for recipes I find online but this one is absolutely 5 stars. It’s restaurant quality made with ingredients I usually have on hand.
    I subbed yellow onion for shallots and served over pasta.

    I’ve made this twice so far and both times it has come out incredible!

    • — Deanna on June 23, 2022
    • Reply
  • Okay this is a delicious recipe, however I did adjust it. I added a tsp of sugar to reduce the acidity in the tomato. I did not add the cumin. I added the oregano of course and basil plus parsley. The cooking time however was not right because the Juices need to be incorporated during the cooking time and the flavours blend real well when cooked longer. About an hour and a half and it was oh so flavourful.

    • — Vasi Bambarakos on June 23, 2022
    • Reply
  • Delicious dish and very easy to make. Even though it took about 45 minutes, most of the cook time is hands-off.

    • — Gillian on June 14, 2022
    • Reply
    • Delicious! Cook something from Jenn at least twice a week. Crossing my fingers that she is working on another cookbook.

      • — Rebecca Hoehlein on July 20, 2022
      • Reply
  • Whenever I need inspiration, Jennifer’s site is my go-to site. Loving Mediterranean inspired meals, I was excited to make this recipe. My husband was not nearly as optimistic as I was but in the end he absolutely loved it! I used frozen shrimp and fresh mint from the garden and served it over brown rice. It was terrific and will now become a staple in my recipe file. Thanks for continuing to inspire me.

    • — Janet H Cohen on May 26, 2022
    • Reply
  • This is fantastic! I wasn’t expecting much, not because of the recipe, but because I was using frozen precooked shrimp as well as frozen canned tomatoes, both of which had been in the freezer for some time. The dish came together with very little time or effort. Because I was using precooked shrimp I changed the prep slightly. I thawed the shrimp, tossed them in a bit of olive oil, dusted with Old Bay, then set them aside while making the sauce. I followed the advice of several reviewers and used less salt in the sauce. I also used less cumin and crushed red peppers, but added a bit of coriander and dill. Off heat I added lemon juice, lemon zest, fresh mint, Ouzo and the seasoned shrimp, then crumbled the feta over top, sprinkled with the dried oregano and browned under the broiler. Because the shrimp weren’t cooked in the sauce they didn’t get overcooked and tough.

    • — Sadie on May 16, 2022
    • Reply
  • Hi Jenn:
    I made this last night.. one word..delicious!!
    Thanks so much for all the wonderful recipes..I have loaded so many into my recipe box.
    Thanks for sharing and helping us all become better cooks !!
    Your website is my fav!
    Happy Sunday
    Katherine

    • — Katherine on May 15, 2022
    • Reply
    • 💗

      • — Jenn on May 16, 2022
      • Reply
  • This was absolutely delicious! I used smoked paprika instead of cumin and I didn’t add mint at the end because I didn’t have any, but regardless, the flavours were incredible. I will definitely be making this again!

    • — Michelle E. on May 13, 2022
    • Reply
  • Hi Jenn
    I’m making your delicious shrimp saganaki with pasta for a dinner party Saturday. Everyone absolutely loves this dish! I was wondering what you thought about adding scallops to this?
    Thanks for your advice Jenn!

    • — Cindy on May 12, 2022
    • Reply
    • Hi Cindy, I think scallops would work nicely in this. Hope everyone enjoys!

      • — Jenn on May 12, 2022
      • Reply
  • 5 stars!! Simple, healthy, and bursting with flavor!

    • — Claire on May 3, 2022
    • Reply
  • I made this dish tonight. My husband and I loved it. I made basmati rice (his favorite) as a side dish. Great dinner. Leftovers tomorrow.

    • — Judi on April 28, 2022
    • Reply
  • SO good! Loved the recipe

    • — Amy on April 27, 2022
    • Reply
  • I have never left a review for an online recipe before but THIS recipe blew me away. Such simple ingredients but such complicated flavor! Both my Husband and I actually said “Wow!” after the first bite. I’ll be looking to this website for more in the future! **The only changes that I made were using 3 fresh heirloom tomatoes, diced, and I forgot to put the honey in when the recipe said so I drizzled it on top for serving.** We heated up some Pita bread drizzled with olive oil to soak up the sauce and it was MUAHHHH!

    • — Elle on April 23, 2022
    • Reply
  • Hi Jenn,
    Thank you for another delicious recipe. I’m still working on not over cooking seafood every time I attempt it. For some reason, I cook these shrimp perfectly. They are delicious every time and it inspires me to finesse my seafood cooking skills. Served over a little orzo pasta with a salad, this is a perfect meal for the family or company. My husband vacuums them down, raving about them the entire time. Thank you for inspiring me to broaden my seafood horizons!

    • — Jane on April 22, 2022
    • Reply
  • My Wife is like “let’s do shrimp tonight” so I dutifully began searching for something new to make. Ran across this recipe and knew immediately that this was the one. I was short on shrimp (there are only the two of us) and used one shallot instead of three, but otherwise followed the recipe . After all, who can have too much sauce? I served it with garlic bread and an Olive Garden-esque salad and IT WAS AMAZING! For real, I had a tear in my eye as I rinsed that last bit of sauce out of the pan. Just make it. But have plenty of dipping bread!

    • — Jeffrey on April 20, 2022
    • Reply
  • Made this yesterday for dinner and it was excellent. I simmered the tomatoes on low for longer than listed just because I had time and I had also added a handful of chopped fresh cherry tomatoes that I needed to use.

    • — Danita on April 18, 2022
    • Reply
  • This was so simple to make and SO delicious, a definite keeper, thank you Jenn for sharing, your receipes never disappoint, keep em coming!

    • — Barbara on April 9, 2022
    • Reply
  • This was a really delicious different shrimp recipe giving it 5⭐️‘s. I am always looking for different shrimp recipes that do not take away from the flavor of shrimp. I did add 1/2 cup of white wine to the shallots, garlic, herbs, spice mixture and reduced the liquid by 2/3 before adding the tomatoes. I also added 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to my raw shrimp before placing on top of the sauce because lemon juice brings out the flavor in seafood. I served it over a small pasta. The feta cheese was really a great flavor melted on top of the shrimp. It made the dish in my opinion. I served it with a nice loaf of French bread too dipping the bread into the feta cheese/tomato sauce. Yummy!

    • — Brenda Taylor Johnson on April 5, 2022
    • Reply
  • This looks great but we don’t like cumin 🙁 any substitute for it?

    • — Robyn on March 30, 2022
    • Reply
    • Hi Robyn, Smoked paprika would work nicely as a sub for the cumin. Hope you enjoy!

      • — Jenn on March 31, 2022
      • Reply
  • What’s the best way to use frozen raw shrimp in recipes such as this; thaw first or allow longer for the frozen shrimp to cook in the pan? Will cooking directly from frozen water down the sauce? Love all your recipes. My sis-in-law made your linguine with clams for us on a recent visit and we became fans!

    • So glad you like the recipes! I’d definitely thaw the shrimp before cooking them.

  • Delicious! I will definitely make this again. I was even out of garlic and had to use garlic powder and did not have mint. Looking forward to trying it with those additions, but it was scrumptious just the same.

  • This recipe was delicious and so easy to make. The only thing I changed was reducing the amount of red pepper flakes to a little less than 1/4 tsp and it was plenty for us. I paired it with cauliflower rice since I am limiting the carbs that I eat. My family loved it and they are picky.

  • I made this last night for dinner and it was delicious! My husband called it “restaurant quality!” It was so simple to make and I will definitely be making it again! Thanks for another great recipe!

    • Jenn, looking for a dish to send over to new parents with a health issue. Do you think I could prepare everything to the baking point and freeze?

      • — Allise de Smet
      • Reply
      • Hi Allise, I don’t think this would be the best candidate for that – sorry! I have a large section of Freezer-Friendly recipes though if you want to check those out.

  • Hi Jenn, I love this recipe! Do you think a white fish would work well too? What would you recommend? Thanks so much!

    • Hi Nazia, I do think it would work if you used a thicker fish like cod or halibut. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it with fish!

  • This dish is delicious! It’s so flavorful and super-easy. Not a fan of mint so I substituted fresh dill at the end. Served it with the artisan bread (first time making that too!). I highly recommend making this dish.

  • I made this tonight from your weeknight/weekend cookbook and it was easy and so good!

  • Absolutely delicious, Jenn… and you are so right. This recipe is made with pantry and freezer staples…. My balcony garden produced the oregano and mint (transferred to indoor pots for the winter). Total time “start to serve” – less than an hour… including the mouth-watering aroma….” Something intoxicating about garlic and shallot saute-ing”.
    Sopped up the delicious sauce with chunks of crusty bread. Worthy of rude lip-smacking, tongue-clucking, and plate-licking… deserves more than 5 thumbs up!
    Thank you Jenn for this addition to our meal rotation…..

  • Outstanding! Followed the recipe as written—a great Saturday dinner. The sauce could easily be made ahead, leaving just assembly and baking at dinner time.

  • I love love love your site and have both of your cookbooks.

    This is the only recipe we’ve made where the seasoning was off. It was too salty. I suggest no salt added diced tomatoes and reducing the amount of salt, maybe to 1/2 tsp. Feta is salty, you can always add salt but you can’t take it away.

    With the right balance of salt, it is a winner that even my husband could easily make. He (and I) are a fan of the sheet pan dinners because they are easy for a novice cook to make.

  • I’ve made this a couple of times, exactly as written served with crusty bread and a salad…both times my husband and didn’t touch our salads and finished the bread. This is delicious! Thank you again Jenn 🙂

  • I made this tonight and it was amazing. I’m trying to stay on the medditeranean diet (sorry I know I didn’t spell it right) and this dish was just plain awesome.

    • — Jonathan Degenhart
    • Reply
  • So delicious. I’ve made several variations on a shrimp-tomatoes-feta dish over the years from different sources and this is my new favorite. The cumin and honey were unexpected but created a really round, balanced flavor. Yum.

  • Hi Jen,
    I can only find large shrimp and not extra large. Will that be ok or are there adjustments I need to make to the cooking time?

    • The timing should be fine as is. Enjoy!

  • My husband and I LOVE this recipe! I make it often. My only addition is fresh lemon zest when serving. 😋

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