PRAWN SAGANAKI
Prawn Saganaki is a zesty, sun soaked Greek dish that lands somewhere between a seafood simmer and a party in a skillet. Named after the small two handled pan called a ‘saganaki’, the dish showcases prawns cooked quickly in a rich tomato base enlivened with garlic, onion, olive oil and a splash of ouzo. It’s often finished with a generous crumble of feta that melts slightly into the bubbling sauce, and crowned with fresh parsley and a squeeze of lemon. The result is glossy prawns cradled in a tangy, herb flecked sauce that’s perfect for mopping up with crusty bread or dunking pita. Simple, bold flavours that taste like a seaside taverna.
What makes prawn saganaki famous is that perfect balance of sweet, sea fresh prawns meet bright, acidic tomatoes and the salty creaminess of feta. I really love how quickly this dish comes together and how it’s really the perfect table meal for a few people to start the meal with. Serve up on rice for more filling dinner or with fresh crusty bread as starter to get the table going and to soak up all that delicious deep red sauce. Don’t be too put off by the grilling finish, the prawns can take extreme direct heat and a bit of burning makes it all that much more delicious.
PRAWN SAGANAKI
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PRAWN SAGANAKI 〰️
Time: 45 minutes
Serves: 2-3
2 large shallots
4 garlic cloves
1 table spoon paprika
1 table spoon dried oregano
1/4 cup ouzo*
500gm passata
500gm large prawns, de-shelled, poop trap removed
80gm feta
Handful fresh parsley leaves
Extra virgin olive oil
Black pepper
Salt
*if prefer not to use alcohol, deglaze with a white or red wine vinegar
Preheat oven too highest temperature on grill function.
Prep ingredients by roughly dicing the shallots, finely slicing the garlic cloves and rough chopping the parsley.
In an oven safe pan, place on low medium heat, add a glug of olive oil and once hot add in the onion and garlic and sweat down for 5 minutes. Stir in paprika and oregano and sizzle for a minute, before raising temperature to medium and pour in the ouzo to deglaze. Once 3/4 of the ouzo has gone, add in passata to mix in along with 1/2 cup water, and season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
On low medium heat allow the passata to simmer gently for 15 minutes until thickened. Take off heat and lay the prawns on top of the tomato sauce, before crumbling the feta cheese on top. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and put into oven under grill for 10-15 minutes, or until you get nice colour on the prawns.
Remove from oven once cooked, season with salt to taste and garnish with the fresh parsley.