The flavors of this dish take me back to lazy sun-soaked meals in Albania. Even though we didn’t have baked shrimp in Albania, we had grilled shrimp with these ingredients daily. I’m talking: red pepper, tomato, feta, garlic, oregano, dill, lemon, good olive oil; you catch my drift. It wasn’t the most elegant of dishes, as we would end up with messy hands and faces (Rez, I’m looking at you), but always SO DELICIOUS!
There was a small restaurant up the hill from our Villa in Qeparo that had excellent food. There was no menu, the owner/operator couple would tell you what they could make, depending on what the fisherman caught that morning and afternoon. We started pre-booking fish and prawns for the next day, and the couple would take turns battling in the kitchen to see who made the best version (hers reigned supreme by the way). I’ve added a photo of her prawns and our typical meal at their place. I’m still dreaming of those fries with rosemary and vinegar, but that’s another story entirely.
I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you serve this dish with fresh crusty bread, because the juices at the bottom of the pan might just be the best part. No bread on hand? Serve over rice and be sure to get a few spoonfuls of the flavorful juice.
2. Ksamil, Albania – on the Ionian Sea
Mediterranean Shrimp with Feta
Equipment
- 1 wide oven-safe skillet or baking dish
Ingredients
- 1 lb shrimp deveined and thawed if frozen
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- ¾ cup shallots finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves roughly chopped
- ½ red pepper finely diced
- 1 ½ cups small variety tomatoes halved or quartered
- ½ tsp red chili flakes less if sensitive
- 1 tsp dried oregano divided
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1 tsp honey
- ½ cup feta cheese
- 1 tbsp fresh dill torn
- 1 tbsp fresh mint roughly chopped
- 1 lemon cut into wedges for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400° F. Set a rack to middle position and another 6" from the broiler.
- Heat extra-virgin olive oil in a wide oven-proof skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic and shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Be careful not to brown the garlic!
- Add red pepper, tomatoes (and their juices), chili flakes, oregano (reserving ¼ tsp for a later step), salt, pepper, and honey. Turn heat to medium-low, cook uncovered for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat and arrange shrimp in a single layer. Divide the crumbled feta evenly over top and sprinkle with remaining oregano. Bake for 15 minutes, until the shrimp are just pink (cook time will vary depending on size of shrimp).
- Turn on the broiler. Transfer pan to upper rack and broil for 1-2 minutes, until feta starts to turn golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle with fresh dill and mint. Serve with lemon wedges.
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