Prawn Saganaki: Traditional Greek Prawns with Tomato and Feta

by · Greek City Times

Garides saganaki, or prawn saganaki, is one of the great Greek seafood mezedes: sweet prawns simmered in a garlicky tomato and white wine sauce, then finished with crumbled feta melted under the grill. Serve it as a starter with crusty bread to mop up the sauce, or as a main over rice or pasta.

Why “saganaki”?

Saganaki is named after the pan, not the ingredient. A sagani is a shallow frying pan with two handles, and a saganaki is a small one. That is why Greek menus list cheese saganaki, mussels saganaki and prawn saganaki: they are all dishes cooked and served in that little pan. It is a staple of Athens psarotavernas.

Serves: 2 as a main or 4 as a starter | Prep: 15 minutes | Cook: 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 250 g fresh green prawns, peeled and deveined, tails on (use 500 g for 4 mains)
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 red onion, finely chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • ¼ cup dry white wine
  • 400 g tomato puree (passata)
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 teaspoons dried Greek oregano
  • 150 g Greek feta
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Method

  1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy, ovenproof frying pan over medium heat. Fry the onion until golden, then add the garlic for a minute.
  2. Add the prawns and cook gently for about 2 minutes, until they just start to turn pink.
  3. Pour in the wine, tomato puree and tomato paste, then add the oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens.
  4. Take the pan off the heat and crumble the feta over the top. Put it under a hot grill until the feta softens and starts to colour.
  5. Scatter with parsley and serve hot with bread.

Tips

  • Do not overcook the prawns. They finish cooking in the sauce and under the grill.
  • During the Nativity Fast, which starts on 15 November, many families eat shellfish on days when fish is not allowed. If you are fasting, leave out the feta.
  • A pinch of chilli flakes or a splash of ouzo with the wine are popular variations.
  • For another classic Greek seafood sauce, try ladolemono.

Sources: Wikipedia, Saganaki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saganaki; Wikipedia, Nativity Fast: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nativity_Fast.

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