Prawns saganaki, this is a classic Greek prawn recipe with fresh tomatoes, Greek ouzo and salty feta cheese! And it is easy to make in advance. Plus it tastes even better when you serve it cold.
Well this sounds like a great summer lunch, folks!
Are you ready for some Greek food today?
Because here is a highly delicious recipe for prawns saganaki!
Inspiration
It is basically prawns in a fresh tomato and feta cheese sauce.
And it is truly to die for… I picked this recipe up from 2 Greek foodie brothers Nikolaos and Odysseus who cooked this amazing Greek prawn saganaki with ouzo during a live hangout on Google Plus some time ago.
And it looked so simple and amazing that I put it instantly on my menu list.
Boy was I right.
What a delight!
What is Greek Ouzo?
Their recipe calls for the famous Greek ouzo.
Are you familiar with ouzo?
It is a dry anise flavored aperitif like the Spanish Ricard or the French pastis.
I added some ouzo together with fennel seeds to my recipe version below.
Are you not a fan of that strong ouzo flavor? Or maybe you can’t get ouzo where you live? I have seen some recipes using finely chopped fennel to the tomato sauce instead, and a drizzle of white wine.
Seems like a great flavor substitute to me!
Easy Greek Prawns Saganaki
I like to prepare these tomato prawns in advance in the morning and then let them cool in the fridge until lunchtime… Believe me: this dish tastes even better when it is served cold!
Which makes it a great summer lunch!
Serve these saganaki prawns with grilled bread on the side.
Delicious.
Do you love Greek lunch bites that are just perfect on a hot summer’s day?
Ntakos
Then you should also check out another Greek recipe that contains Greek feta cheese and fresh tomatoes: a crispy toast called ntakos!
I tasted it for the first time on the lovely Greek island of Crete.
You will absolutely adore this bite as well.
Enjoy these feta prawns!
Easy Greek Prawns Saganaki Recipe
Prawns Saganaki, a Greek prawn recipe with tomatoes, ouzo and feta cheese! Easy to make ahead, a great summer lunch with grilled bread!
- 10 prawns fresh or frozen
- 2 tbsp onion chopped
- 1 medium garlic clove chopped
- ¼ cup Greek ouzo (60 ml)
- 1 large fresh tomato chopped
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 5,5 oz feta cheese (155 g)
- a handful fresh parsley or mint, chopped finely
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- pepper
- salt
Add the chopped onion and garlic, fennel seeds and olive oil to a non-stick pan.
- Place the pan over medium heat and gently cook the onion for 4 minutes. Then add the chopped tomato and tomato paste.
Cook the tomato for 5 minutes until it softens. Then add the dried oregano and ouzo. Season with a dash of pepper. The feta is salty enough, wait until the end to add extra salt.
- Stir and cook for another 2 minutes until the ouzo is incorporated. Then crumble the feta cheese and add half of it to the tomato sauce. Also add the vinegar and half of the chopped parsley.
Stir again and then turn the heat lower. Cook the tomato and feta sauce for 3 more minutes until soft. In the meantime peel the (thawed) prawns. Keep the tails on. Then add them to the tomato sauce.
Cover the pan and cook the prawns and sauce for about 7 minutes until the prawns are cooked through. Then check the seasoning and add extra pepper or salt to taste. Scoop the prawns and sauce onto plates. Garnish with the remaining crumbled feta and freshly chopped parsley (or mint).
Prawns Saganaki?
I have to admit that the first time I heard about this recipe for Greek prawns saganaki, I thought it would contain cheese.
Cheese and prawns?
No thanks!
However…
These prawns saganaki do not contain cheese at all. But where did the confusion come from then?
I visited Greece twice and on both occasions I ordered saganaki in a restaurant.
Fried Cheese
As always I had done a little research before our holiday.
Especially about the local food and classic dishes that we would find on the menus. And one that we both liked from the get go was a dish by the name of saganaki. And that turned out to be a Greek fried cheese.
But hang on, that is not the end of the story.
Saganaki is the name of the cheese. It looks and tastes quite the same as halloumi by the way. But here is the catch.
Saganaki (σαγανάκι) also means something like ‘a small frying pan’. Saganaki cheese in a saganaki pan.
Prawns & Halloumi Cheese
Do you see where I am going with this?
So prawn saganaki is a dish that hasn’t got anything to see with cheese. It just means a little pan of cooked prawns.
Well have you ever!
Have you ever tasted the fried cheese saganaki version?
It is served piping hot and very comes with honey and lemon.
A delicious part of a Greek mezzo lunch or dinner if you ask me! And very different from these prawns saganaki with tomato sauce, ouzo and feta cheese…
Enjoy!
saw this today on bbc Saturday kitchen with Rick stein. 28/3/20