This easy Mediterranean-style sautéed shrimp recipe is packed with fresh flavors. The aromatic blend of spices will make you feel like you’re dining in Spain or Greece without leaving your house!
It goes without saying that shrimp and fish are an essential part of the Mediterranean diet culinary lifestyle. Shrimp has a beautiful texture, yet it cooks so quickly! Be sure to check out our shrimp recipes, including garlic lemon shrimp, Greek shrimp salad, and baked shrimp in chermoula sauce for some inspiration.
This post has been sponsored by Riviana Foods Inc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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About this shrimp recipe
This easy Mediterranean style shrimp recipe is another favorite that’s ready in less than 30 minutes. Packed with veggies and served with Minute® Ready to Serve Rice, this makes a great dinner for a busy weeknight.
This sauteed shrimp skillet is full of flavor thanks to fresh vegetables and warm Mediterranean spices. Like many other Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes, onion and garlic are the base of the dish, followed by other vegetables such as peppers, leek and tomatoes. Finished with capers and a squeeze of lemon juice for freshness, the vegetables sit in harmony with the seasoned shrimp and bring out amazing flavors.
Shrimp cooks so fast that this recipe will be ready in less than 30 minutes. Perfect for a weeknight dinner, this dish is packed with protein.
Ingredients
Peeled and deveined shrimp
I suggest you get large shrimp instead of small. And it’s absolutely fine to use frozen shrimp and thaw them right before cooking. That’s what I’ve done in this recipe. Unless you're shopping at a seafood market by the coast, the fresh shrimp that you see at a store is probably thawed frozen shrimp, therefore its best to get frozen shrimp. Of course, you can use prawns instead of shrimp if that's what you have on hand.
Spices
A combination of salt, oregano, paprika and cumin is all you need for this recipe. These spices are used to season both the shrimp and the vegetables.
Vegetables
The vegetables you need for this shrimp recipe are onion, garlic (loads of it!), leek, yellow peppers and tomatoes. These vegetables combine together to make a delicious base for the shrimp.
Final touches
To finish this dish, you need a tablespoon of capers for a burst of flavor and a big squeeze of fresh lemon juice to add some brightness. These two ingredients are key so don’t skip them!
Pro tip: Seafood and lemon go well together, so whenever you’re working with seafood be sure to finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to add a splash of brightness to your dish.
Instructions
1. Season the shrimp
In a bowl, place the shrimp and add the salt, paprika, cumin and oregano. Stir and set aside for the flavors to combine and flavor the shrimp.
2. Saute the vegetables
In a hot skillet, saute the onion in some olive oil until soft. Add in the garlic and sliced leek followed by yellow pepper. Add the spices and diced tomatoes. Finish with capers and lemon juice.
3. Cook the shrimp
Once the tomatoes are cooked, add the shrimp to the pan and let it cook. Once the shrimp starts turning pink, flip it and let it cook on the other side and well.
Serving suggestions
You can serve this Mediterranean-style shrimp with Minute® Ready to Serve Rice since it’s ready in two minutes or less. Heat the rice in the microwave per the package instructions and place it on a plate. Spoon the shrimp and vegetables onto the plate, and top with some freshly chopped cilantro. It can also be cooked on the stove if you want! It's also MSG free, has no preservatives, and is non-GMO project verified!
You can also serve this dish with side dishes such as Greek potatoes, Mediterranean potato salad, Greek salad or cucumber tomato feta salad.
Frequently asked questions
Shrimp tends to absorb the flavors pretty fast so a few minutes (until the pan is heated) would be enough.
It's best to make this dish right before serving since reheating the shrimp might make it overcooked and rubbery.
Yes, vegetables such as zucchini, shaved brussel sprouts and peas would be good additions.
Notes and tips
- It’s important to know that shrimp cooks very quickly, sometimes in less than five minutes. Keep a close eye when on your pan when cooking the shrimp and turn the heat off the moment the shrimps turn pink on both sides.
- I suggest you have this dish fresh since the shrimp’s flavor is best when served right away. However, if you have leftovers, store them in an airtight glass container and refrigerate for up to 2 days. To reheat, it’s best to heat it in a skillet and not for too long.
- I used peeled and deveined tail-on shrimp to make this dish. You may also use tail-off shrimp.
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Step-by-Step Recipe
Sauteed Shrimp Mediterranean Style
Ingredients
- 1 lb shrimp peeled and deveined
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- 1 yellow onion sliced
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 leek white and light green parts thinly sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper sliced
- 2 large tomatoes diced
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 1 lemon juice of
To serve:
- 2 cups Minute Ready to Serve Brown Rice
Instructions
- Place the shrimp in a large bowl.
- Mix salt, oregano, paprika and cumin. Mix half of the spice mix with shrimp and set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan. saute onion until soft.
- Add garlic, leek and yellow bell pepper to the onion. Add the spices and saute until softens.
- Add in the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes.
- Stir in lemon juice and capers.
- Add the shrimp and cook for a 3-5 minutes. Flip halfway until pink on all sides.
- Serve with Minute® Ready to Serve Rice.
Video
Notes
- It’s important to know that shrimp cooks very quickly, sometimes in less than five minutes. Keep a close eye when on your pan when cooking the shrimp and turn the heat off the moment the shrimps turn pink on both sides.
- If you’re looking for a side salad, our Mediterranean salad would go very well with this dish.
- I suggest you have this dish fresh since the shrimp’s flavor is best when served right away. However, if you have leftovers, store them in an airtight glass container and refrigerate for up to 2 days. To reheat, it’s best to heat it in a skillet and not for too long.
- I used peeled and deveined tail-on shrimp to make this dish. You may also use tail-off shrimp.
Nutrition
Rica Warendorph
Great recipe. I have made an Orzo salad with baked pumpkin, zucchini, chickpeas and feta to go with it. Beautiful flavorful light dinner 🙂 Thanks for the recipe.
Shadi HasanzadeNemati
Thank you Rica, glad you like this recipe!
Diana
This looks sooooo good! I love shrimp and Mediterranean food, I will be making this recipe tonight for dinner, yum!
Allison
The whole family loved this dish! Thanks for sharing.
Marie
I was a bit nervous abut the cumin taste would be more Mexican then Greek but it was delicious and did not have a Mexican taste at all..
so I modified the recipe a bit using a tablespoon of oregano and paprika. I also used shallots instead of onion, adding mushrooms, some diced zucchini and yellow squash before adding the tomatoes but after adding the other veggies and letting them cook a bit. I also added chopped fresh spinach when adding the tomatoes. I served over a supermarket refrigerated linguine. I cooked the linguine as directed on the package for 2 minutes and then grabbed out of the pan of water and tossing in with the completed shrimp and veggies. It was delicious.
Shadi HasanzadeNemati
Thank you for your comment Marie, happy to know you like this recipe!
Jade Najjar
This recipe has so many ingredients I love- shrimp, leeks, capers. Can't wait to try! I have been curious about the minute brown rice. Do you feel that it has a similar texture to brown rice cooked normally?
Shadi HasanzadeNemati
Hi Jade. Yes, I would say the texture is pretty close. Hope you enjoy the shrimp!