This classic Greek salad topped with pan-seared shrimp makes a healthy, delicious dinner that's ready in less than 30 minutes.

Classic Greek Salad with Shrimp

This simple, composed salad gets its classic Greek flavor from signature ingredients like Kalamata olives, red onion, feta cheese, lemon juice and oregano.

Shopping List: Greek Salad with Shrimp

We use plump, jumbo shrimp (about 16 to 20 per pound), season them with salt and pepper, a pinch of oregano and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, then pan-sear them until tender and cooked through.

If you're really pressed for time you could buy already cooked shrimp, but those are usually boiled or steamed, and we think the extra flavor pan-searing imparts is worth that little bit of extra effort.

In addition to the shrimp and pantry staples like extra-virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar and Dijon-style mustard, you'll need:

  • Fresh lemons
  • Romaine lettuce
  • Cucumber
  • Ripe tomatoes – we love Campari tomatoes for salad
  • Red onion
  • Crumbled feta cheese – we usually buy reduced fat
  • Kalamata olives – buy pitted if possible
  • Dried oregano

Keep Some Frozen Shrimp On Hand

It's a good idea to keep some frozen shrimp on hand for fast and easy meals like this salad with shrimp.

You can defrost them in a bowl of cool water in as little as 10 to 15 minutes, so they come in really handy when you've forgotten to take something out of the freezer for dinner.

Concerned about the quality of frozen shrimp versus fresh? Unless you live near an area where fresh shrimp are harvested, the shrimp in your grocer's seafood case has more than likely been previously frozen, so most of the time there's really no difference.

More Fast and Easy Shrimp Recipes

Classic Greek Salad with Shrimp

Classic Greek Salad with Shrimp

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

This classic Greek salad topped with pan-seared shrimp makes a healthy, delicious dinner that's ready in less than 30 minutes.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (jumbo, 16-20 per pound)
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1-1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 medium head romaine lettuce, washed and torn into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
  • 4 thin slices red onion, separated into rings
  • 4 ounces reduced-fat Feta cheese, crumbled
  • 2 ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into wedges
  • 12 pitted Kalamata olives, sliced
  • 4 lemon wedges (optional)

For the dressing:

  • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1-1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. To prepare the dressing, whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, mustard, garlic and oregano together in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
  2. Lightly season the shrimp with salt, pepper and oregano. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat and add the shrimp in a single layer. Cook until firm and opaque, 1-1/2 minutes per side. Remove from the heat, drizzle with lemon juice and set aside to cool.
  3. Divide the lettuce between 4 dinner plates and top with equal portions of cucumber, red onion, feta cheese, tomatoes and olives. Add a portion of shrimp to each plate, drizzle with dressing and serve immediately.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1 salad
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 436 Total Fat: 29g Saturated Fat: 6g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 22g Cholesterol: 155mg Sodium: 956mg Carbohydrates: 23g Fiber: 8g Sugar: 8g Protein: 25g
Note: Nutrition information is estimated and may vary from your actual results.
© Lynne Webb
Cuisine: Greek / Category: Salads