Greek Food Seafood
Shrimp Saganaki: Greek Prawns with Tomato and Feta
Prawns cooked in a garlicky tomato sauce with a splash of ouzo, topped with feta and baked until bubbling. One pan.
Serves
4
Calories
330 kcal
Cuisine
Greek
On this page: What is it · History · What you need · Step by step · Serving & storage · Recipe card
Shrimp saganaki is a Greek one-pan dish of prawns cooked in a garlicky tomato sauce, finished with crumbled feta and baked until bubbling. A splash of ouzo adds a subtle anise flavour that works beautifully with seafood.
It is a seaside taverna favourite, served in the pan with plenty of bread to mop up the sauce.
At home it takes about 40 minutes and works as a starter to share or a main with rice or pasta.
What Is Shrimp Saganaki?
In Greek, it is called garides saganaki. Garides means prawns, and saganaki refers to the small two-handled pan it is cooked and served in.
The prawns go into a quick tomato sauce made with onion, garlic, chilli and a splash of ouzo or white wine. Feta is crumbled over the top and the pan goes into the oven until the cheese softens and the sauce bubbles.
Feta with seafood might surprise some cooks, but in Greece the combination is classic. The salty cheese melts into the sweet tomato sauce.
A Little History
Shrimp saganaki is part of the family of dishes named after the sagani pan, along with the fried-cheese saganaki that is its better-known relative.
It became a standard on taverna menus along the Greek coast and islands during the 20th century, where fresh prawns, tomatoes and feta were easy to come by.
Each taverna makes it slightly differently: some add peppers, some leave out the ouzo, and some use mussels instead of prawns.
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At a glance
Serves
4
Calories
330 kcal
Protein
30 g
Course
Main, Meze
Why it works
01 One pan, ready in 40 minutes
02 Ouzo adds a gentle anise note
03 Plenty of sauce for dipping bread
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What You Need
Exact amounts are in the recipe card
For the Prawns
- raw king prawns, peeled and deveined, tails on, or 750 g shell-on
- fine sea salt
- black pepper
For the Sauce
- extra virgin olive oil
- onion, finely chopped
- garlic cloves, sliced
- chilli flakes
- ouzo, or dry white wine
- chopped tomatoes, 1 tin
- dried oregano
- Greek feta, crumbled
- flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Step-by-Step Instructions
Build the sauce, add the prawns and feta, then finish in the oven. Everything happens in one pan.
1. Make the base
Heat the oven to 200 °C (180 °C fan). Heat the olive oil in an ovenproof pan and cook the onion over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and chilli for 1 minute.
2. Add the ouzo
Pour in the ouzo and let it bubble for 1 minute to cook off the alcohol.
Tip: Ouzo has a strong anise flavour. If you are not sure, use half the amount or swap it for white wine.
3. Simmer the sauce
Add the tomatoes and oregano. Simmer for 10 minutes until slightly thickened, then season with salt and pepper.
4. Add the prawns
Season the prawns and nestle them into the sauce in one layer. Scatter the feta over the top.
5. Bake and serve
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until the prawns are pink and just cooked and the feta is soft. Scatter with parsley and serve in the pan.
Tip: Don’t overbake. Prawns turn rubbery within a few minutes of being done.
Serving & Storage
Serving
Serve shrimp saganaki straight from the pan with crusty bread or warm pita. For a main course, serve it over rice, orzo or pasta with a Greek salad on the side.
It also makes a good starter as part of a meze spread with saganaki and tzatziki.
Storing Leftovers
Shrimp saganaki is best eaten fresh, as reheated prawns become tough.
| Cooked shrimp saganaki | up to 1 day |
| Tomato sauce, without prawns | up to 3 days |
| Freezer, sauce only | up to 3 months |
To get ahead, make the sauce in advance, reheat it in the pan, then add the prawns and feta and bake.
Shrimp Saganaki
Equipment
- Ovenproof frying pan or sagani
- Chopping board and knife
Ingredients
Prawns
- 500 g raw king prawns peeled and deveined, tails on, or 750 g shell-on
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- black pepper
Sauce
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves sliced
- 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
- 50 ml ouzo or dry white wine
- 400 g chopped tomatoes 1 tin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 150 g Greek feta crumbled
- 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley chopped
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 200 °C (180 °C fan). Heat the olive oil in an ovenproof pan and cook the onion over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and chilli for 1 minute.
- Pour in the ouzo and let it bubble for 1 minute to cook off the alcohol.
- Add the tomatoes and oregano. Simmer for 10 minutes until slightly thickened, then season with salt and pepper.
- Season the prawns and nestle them into the sauce in one layer. Scatter the feta over the top.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until the prawns are pink and just cooked and the feta is soft. Scatter with parsley and serve in the pan.
Made this shrimp saganaki?
Rate it with the stars in the recipe card and tell us in the comments whether you used ouzo or wine.
Products we use
Our kitchen kit for this recipe
T-fal Stainless Steel Cookware Set (11-piece)
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Wooden Spoons
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Victorinox Fibrox Pro Chef’s Knife (20 cm)
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