Greek Shrimp Saganaki made with shrimp simmered with tomatoes, briny olives and creamy feta. A quick healthy dinner for busy weeknights!
Shrimp Saganaki
If you love shrimp and Feta cheese, you will love this Mediterranean shrimp recipe! Shrimp Saganaki is a great 30 minute meal with shrimp nestled in a vibrant tomato sauce, briny olives, lemon and creamy feta. A Mediterranean diet dish that is simple yet loaded with flavor. While the dish is traditionally prepared in a two-handled pan called a sagani, you don’t need any fancy equipment. I made mine in a regular skillet, and it turned out beautifully. That’s the beauty of this recipe—it’s approachable, flexible, and absolutely delicious. More easy shrimp recipes you will love, Shrimp Tacos, Shrimp and Grits and Air Fryer Shrimp.
Why You’ll Love Making It
- Quick and Easy: This dish comes together in under 30 minutes, making it the perfect dinner for busy weeknights.
- Minimal Equipment: No special pan required! A skillet works just fine.
- Mediterranean Diet-Friendly: This dish aligns beautifully with the principles of the Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes whole, nutrient-dense ingredients, lean proteins, and heart-healthy fats. Feta cheese aligns with the Mediterranean diet’s moderate approach to dairy.
- Dietary Restrictions: High protein, Mediterranean Diet-Friendly, Weight Watcher friendly, Gluten Free, Low-carb
If you make this Shrimp Saganaki recipe, I would love to see it. Tag me in your photos or videos on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook!
Shrimp Saganaki Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this. See recipe card below for exact measurements.
- Jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined: The star of the dish, tender and juicy when cooked.
- Olive oil: Olives and olive oil, staples of the Mediterranean diet known for their healthy monounsaturated fats. These fats support heart health and help reduce inflammation.
- Shallot, chopped: Adds a mild, sweet onion flavor to the sauce.
- Garlic, chopped: Infuses the dish with aromatic, savory depth.
- Cherry tomatoes, halved: The base of the sauce, bringing sweetness and acidity.
- Kalamata olives, halved: For a briny, tangy kick that complements the tomatoes.
- Lemon, zest and juice: Brightens the flavors and balances the richness of the sauce.
- Fresh dill, finely chopped: Adds a fresh, herbaceous touch to finish the dish.
- Feta cheese, cubed in small pieces: Melts slightly into the sauce for a creamy, tangy finish.
How To Make Shrimp Saganaki
Here’s the step-by-step directions to make this easy shrimp recipe. See recipe card below for printable directions.
- Heat olive oil in a deep skillet. Add shallot and garlic and cook until aromatic; 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add cherry tomatoes and cook until they burst, stirring often; 5 to 6 minutes. Add olives and ¾ cup water; stir and reduce the heat to medium-low until saucy and thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Nestle shrimp into the tomatoes, cover and cook until shrimp are pink, about 3 minutes. Stir in lemon zest, lemon juice and dill and top with feta.
Serving Suggestions
- One of the reasons I love this dish is how versatile it is. Serve it as an appetizer alongside warm, crusty bread or pita for dipping.
- As a main dish, serve it over a bed of orzo. The tiny pasta absorbs the sauce beautifully, turning this into a hearty and satisfying meal. For a healthier option, opt for whole-grain orzo or another whole grain like farro or quinoa.
- Serving Shrimp Saganaki over orzo is a common choice, but to boost its Mediterranean credentials add a can of drained chickpeas to the skillet with the tomatoes for more protein and extra fiber.
More Shrimp Recipes You’ll Love
- Cilantro Lime Shrimp
- Blackened Shrimp and Grits
- Shrimp and Andouille Sheet Pan Dinner
- Buffalo Shrimp Lettuce Wraps
- Spicy Thai Shrimp Salad
Shrimp Saganaki
Ingredients
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a deep skillet. Add shallot and garlic and cook until aromatic; 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add cherry tomatoes and cook until they burst, stirring often; 5 to 6 minutes. Add olives and ¾ cup water; stir and reduce the heat to medium-low until saucy and thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Nestle shrimp into the tomatoes, cover and cook until shrimp are pink, about 3 minutes.
- Stir in lemon zest, lemon juice and dill and top with feta.
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.Notes
- Serve with orzo or pita!
- 1 cup of canned chickpeas can be added with the olives for an extra bit of protein and fiber.
Just made this for dinner and it is amazing!
This is one of my favorite recipes. Outstanding in presentation, flavor and ease. I served with bowtie pasta as that is what I had on hand, but will serve it next time with orzo.
Sooo easy to make and absolutely delicious!
This looks delicious. Like how it is only 7 points on WW. Can’t wait to try it.
This is a fantastic dish – feel like I make restaurant equal food with dishes like this and it’s healthy and quick and the same time!
I am not a seafood fan. Can I substitute something else or make vegan?
Why don’t you just use the chickpeas as suggested at the end of the recipe in the Notes. You would probably want more than a cup though if you’re leaving out the Shrimp.
Fantastic dish! Wonderful weeknight meal that feels elevated and healthy!
5 star favorite here. Followed pretty much just adding some dried oregano and a bit of aleppo pepper and dried dill just a bit as didn’t have fresh–at the end I chopped up basil parley mint–and garnished the top. We did have it with orzo. I only used 3 oz cubed feta, seemed like plenty for us.
So easy to make and so delicious! I substituted basil for the dill but kept everything else the same! My husband loved it too!
So good! A new dish to add to our meal calendar. I used a lot of substitutions as I did not have the exact ingredients. I used green olives, white onion, mix of cherry and plum tomatoes. I even added spinach and cod as I did not have enough shrimp. As a side, I made some white rice. Couldn’t be happier with the dish!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This was my first Skinny Taste recipe to try. I’m not much of a cook and found it very easy and everyone loved it! I did add a few handfuls of chopped spinach right before adding the shrimp. YUM!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
“This is unbelievable,” said my husband. This is another winner and worthy of company. I usually don’t change a thing with Gina’s recipes, but this time I had some baby spinach calling to me, so I threw it in after cooking the tomatoes and then put the shrimp on top. It was a delicious. Everything else was exactly to the recipe. Five stars for sure! Thank you, Gina!
One of the best shrimp receipe
Make it often
Delicious recipe that is good enough to serve at a dinner party. I recommend serving with naan instead of pita so you can sop up the tasty broth. Also it is important to use a good block feta. I used Kirkland organic which you can buy at Costco.
This is quickly becoming part of my regular dinner rotation! Love all the flavors and also how quick it is to make! I served it over pearl couscous this week. It was a hit!
Absolutely delicious!
Have made twice in the last 3 weeks. I added some chilli flakes for a little heat and served over orzo.
Quick and easy preparation!
I loved this recipe! I doubled the water, added 1 tsp of vegetable bouillon, and added 1/3 of orzo on step 2. I spot checked it and added a little bit more water as needed until the orzo was cooked. Once the orzo was cooked I followed the rest of the steps. This was enough for 3 meal preps for meal and it was very flavorful!
This was easy to make and 5-star delicious.
Terrific recipe. Love the flavors and so easy to make. Adding it to my meal roster. Thanks!
This was really tasty, but too much liquid. I’d cut back by 1/4 cup next time and maybe sub half of the water with white wine.
Didn’t have orzo but had couscous and it was sublime! Will definitely be making this more frequently
Unfortunately this was a miss for my family even though we followed the recipe exactly. We love shrimp and Mediterranean flavors, but this didn’t have as much flavor as we’d hoped. For us it needed more olives perhaps or something else to provide a zing. We ended up adding salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to liven it up, served over orzo. It was okay but I probably wouldn’t make it again.
If I cut the cherry tomatoes in half, as recipe says, will they still burst during cooking? We followed the recipe and it had a lot of liquid, we ate it in a bowl with a spoon. We enjoyed the flavors and will do again.
I would think it should be saucy since it’s suggested that it be served over orzo or with pita to dip.
This is amazing, so easy, delicious and looks beautiful. I served it over zoodles and it was perfect. This will definitely be in the dinner rotation!
So delicious!! It was very easy to make. It is very flavorful too. I served it over orzo as suggested! Excellent!!
This was amazing! Added to the rotation and printed for my Gran Mama cookbook!
Hi! Was just wondering if this would pair well with rice, and if its good for reheating in a microwave for lunch?
Teen and husband approved! I served over angel hair pasta.
Really liked this!
I wish mine was as pretty as yours, but it wasn’t far off. Beautiful dish and so delicious! I had to text a picture to my Esther chefy daughter and she was impressed. Having the leftovers cold for lunch. Excellent recipe. Only change was green olives instead of black because I just don’t like black olives. The green olives were a little intense but the recipe was still 100!
This was so amazingly delicious 😋. My son wants me to make it once a week. Will definitely be in the rotation. I served it with the orzo and it was so satisfying.
This Shrimp Saganaki is a quick to prepare delicious and filling meal. Served it over orzo👍🏻
Loved this dish!! This is such a simple and flavorful recipe. We used a bulgur wheat instead of orzo as a base. Will be saving this recipe for sure!
I made this dish for the first time today, and LOVED it. The way the dill and lemon worked together was so good. Definitely a recipe I will be making again and again.
Glad you enjoyed it!
This was delicious. Per your suggestion I added a can of rinsed chick peas. It’s a very filling dish and as another reviewer said, I wouldn’t be unhappy to be served this at a restaurant. Definitely 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was flavorful and easy to make! Prep took a little longer than I expected but worth it. I served it over orzo. We will make this again!
Very flavorful. The whole family liked it, including a teenager and a 6 year old. We served it with pita.
Delish! Made as written and did serve it over orzo. A perfect compliment to the saucey shrimp.
Mine came out a little more liquid because of the type and amount of tomatoes I used and we ate it as soup. It was absolutely delicious. If I was served this at a nice restaurant I’d be very happy.
Love the recipe. It was easy to make. The flavor was great without using a lot of spices
Loved it! I might use white wine (maybe 1/2 cup) when I make it again. We served over whole wheat orzo and it was a winner.
Easy and absolutely delicious. Served it with crusty French bread. Sauce is outdtanding
Thank you!
This looks delicious. My daughter refuses olives. Any suggestions on a substitute for olives?
Capers?
Easy to prepare while my guests chatted. Not a bite left over! Will make again soon, I’m sure.
My daughter made this for us last night. It was delicious!! She served it with your orzo and broccoli recipe. (Next time I think we will sub spinach for the broccoli). A wonderful, satisfying, light meal after the holidays. Thank you, Gina!
Can this be frozen?
I dont usually freeze shrimp. Anyone have success with this?
As soon as I saw this recipe in my inbox this morning I was craving it right away. So easy and absolutely delicious. This will be on my usual rotation from now on
This looks delicious. Can’t go wrong with tomatoes, olives, and garlic. Is there an herb we could swap for the dill? (I only like it in pickles!)
Parsley?
Would this recipe work with capers instead of olives?
Sure
Could this be made with diced chicken breast instead of shrimp?
this looks fantastic! And cant wait until spring to try it as is. But for now I turned it into a soup as its literally 12 Degrees out and soup is what is called for. I leave out the cheese and add chicken broth. I cooked some leeks with the tomatoes and shrimp before I add the broth. then just before serving I tossed in some spinach for added color. Also I cooked the pasta in the broth and sprinkle Parmesan on each bowl.
Please forgive me for changing your recipe, but it really was a fantastic soup.
It was easy to make and delicious.
This looks delicious but I don’t eat any type of shellfish. Can I substitute chunks of cod instead? Thanks.
Sure!
Looks delicious, wonder if it could be made with scallops. I’m allergic to shrimp. Thoughts.
Sure!