This is one of those dishes that I just couldn’t photograph in a way to fully illustrate how incredibly delicious it is. A serious problem for someone always pointing a camera at her plate.
Regardless, I hope you read on, as this is one of the more beautifully delicious shrimp dishes I have made, and all in one pot. Roasting the shrimp with freshly sauteed fennel, tomatoes and herbs, topped with homemade breadcrumbs and crumbled feta cheese and a squeeze of lemon. Fresh and light and just delicious.
I adapted it from Ina Garten, of course, and my version is even simpler than hers, without sacrificing any flavor.
Roasted Shrimp with Fennel and Feta
Ingredients (serves 2-3):
- Good olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups diced fennel (1 bulb)
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 c. chopped fresh tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Pinch dried anise seed
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 3 ounces feta cheese, coarsely crumbled
- 1 cup fresh torn pieces of bread
- 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 2 lemons
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in 10- or 12-inch heavy ovenproof skillet over medium-low heat. Add the fennel and garlic and sauté for 8 to 10 minutes, until tender. Add the wine and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits clinging to the bottom of the skillet, and cook until the liquid is reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, oregano, anise seed, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper to the skillet. Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes.
Arrange the shrimp in one layer over the tomato mixture in the skillet.
Scatter feta evenly over the shrimp. In bowl of a food processor, add the bread and pulse until it becomes small crumbs. Add parsley, lemon zest and 2 tablespoons of olive oil and pulse to combine. Sprinkle evenly over the shrimp.
Bake the shrimp for about 15 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through and the bread crumbs are golden brown.
Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over the shrimp. Serve hot with wedges of lemon.
This totally works. The shrimp loves the lemon and lemony feta, and the fennel and tomato mixture creates a delicious sauce to hold it all. We had ours with a simple green salad and crusty bread to mop up the juices. Perfect for a summer dinner and I had plenty of leftovers for lunch!
Enjoy, friends xoxo
Seasoned to Taste 