Garides Saganaki | Greek Shrimp with Feta and Tomato Sauce

Remove the dark vein along the back of the shrimp. Rinse under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Rub with salt and lemon juice, then refrigerate. Drying the shrimp is important: wet shrimp will water down the sauce and steam instead of searing in the pan.

Add the grated tomato, red pepper flakes, and dried thyme and cook over medium heat. The sauce should thicken until oil separates and rises around the edges; a path drawn through the center with a spoon should stay open briefly. Do not add the shrimp until you see this sign.

Raise the heat to medium-high. Arrange the shrimp in a single layer in the sauce and cook one side for 90 seconds, then turn and cook the other side for 90 seconds. They are ready when pink and curled like the letter C; if they curl tightly into an O, they are overcooked.

Preheat the oven to 200°C / 390°F. Break the feta into large pieces with your hands and scatter them among and over the shrimp; do not grate it. In saganaki, the cheese does not melt completely, so some pieces should remain intact. Bake until the cheese softens and its edges are spotted brown.

Sprinkle the chopped parsley over the top and bring the pan straight to the table. Serve with toasted bread; the sauce is meant to be scooped up with bread. Taste before adding salt, since the feta already provides salt.