Years (decades!) before Cup of Jo decided to launch the five-ingredient dinner series, this easy Greek-style scampi was a regular on my family dinner circuit.
My friend Melissa was the first to make a version it for me, and when she sent along the recipe the next day, I remember looking at the ingredient list and thinking “Whaaa? That’s it?” How does something with so few ingredients taste that good?
I’m still trying to figure out the answer to that, but trust me when I say that you’ll want this in your dinner arsenal beyond a quick weeknight meal. You’ll want to make it for dinner guests or a Valentine date, and preferably have leftovers whenever you do so, because it’s even better cold, eaten straight from the Tupperware container the next day as you stand in front of the fridge. (For skeptics out there, I too was raised with the church-and-state philosophy of seafood-and-cheese, which is to say they do not mix. But this blows up that theory in a big delicious way.)
Shrimp with Feta
Feel free to serve with rice or toasted Naan if you want to stretch out the meal. This, however, would require an additional ingredient, which makes it illegal for me to make it a marching order.
Serves 4
2-3 garlic cloves, minced (I go with 2 because I’m not a huge garlic person, but I know I’m in the minority)
3 tablespoons olive oil*
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes (drained, very important)
1 pound shrimp, peeled and cleaned
Two-ish handfuls crumbled feta
juice from half a lemon
salt and pepper to taste*
(optional: chopped fresh parsley)
Preheat oven to 425°F. Sauté garlic in olive oil in an ovenproof skillet set over medium heat. Add tomatoes, and stir, breaking up with a wooden spoon or fork. Lower heat to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes, letting garlic infuse the tomatoes.
Nestle in shrimp and cook until shrimp starts to turn pink all over, about 3 minutes, then sprinkle feta all over the top. Bake five minutes until cheese is melty and slightly golden.
Remove from oven, drizzle lemon juice all over. Add kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste and garnish with parsley, if using.
* We aren’t counting olive oil, salt or pepper as ingredients.
P.S. More five-ingredient dinners and Alex’s 10-minute salmon sandwich.
(Photos by Yossy Arefi for Cup of Jo.)