Greek-Style Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta

Hey there! I have pulled myself together at least long enough to share a new post with you. And it’s a good one! I am always excited when the folks at America’s Test Kitchen announce the release of a new cookbook. I have so many in my collection and use them constantly. Some of their themed cookbooks in the last few years such as The Best Mexican Recipes and The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook have become absolute favorites and I use them nearly every week in my menu planning, so when I heard that they would be releasing The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook, I was ecstatic. Over the last several years, my cooking style has gradually shifted to a diet with more emphasis on seafood and veggies, and as such, this book is right up my alley. I was comically enthusiastic when I first flipped through it, exclaiming out loud with nearly every recipe, “I can’t wait to make this!” The hardest part was deciding what to try first.

So many options grabbed my attention: chili-marinated calamari with oranges, North African cauliflower salad with chermoula, Egyptian barley salad, grilled scallop and zucchini skewers with basil vinaigrette…the list goes oooonnnnn… Eventually I settled on this Greek-style shrimp with tomatoes and feta for a quick easy and healthy dinner after teaching my barre class. It was very simple and turned out beautifully. The whole family loved it! Later in the week I also made the poached snapper with crispy artichokes and sherry-tomato vinaigrette and it was incredible. I’m quite confident I will cook my way through the vast majority of the recipes in this book and I am so excited to do so. The recipe for the lovely shrimp dish is below, and if you would like a chance to win your own copy of this lovely book, head over the giveaway page to enter!

Yield 4-6 servings

Ingredients

1½ lbs. extra-large shrimp (21-25 per pound), peeled and deveined
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3 tbsp. ouzo, divided
5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
Salt and pepper
1 small onion, chopped
1 red or green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
1 (28-oz) can diced tomatoes, drained with 1/3 cup of juice reserved
¼ cup dry white wine
2 tbsp. coarsely chopped fresh parsley
6 oz. feta cheese, crumbled (about 1½ cup)
2 tbsp. chopped fresh dill

Directions

01
Toss the shrimp in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of the oil, 1 tablespoon of the ouzo, 1 teaspoon of the garlic, lemon zest, ¼ teaspoon of salt and a dash of pepper. Set aside.
02
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion, bell pepper, ¼ teaspoon salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables release their liquid, 3-5 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid evaporates and the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
03
Stir in the tomatoes and reserved juice, wine, and remaining 2 tablespoons ouzo. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the flavors meld and the sauce is slightly thickened (still liquid and not completely dry), 5-8 minutes. Stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste.
04
Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the shrimp along with any accumulated juices. Stir to coat and distribute evenly. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are opaque throughout, 6-9 minutes, adjusting the heat as needed to maintain a bare simmer. Off the heat, sprinkle with the feta and dill. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Serve warm over rice and/or with crusty bread.
05
Notes:
- I omitted the ouzo since I didn’t have any on hand and didn’t want to buy it for just this recipe.
- I used basil instead of dill because it sounded good and I had in on hand for another recipe. Loved it!
- I used red bell pepper and thought it was great here.

Source

The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook from America’s Test Kitchen