I ate this in Athens, loved it so much I bought the cookbook. Now I'm making it at home.
I've been a fan of Ergon House for years and they opened Taverna Ermou just after I left Athens last year. So naturally, it was one of the first places I booked when I returned.
A VISIT TO TAVERNA ERMOU IN ATHENS
The interiors are traditional Greek but refined, with beautiful dark timbers and lots of marble and stone. The menu is wonderfully traditional too, with all your Greek favourites right there.
It's also one of the 117 places featured in my ATHENS FOOD & DRINK GUIDE, where I've put together my favourite restaurants, tavernas, cafés and bars across Athens.
I'd seen photographs of their horiatiki (Greek salad), so that was a must. Travelling solo and knowing what Greek portions are like, I only opted for one other dish, the prawn saganaki.
Both were amazing, but that prawn saganaki was next level good.
A gorgeous tomato sauce, peppery and salty from the feta, with just the smallest kick of heat. And the prawns, so many prawns, swimming in all that deliciousness.
There was a bit of banter with the waiters about my refusal to eat bread with it. Apparently leaving all that sauce behind was unacceptable!
I was in love. So much so that I bought their cookbook to make both dishes at home.
BRINGING A LITTLE BIT OF ATHENS HOME
Fast forward to Saturday night, friends coming over for dinner and the Taverna Ermou prawns were the entrée.
O-M-G. Divine!
I made a few small changes to the original recipe and I actually think they worked for the better.
The sauce at Taverna Ermou had been cooked down quite a lot, giving it a richer consistency. I wanted mine a little lighter and looser, it was the entrée after all, so I doubled the tomatoes.
I also swapped the onion for shallots, which have a softer flavour, I also replaced the green pepper with a couple of banana chillies for a little extra sweetness.
The result was exactly what I was hoping for. Plenty of prawns, a gorgeous tomato and feta sauce and just enough heat without overpowering everything else.
And yes, this time there was plenty of bread on the table!
GREEK PRAWN SAGANAKI WITH FETA & OUZO
Many people associate saganaki with the delicious fried Greek cheese, often made with kefalograviera or kefalotyri. But here's something you might not know. The word saganaki actually refers to the small, traditionally two-handled frying pan used to cook the dish, rather than the cheese itself. That's why you'll also find prawn saganaki and mussel saganaki on Greek menus.
Prawn saganaki is typically made with prawns cooked in a tomato sauce with feta and sometimes a splash of ouzo, which is exactly how I like it!
This is my adaptation of the prawn saganaki from the Taverna Ermou cookbook, with a few changes to the vegetables and sauce.
Serves: 6 as an entrée
Preparation time: Approximately 20 minutes
Cooking time: Approximately 45 minutes
INGREDIENTS
30 green prawns, peeled and deveined, tails on
8 ripe tomatoes, grated and strained
100 ml olive oil, plus a little extra to finish
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 banana chillies, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 tbsp tomato paste
70 ml ouzo
120 g feta
Fresh parsley
Dried oregano
Chilli flakes
Crusty bread, to serve
METHOD
Grate the tomatoes and strain them through a fine sieve to remove excess water. Peel and devein the prawns, leaving the tails on or buy the prawns deveined like I did.
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, wide pan over high heat. Sear the prawns briefly on each side, just until they begin to change colour. Remove from the pan while still slightly undercooked, as they'll finish cooking in the sauce.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining olive oil. Add the shallots, banana chillies and garlic, cooking gently until softened.
Stir in the tomato paste, then pour in the ouzo and allow it to bubble for a minute. Add the grated tomatoes and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the sauce comes together but remains fairly light and loose.
Return the prawns to the pan and cook gently for approximately 3 to 4 minutes, or until they're opaque and cooked through. Avoid overcooking them.
Remove from the heat, crumble over the feta and sprinkle with fresh parsley, dried oregano and chilli flakes. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil.
Bring the pan straight to the table and serve immediately with plenty of crusty bread.
A FEW TIPS FOR MAKING PRAWN SAGANAKI
Don't overcook the prawns. They only need a quick sear before going back into the sauce to finish cooking. This keeps them tender rather than rubbery.
Use ripe tomatoes. They make a difference to the flavour of the sauce. Grating and straining them also helps control how much liquid goes into the pan.
Adjust the heat to your taste. Banana chillies can vary in strength, so taste the sauce before adding extra chilli flakes. The banana chillies I used were not hot at all, they were actually quite sweet.
Don't reduce the sauce too much. I deliberately kept mine lighter than the restaurant version, allowing the tomatoes, feta and prawns to come through without the sauce becoming too concentrated.
WHERE TO EAT PRAWN SAGANAKI IN ATHENS
Taverna Ermou
98 Ermou Street, Athens
Taverna Ermou is part of the Ergon family and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. It's absolutely somewhere I'd recommend visiting if you're heading to Athens.
I've been back for breakfast too, as I have stayed here, but that's another story and another blog post!
If you're planning a trip to Athens, you'll find Taverna Ermou along with 116 other places in my ATHENS FOOD & DRINK GUIDE.
And for everything else, from where to stay to what to see and do, and of course where to eat and drink, have a look at my ATHENS GUIDE.
