This brightly flavored shrimp recipe is great hot or cold, for dinner or as an appetizer, for a family or a crowd!
Lemon. Sun dried tomatoes. Capers. Anchovies? These are a few of my favorite ingredients, and you will see them pop up in many of my recipes. Just as in Asian cooking, where soy sauce, ginger, and garlic can be used to make an infinite number of dishes, these ingredients can be found in so many amazing Mediterranean recipes.
I put a question mark after anchovies because many people have (what I believe to be) an unnecessary fear of anchovies. Actually, these tiny little fish pack a POW of flavor and saltiness that can’t be duplicated in any other way. You can leave out the anchovies if you’re really, really sure you hate them, but I hope you’ll give them a try. If you don’t want to look at the tiny filets (I swear there are no fish heads or anything that really even looks fishy in the container) try anchovy paste. Just don’t accidently brush your teeth with it.
I especially love to serve these shrimp with simple sautéed broccoli rabe and toasted bread, kind of like a do-it-yourself crostini plate! Yum!
This recipe serves 4-6 hungry people. Or me and my daughter. Maybe my husband.
Looking for more fish and seafood recipes?
- Cajun Salmon Pasta
- Seared Salmon in Lemon Dill Cream Sauce
- Gochujang Glazed Salmon
- Smoked Salmon “Everything Bagel” Frittata
Mediterranean Shrimp
Ingredients
- 2 lb large or extra large shrimp, peeled and deveined, with tails off
- ⅔ cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
- ¼ cup capers, drained and rinsed
- 6 anchovy filets or 3 teaspoon anchovy paste
- 3 cloves grated garlic
- ¼ cup lemon juice (usually 2 lemons)
- ½ cup + 2 tbs olive oil
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt (divided)
- 1 teaspoon black pepper (divided)
- ¼ cup toasted pine nuts
- Cherry tomatoes, halved
- Parsley and torn basil leaves
Best Served With
- Sautéed broccoli rabe
- Toasted sliced bread
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix the shrimp with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 2 tbs olive oil, and the grated garlic. If you’re going to cook this right away, allow the shrimp to sit on the counter while you prepare the other ingredients. If you want to make this later, just cover and refrigerate. Allow the shrimp to come to room temperature before grilling, to reduce curling up 🍤
- In a food processor, blend lemon juice, anchovies, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper until smooth. Slowly drizzle in olive oil until fully blended. Set aside.
- It’s time to cook the shrimp! Heat your indoor grill pan or outdoor grill to a medium high temperature. I like to oil the grates before I start to help avoid sticking, although the shrimp should easily release when they have just enough char 🤞🏻 Grill shrimp in batches 2-3 minutes per side or until shrimp are no longer opaque (you know, raw looking on the sides) and release easily(ish) from the grill. As alternate method for cooking the shrimp you can place the seasoned shrimp in a single layer on a sheet pan and cook for 8-10 minutes in a 450° oven. Perfectly cooked every time!
- Transfer the cooked shrimp to a medium bowl. Add the sun dried tomatoes and capers and then drizzle with the lemon anchovy dressing. Toss and allow to sit for about 15 minutes. This will allow all the flavors to blend together and become best friends.
- Garnish with pine nuts, halved tomatoes, and fresh herbs. These delightful and amazing shrimp can be served alone, with a salad or roasted vegetables, alongside a perfectly seared steak, or with crispy crostini. I recently served mine with pasta that had be tossed with some of the lemon anchovy dressing (I doubled just the dressing ingredients and saved half). Make some for yourself. Maybe share. Maybe.
The nutritional and caloric information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It does not assert or suggest that readers should or should not count calories, and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s or doctor’s counseling.
Laura says
So good! Perfect recipe!