King prawns baked in a sharp oregano tomato sauce under melting feta, finished with a splash of ouzo and plenty of parsley.
Prep
15 mins
Cook
30 mins
Servings
4
Per serving
£3.13
Difficulty
easy
A Greek taverna dish that takes barely half an hour. The sauce is cooked down properly first so the prawns spend the shortest possible time in the heat and stay snappy rather than turning to cotton wool.
Heat the oven to 200C fan. Warm the olive oil in an ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat and cook the onion for 8 minutes until soft and translucent.
Add the sliced garlic, oregano and chilli flakes and cook for a minute until fragrant, then stir in the tomato puree and fry it for another minute.
Pour in the chopped tomatoes with the sugar, salt and pepper. Simmer briskly for 12 to 15 minutes, until the sauce has reduced enough that a spoon dragged through the pan leaves a clear channel.
Reduce further than feels necessary. The prawns will release liquid in the oven and a sauce that was perfect on the hob turns watery in the dish.
If using the ouzo, pour it in and let it bubble for one minute so the alcohol cooks off and only the aniseed note stays.
Take the pan off the heat and stir in the raw prawns and half the parsley, settling the prawns into the sauce in a single layer.
Scatter the crumbled feta over the top in large, uneven pieces so some melt into the sauce and others stay in soft mounds.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the prawns have turned pink and opaque all the way through and the feta is softened and lightly bronzed at the edges.
Prawns are done the moment they curl into a loose C shape. A tight O means they have gone too far.
Scatter over the remaining parsley and serve straight from the pan with lemon wedges.