Surrounded by sea, Greece is the place to have fresh, straight from water, seafood and fish. The country is full of tavernas serving all kinds of seafood and a vast range of fish that are available in Greek sea.
From small to large fish, shrimps, crawfish, mussels and several other edible seafood are the contents on a catalogue of a Greek fish taverna. Truth is that eating in places like these is not cheap. Actually, it costs double the price one would pay in a taverna that serves meat. Nevertheless, Greeks, living so close to the sea, have a great love for fish and seafood and thus, they are willing to sacrifice a considerable amount of their entertainment budget to enjoy them.
Since Mediterranean Sea is like a huge lake, the concentration of salt is more than that in oceans. For this reason, fish and seafood have a better taste than those that are fished in Atlantic or the Pacific Ocean. This is something I can verify since I have tried both, but also from people coming from abroad who agree that the local fish here is tastier than what they are having in their countries. For this reason, everyone prefers to eat it BBQed with just lemon and olive oil. No sauces, no other condiments.
Pretty much so for the rest of the seafood. As much as we love eating them as simple and Doric as possible, there are some exceptions. Shrimps is one of them. We love our shrimps BBQed or fried but we also love them saganaki. Shrimps saganaki is a delicious dish with shrimps cooked in a type of marinara sauce with pieces of feta cheese and anise. This is a delicious meze we all enjoy either in the tavernas or at home.
Although, I was born and raised in this country, I am not a big fan of fish. I eat it, I like it, but it is not my first choice. I cannot say the same thing about seafood. Seafood is a totally different story. I simply love it and I cannot have enough of it. One of my favorite seafood dishes is shrimps saganaki. I always order them and devour them when I go out. I make them at home quite often and we all enjoy them.
Last week I was craving for some shrimps and since I found fresh in my local fish market, I bought them to make saganaki. As I was heading home I thought I should shake things up a bit and make something different. And this is how this dish came to life. It combines my love for shrimps saganaki with zoodles which is an invention of these past few years. It is a perfect combination of flavors and without any carbohydrates. A balanced meal with a delicious taste.
- 1 onion, sliced
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup tomato juice
- 1 pepper, sliced
- 1 carrot, shredded
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 30 gr. / 1 oz. olives, chopped finely
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp anise
- 3 tsp sugar
- Salt and pepper
- 500 gr. / 1 lb shrimps
- About 6 medium sized zucchinis
- In a medium pot pour the olive oil and in medium heat sauté the onion and pepper until they become soft.
- Add the garlic and carrot and sauté for a few seconds until the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the rest of the ingredients but the shrimps and bring to boil.
- Lower the heat and let them boil for 15 to 20 minutes.
- In the meantime, prepare the zoodles.
- Take the zoodle gadget and cut the zucchinis according to instructions.
- In case you don’t have the gadget, you can use a mandolin to cut them.
- Take a wok or a deep skillet and add some olive oil about ¼ cup in medium/high heat.
- Add the zoodles and stir fry until they are almost done.
- Add the tomato sauce and shrimps and mix so everything incorporates.
- Let them boil for 3 minutes.
- Remove and serve.
- 1 κρεμμύδι, σε φέτες
- 3 κ.σ. ελαιόλαδο
- 1 φλ. χυμό ντομάτας
- 1 πιπεριά, σε φέτες
- 1 καρότο, τριμμένο
- 3 σκελίδες σκόρδο, λιωμένες
- 30 γρ. ελιές, ψιλοκομμένες
- ½ κ.γ. ξερή ρίγανη
- ½ κ.γ. ξερό βασιλικό
- 1 κ.γ. γλυκάνισο
- 3 κ.γ. ζάχαρη
- Αλάτι και πιπέρι
- 500 γρ. γαρίδες
- Περίπου 6 μεσαίου μεγέθους κολοκυθάκια
- Σε μέτρια κατσαρόλα ρίχνουμε το ελαιόλαδο και σε μέτρια φωτιά σοτάρουμε το κρεμμύδι και την πιπεριά μέχρι να μαλακώσουν.
- Προσθέστε το σκόρδο και το καρότο και σοτάρετε για λίγα δευτερόλεπτα μέχρι το σκόρδο να βγάλει τα αρώματά του.
- Προσθέτουμε τα υπόλοιπα συστατικά εκτός από τις γαρίδες και φέρνουμε σε βρασμό.
- Χαμηλώνουμε τη θερμοκρασία και αφήνουμε να βράσουν για 15 έως 20 λεπτά.
- Εν τω μεταξύ, ετοιμάζουμε τα Zoodles.
- Πάρτε το μηχανάκι που φτιάχνει τα zoodles και κόψτε τα κολοκυθάκια σύμφωνα με τις οδηγίες.
- Σε περίπτωση που δεν έχετε το μηχανάκι, μπορείτε να χρησιμοποιήσετε ένα μαντολίνο για να τα κόψετε.
- Πάρτε ένα wok ή ένα βαθύ τηγάνι και προσθέστε λίγο ελαιόλαδο περίπου ¼ φλιτζάνι σε μέτρια/υψηλή φωτιά.
- Προσθέστε τα Zoodles και σοτάρετε μέχρι να μισογίνουν.
- Προσθέστε τη σάλτσα ντομάτας και τις γαρίδες και ανακατέψτε έτσι ώστε να ενσωματωθούν.
- Αφήστε τις να βράσουν για 3 λεπτά.
- Αφαιρέστε και σερβίρετε.
