Mediterranean Shrimp Skillet

Ready for one of the best Mediterranean diet recipes ever? You might think I’m exaggerating, but this Mediterranean shrimp skillet is something different. Something so delicious, with such beautiful flavors and so easy to make, it’s been haunting me for a while now.

I made the recipe like two months ago and kept postponing the writing of the blog post. Then I went to Greece for a few weeks and put it off some more. Well, to my surprise, I actually had a similar dish to this Mediterranean shrimp skillet recipe in Greece. It was at a super touristy restaurant, but still. I’ll take it!

My recipes are authentic, I knew it. It’s not like I just put a bunch of vegetables with garlic and feta cheese and call it a “Mediterranean recipe”. Obviously not. Well, fine that might be what happened here, but the result is delicious. So delicious. Authentic or not, I am very very sure you are going to want to dip some bread into this Mediterranean skillet with shrimp, feta and vegetables. And you will not regret it.

Mediterranean Shrimp Skillet Ingredients

Here are the things you need to have in order to make the recipe:

• Shrimp. I used frozen shrimp, peeled and deveined, because I do not like peeling shrimp. And I especially dislike deveining it. You can also buy “fresh” shrimp, but depending on where you live, it might be that the shrimp was actually just defrosted and presented as fresh. So, frozen is okay – make sure to let it thaw for about 10 minutes before using. I usually just take out however much I need and let it sit in some lukewarm water. Washing and defrosting – check!
• Fresh Tomatoes. This is the perfect meal to make when tomatoes are ripe and in season, aka during summer. Use good ripe tomatoes for this Mediterranean shrimp recipe!
• Vegetables. I added some zucchini, since we had lots of them. Also some olives, scallions, carrot, parsley and, of course, garlic. Other good choices here would be peppers, broccoli and even some spinach.
• Feta Cheese and Olive Oil. As you’ve probably noticed from your own Google search – you can’t make a Mediterranean recipe without these two ingredients. Kidding. Not really.
• Dried Herbs and Tomato Paste. I used some crushed red pepper to add heat and some dried basil, since I didn’t have any fresh at hand. You’ll need the tomato paste, especially if you don’t cook down the tomatoes, since the shrimp, as well as the vegetables, release some extra juices and the paste helps to thicken the sauce. So, add as much as you need to!

How To Make The Mediterranean Shrimp Skillet

First off, in order to make this Mediterranean shrimp recipe, chop tomatoes thinly. Add them to a cooking pan with some olive oil and allow them to cook down (about 2 minutes). By the end they should look like a sauce – this will depend on how juicy your tomatoes are. Another quicker option will be to just blend the tomatoes into a sauce in your blender, then cook with a little bit of olive oil and some salt for about a minute.

Next, add in the zucchini, scallion and carrot and cook with a lid covered for 1-2 more minutes.

Throw in the defrosted shrimp, the hot paprika, the dried basil, and the olives and cook for about 6-7 minutes without a lid, stirring occasionally.

Then, add in the garlic and if you need to thicken the sauce – add in some tomato paste, one tablespoon at a time (I needed around two).

Stir in the crumbled feta cheese and the thinly chopped parsley. You can also skip the feta and keep the dish dairy-free if you’d like.

Serve immediately with some bread, rice or if you desire pasta and enjoy!

Change it up

This recipe is very forgiving. Like you can change a bunch of things about it and you will still end up with a meal that’s absolutely divine. Here are some examples:

• want to make the Mediterranean shrimp recipe more “Italian” – leave out the feta cheese and add in Parmesan cheese
• use other vegetables that you have, make sure they’re non-starchy and quick fast
• throw in other herbs – pretty much any herb other than mint will go well here. Think dill, oregano, cilantro or basil. Obviously basil.
• use another protein. You can do that – just consider the cooking time and pre-cook if needed. Shrimp usually cooks within just a few minutes, so you can throw it in there with the vegetables and it will be more than ready within 10 minutes. Chicken will need more time. Also, I’ve got a similar Mediterranean chicken recipe right here.
• you can also use canned tomatoes, tomato sauce or even frozen tomatoes (it’s important to allow them to cook before adding the rest of the ingredients). I honestly prefer fresh or the fresh frozen ones, because they have a sweetness and a different flavor to them that I love.

Allergy and Diet Info

This Mediterranean recipe with shrimp, feta and vegetables is naturally gluten-free, low in carbohydrates and with 37 grams per 380 calories – high in protein. It is also nut-, soy-, egg- and grain-free.

More Easy Mediterranean Diet Recipes

I really hope you enjoy this simple and easy Mediterranean shrimp skillet recipe! It is definitely becoming a favorite over here and I’m so excited to use up those ripe summer tomatoes! For more easy Mediterranean diet recipes, make sure to check out the links below:

• 20-Minute Leftover Chicken Gyro Bowls
• Mediterranean Breakfast Egg Scramble
• Healthy Rice and Calamari