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Saganaki is a popular Greek appetizer featuring pan-seared melting cheese. While the cheese only sanganaki is most common, shrimp sanganaki is also quite popular. This dish typically features tomatoes, feta cheese, and common Greek herbs and spices – garlic, oregano, thyme, etc. My seafood sanganaki bake is a bit heartier and includes shrimp and scallops. It makes a lovely appetizer for entertaining but it’s also great as an entrée for two – particularly in the summer. I think it’s great for a Friday night when you want to relax with a good bottle of wine over a nice meal without spending much time in the kitchen. You can whip this up in 30 minutes and all you need for accompaniment is fresh loaf of bread, a bottle of wine, and maybe a simple green salad.
Looking for more seafood recipes? Try my drunken shellfish stew!
Notes on Seafood Saganaki
I like to use large scallops (sea scallops) for this dish but the smaller bay scallops work too. I cut the large scallops in half or even quarters if they are super big. I also use large shrimp and completely remove the tails. Removing the tails makes it easier to spread the saganaki over bread.
Use a nice crumbly feta. Feta doesn’t melt easily like many cheeses. I usually broil the dish for a minute or two at the end to get it golden.
Seafood Saganaki Bake
- Total Time: 30
- Yield: 2 to 4 1x
- Category: seafood
- Cuisine: greek
Description
Serve this dish with crusty bread or crostinis.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 28 oz can whole tomatoes
- ½ cup white wine
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
- 1 large lemon, preferably organic
- ½ lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined*
- ½ lb large scallops, cut in half
- ½ cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
- 4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
- 3 green onions
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 475F
- Heat olive oil in a large oven-proof skillet. Add the garlic and cook over medium heat until golden – 1 or 2 minutes.
- Crush the tomatoes by hand and add them to the pan with their juices. Add wine and oregano. Zest the lemon and add to the tomato mixture. Simmer gently for 20 to 25 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
- Stir in the prawns and scallops. Cook for 2 minutes. Scatter the feta chunks over the mixture and then sprinkle with green onions.
- Transfer dish to oven and bake for 5 minutes, until cheese is melty and golden.
- Squeeze half the lemon over the dish and drizzle with olive oil.
- Serve with crusty bread or couscous.
Keywords: shrimp, scallops, seafood, feta
