Shrimp Saganaki Soup
Transform the traditional Greek shrimp and tomato appetizer into a satisfying soup. Shrimp Saganaki Soup is bursting with fabulous Greek flavors, from the plump shrimp and tangy feta to the zesty tomato sauce.
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 1 small green bell pepper, diced
- 1 small bulb fennel (stems and leaves removed*)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- Kosher salt
- 28 ounces diced or crushed tomatoes
- 15 ounces low-sodium chicken broth (about a scant two cups)
- 12 to 16 ounces raw medium or large shrimp (peeled, tail off, head off, thawed and rinsed if frozen)
- juice from half of a lemon
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley, minced
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a 4 qt. soup pot or Dutch oven over medium until the oil shimmers. Add the onions, peppers, and fennel to the pot and saute until all are soft, before they start to brown, about 5-8 minutes.
- Spoon in tomato paste, plus the garlic, paprika, oregano, flour, 1/2 cup of the chicken broth, and a big pinch of salt and combine with the veggies. Let the mixture cook for a few minutes to thicken. When a spatula drawn across the bottom of the pot leaves an empty path, the soup base is thick enough.
- Add the diced tomatoes, the remaining chicken broth, and another big pinch of salt. Raise the heat to medium-high and let the soup come to a gentle boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. Add the lemon juice and sugar, stirring well.
- Carefully taste the broth — it'll be hot! let it cool on the spoon for a second — and add more salt or lemon juice if necessary. Keep in mind that feta cheese is salty, but you still want the broth to be lively and flavorful.
- Stir in the shrimp and cook for 5 minutes, or until all the shrimp are plump, opaque, and pink. Turn off the heat. Stir in about a 1/4 cup of the feta cheese, combining it with the soup until it melts in. Add the lemon juice and sugar, and taste, adjusting any of the seasonings as needed. Then sprinkle the remaining feta cheese over the soup as a garnish, along with the parsley, and serve.
Notes
You can use pre-cooked shrimp for this recipe. Add it at the same point in the recipe, but you won't need to wait for the shrimp to cook, only to heat through.
* If your fennel came with the green stems and feathery leaves attached, you can use the dill-looking leaves as a garnish with the parsley. They have a subtle anise flavor and are visually lovely.