Quick and Easy Recipe from Greek-English Cook for Shrimp and Feta Salad

For those who have experienced Greece, shrimp saganaki is a familiar and beloved dish, especially during summer on the islands. This popular appetizer features succulent shrimp quickly fried with tomatoes and a hint of chili, finished with feta cheese. It's noted as a rare dish where the combination of seafood and cheese is considered perfect.

However, Georgina Hayden, an English cookbook author and cook, has reimagined this classic. She has transformed the key flavors of shrimp saganaki into a more filling salad, inspired by the panzanella style. Hayden shared her recipe for this shrimp and feta salad with The Guardian, offering a fresh take on the traditional flavors.

The recipe, designed for four people, takes approximately 15 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook. Key ingredients include shallots, red wine vinegar, tomatoes, baby spinach, stale ciabatta bread, olive oil, large raw shrimp, smoked paprika, dried oregano, garlic, and feta cheese. The preparation involves marinating shallots in vinegar, salt, and pepper, then combining them with tomatoes, spinach, and torn stale bread. The shrimp are seasoned with smoked paprika, oregano, and garlic, then quickly pan-fried until golden and pink.

Once the shrimp are cooked, they are added to the salad along with the pan juices. The dish is finished with crumbled feta cheese and a sprinkle of oregano. Hayden suggests serving the salad immediately, allowing the flavors to meld while the shrimp are still warm. This adaptation offers a quick and flavorful meal that captures the essence of the original dish in a new format.

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I love serving it as part of a meze, with fresh bread to mop up the sweet, slightly spicy juices enriched with feta. Here, however, I’ve turned the key flavours of shrimp saganaki into something more substantial – a panzanella-style salad.