Prawn saganaki (Γαριδες Σαγανακι)

Prawn saganaki is one of those 'holiday to Greece' dishes, which everyone recalls with fondness. It is served in nearly every Psarotaverna (fish taverna) in Greece and a favourite with tourists and locals alike!

It is certainly a favourite in my dinner party repertoire - it makes a great 'shared plate' style entree and is ready from scratch in less than 20 minutes. It also makes for a comforting and colourful mid week dinner - without the normal calories that come with starchy comfort foods.

Some recipes for prawn saganaki call for deglazing the dish with a little ouzo. I prefer to have that on the side and instead, I use a little Metaxa brandy in the tomato sauce, which you could replace instead with a little white wine. If you are a fan of aniseed flavours you can always add a little fennel seed or dill to the tomato sauce base.

Prawn saganaki (Γαριδες Σαγανακι)

Greek olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
3 - 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 tablespoons Greek tomato paste
1/4 cup brandy
4-5 medium fresh ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
500g green prawns, peeled leaving tails intact, deveined
75g Greek feta, crumbled
1 tablespoon dried Greek rigani
Crusty bread, to serve

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Drizzle with a little oil. Cook onion until soft and fragrant. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic. Add the tomato paste and stir. Add the brandy and simmer for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes and about 1/2 cup water. Cover with a little baking paper and allow to simmer until the mixture is thick.

2. Spread the tomato sauce over the base of an ovenproof dish. Top with the prawns, feta and rigani - a further drizzle of olive oil. Bake for 10 minutes or until cooked through. Serve with crusty bread.