This Greek shrimp skillet is an easy 30 minute meal with tomatoes, spinach, Kalamata olives, feta and lots of fresh oregano and lemon flavor.
May 10th is National Shrimp Day (who knew, right?) and I’ve got the perfect Greek shrimp dish for you to celebrate with today.
Since Mother’s Day is also that same weekend, this Greek shrimp skillet does double duty as an “impressive yet easy enough” (pretty much how I want all my recipes to be) recipe that you could totally get away with serving to mom on her special day. After you make her some granola French toast or a raspberry lemon Dutch baby for breakfast obviously.
*This post is sponsored by Seafood at Home. All content and opinions are my own.
Being married to a Greek guy for the past 12 years and having a Greek mother-in-law who makes delicious authentic Greek food, I’ve learned a thing or two when it comes to Greek cooking.
While everyone immediately thinks feta, baklava and olive oil when it comes to Greek cuisine (all of which are very true), in my mother-in-law’s kitchen at least, lemon and oregano are paramount ingredients.
They’re both what set the tone for this simple Greek shrimp dish.
More simple Greek dishes to try: Greek Brown Rice Bowls, Greek pasta salad & Greek Potato Casserole.
How To Make Greek Shrimp
My favorite recipes are made either all on a sheet pan (like this Sheet Pan Mediterranean Roasted Lamb – another Greek style dish) or entirely in the skillet. This Greek shrimp is the latter. Ingredients get layered into a skillet, started on the stove-top and then transition to the oven to finish cooking.
First, the olive oil and onions sauté together before adding the garlic and spices.
I use oregano as the primary spice in this shrimp recipe (along with a little bit of red pepper flakes) because it just epitomizes Greek cooking to me. If basil is for the Italians, oregano is for the Greeks.
I feel a little like Ina Garten saying this but make sure to use a “good quality” oregano, it makes all the difference! Oregano wasn’t my favorite spice in the past. It reminded me too much of horrible jarred pasta sauce but after tasting some my in-laws brought back from Greece, I was a convert and it’s the only kind I’ll use any more.
Next, the diced tomatoes, Kalamata olives (buy pitted ones and save yourself all that effort!), spinach and lemon zest get added and gently simmered for a few minutes until thickened.
With the oven pre-heated, add the frozen shrimp (honestly, no need to even thaw them in this recipe) and feta cheese on top. Give a nice squeeze of lemon juice over top of everything and then into the oven this skillet goes to finish cooking.
I like to finish the dish under the broiler for a minute or two to get the feta nice and golden brown.
Some fresh oregano leaves (it’s so much brighter and lighter of a taste than dried oregano so give it a shot if you’ve never tried the herb fresh!) garnish the skillet before serving alongside your favorite crusty bread (a good sourdough is delicious) or rice.
Since this recipe is cooked all in one skillet, it’s all about the layering of ingredients and building of flavors with each step.
The spices added in the sauté step develop a nice base of savory flavor and then the lemon zest and juice cooked with the tomatoes brightens things up. The melted and browned salty feta is then complemented by the fresh oregano at the end and results in a really nice delicate balance of flavors with each bite.
There’s so much deliciousness going on, it’s hard to believe this Greek style recipe is ready in just about 30 minutes because the flavor profiles make it taste like it simmered on the stove-top all day long.
That’s one of the reasons I love using shrimp so much in recipes, it’s one of the quickest cooking proteins out there and you can’t beat the convenience factor of peeled and deveined frozen shrimp. Try them in this easy garlic shrimp bucatini pasta recipe – ready in 25 minutes!
Not to mention, shrimp (like a lot of seafood) are an excellent source of lean protein, low in calories and fat and a good source of antioxidants like Astaxanthin (a type of carotenoid which has been linked to things like healthier skin, endurance, heart health and joint pain).
I always have a bag of shrimp in my freezer for easy dinners like coconut red curry shrimp or sweet and spicy mango shrimp.
I seldom bother even defrosting the shrimp (or if necessary just run them under cold water for a few minutes then pat dry before using) which makes it super convenient since you can’t really do that with other protein sources.
While I can’t say this Greek shrimp is necessarily authentic (I just did my DNA test and I’ve got zero Greek in me), I’m pretty sure it’d pass my mother-in-law’s test.
With loads of fresh lemon and oregano flavor and traditional ingredients like tomatoes, spinach, Kalamata olives and feta, it’s a delicious dish to try out whether you’re celebrating National Shrimp Day, Mother’s Day (it’s so easy the kids could even make this one!) or just looking for a quick and easy weeknight dinner.
All Greeks and non-Greeks alike will love it!
Love this recipe for Greek shrimp? Try one of these other shrimp recipes too:
Shrimp Avocado Mango Lime Salad
Blackened Shrimp Tacos with Grilled Corn Cherry Salsa
Shrimp Caesar Salad Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Citrus Grilled Shrimp Skewers
Greek Shrimp Skillet
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 large red onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- pinch of red pepper flakes, optional
- 2 – 15 ounce cans diced tomatoes
- 2 handfuls, about 4 cups baby spinach
- 1 cup pitted Kalamata olives
- zest of 1/2 a lemon
- salt & pepper, to taste
- 12 ounces extra large, shelled & deveined shrimp
- 3 ounces crumbled feta cheese
- juice of 1/2 a lemon
- fresh oregano leaves for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- In a large, oven-safe skillet add olive oil and place over medium heat.
- Once hot, add onions and cook for 3 minutes until starting to soften.
- Add garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes. Cook for another 2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add diced tomatoes (with the juices from the can), spinach and olives. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine and simmer over medium-low heat for 5-7 minutes until slightly reduced and thickened.
- Arrange shrimp on top of tomato mixture. Crumble feta cheese around skillet and squeeze lemon juice on top.
- Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until shrimp are pink.
- Switch the oven to broil and broil for 1-2 minutes until feta starts to turn golden brown.
- Remove from oven, garnish with fresh oregano and serve with crusty bread or rice.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
Delicious and easy to make! Will make again. 👍🏻
This was really great tasting. My only suggestions…drain the tomatoes as there was way too much liquid and use chopped Kalamata’s, easier to get on a piece of bread. Very easy to make and I plan to do again!
You won’t believe how delicious this is in just 30 minutes! Seriously, make this!!!
You had me at “30 minutes!” I love all of these fresh and delicious ingredients, and I can’t wait to make this for dinner!