For our third day in Greece Ian made another recipe from Kokkari: Contemporary Greek Flavors. He has great understanding of Greek food from his experience as a line cook in a Greek-Italian restaurant and is part Greek himself. For those reasons that is why we decided to spend a week here – what a rough decision!
With Greece’s vast coastline and numerous islands it makes sense why seafood is a staple of their cuisine. Garides tou fournou roughly translates to baked shrimp and honors the delicious crustacean. Other common seafood that is used widely in Greek cuisine include sardines, squid, anchovies, smelt, mackerel, and bogue. It is not uncommon to find other varieties of seafood on the plate since this country is all about fresh ingredients. In this dish you will find shrimp that are topped with a flavorful shell-infused stock/tomato sauce and a healthy amount of feta. Yum yum!
The additional of dill to the sauce took me by surprise at first, but remembering our track record of dill and seafood pairing I knew it was going to be good. Thinking back to Libya as well we discovered the beautiful combination of dill, cinnamon, and tomatoes. You never know what unique pairings you are going to find by traveling by taste bud!
All aspects of the preparation and cooking was straightforward and easy to follow. The ingredients can easily be found in most grocery stores and it did not take long to finish. Making your own seafood stock is simple and a great way to save a little moolah. I don’t know why I had never thought to do that before..
We really enjoyed this meal and thought the addition of orzo was a must. Cooking the shrimp at a higher temperature allowed for a wonderful crust to form and give the dish a nice contrasting texture. Feta being incorporated in the sauce and garnished on top gave the sweet sauce a punch of saltiness (don’t go overboard adding salt to the dish!).
We loved this elevated shrimp dish and rated it 8.5/10. We give props to the orzo as well since this dish would be incomplete without it. If you don’t like shrimp you might be able to get away with scallops- let us know how that goes of course! If you still feel it needs more try pairing it with a fresh salad and a glass of your favorite white wine. Onto the last meal in Greece!
AuthorPaigeCategoryCooking every countryDifficultyBeginnerThis dish honors the prawn (shrimp) topped with a delicious shell infused stock/tomato sauce and a healthy amount of feta. The addition of orzo pasta is a must.
This recipe was written by Erik Cosselmon for the book Kokkari: Contemporary Greek Flavors
1. Peel shrimp/prawns and keep the shells, leave tails attached if desired. Slit the backs of the shrimp and remove the black vein- put aside. Place shells in pot and cover with cold water, add onion if using. Bring up to a simmer for 10 minutes. After the time is up, strain out the liquid pressing on the shells to preserve their flavor.
2. Preheat broiler (or oven). Combine tomato sauce and 1/3 cup of prawn sauce in a skillet and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat and add 1/2 feta, dill, 1/4 cup olive oil, paprika and scallions stirring in thoroughly. The mixture will be soupy.
3. Season shrimp with salt and pepper, place on baking pan in even layer topped with sauce. Add the remaining feta and 2 tbsp olive oil and evenly spread. Broil until a nice crust forms- about 5-7 minutes. The shrimp should be pink in color. Serve hot on top of orzo.
Ingredients
Directions
1. Peel shrimp/prawns and keep the shells, leave tails attached if desired. Slit the backs of the shrimp and remove the black vein- put aside. Place shells in pot and cover with cold water, add onion if using. Bring up to a simmer for 10 minutes. After the time is up, strain out the liquid pressing on the shells to preserve their flavor.
2. Preheat broiler (or oven). Combine tomato sauce and 1/3 cup of prawn sauce in a skillet and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat and add 1/2 feta, dill, 1/4 cup olive oil, paprika and scallions stirring in thoroughly. The mixture will be soupy.
3. Season shrimp with salt and pepper, place on baking pan in even layer topped with sauce. Add the remaining feta and 2 tbsp olive oil and evenly spread. Broil until a nice crust forms- about 5-7 minutes. The shrimp should be pink in color. Serve hot on top of orzo.