Mediterranean Shrimp Skillet - Family Food on the Table (2024)

This quick and easy Mediterranean shrimp skillet is a one-pan dinner ready in about 20 minutes! It’s great over couscous or rice or orzo.

I'm still wrapping my head around the fact that yesterday was Christmas. It seemed to slowly creep up on us and then suddenly it was over. Like, did that just happen?

Thankfully, we had an amazing holiday, celebrated with friends and family all weekend long, and have a trip to see more family later this week.

So I still feel very festive and in the holiday spirit. ❤️

OK, let's move on to the food.

Previously, I’ve shared this honey garlic shrimp recipe that’s also quick and easy to make anytime, and I frequently make these spicy roasted shrimp, which are great for an appetizer or making into a meal.

We also love garlic butter shrimp, which takes just 15 minutes and is great served over pasta to soak up that that yummy sauce. Same goes for this 15 minute lemon garlic shrimp; it goes great with pasta!

And these Air Fryer breaded shrimp are so crunchy and delicious - and perfect for dipping!

Today though, we’re incorporating some of my favorite flavors and making a Mediterranean shrimp skillet.

(It’s actually a different take on my easy Mexican shrimp skillet that’s been a go-to in my kitchen, and many of yours as well, for years.)

This shrimp skillet features sautéed onion and pepper, garlic and the perfect blend of seasonings, plus some wilted spinach and plump, perfectly cooked shrimp.

Then it’s finished off with some crumbled feta cheese and some briny halved olives to give it tons of extra flavor.

This dish is colorful, flavorful and a one-pan dinner that’s ready in about 20 minutes.

Makes it a great weeknight meal that you can throw together quickly to get dinner on the table no matter how hectic the day.

It’s also gluten-free and low-carb as is.???? (Though see below for some serving ideas.)

And if you love these flavors like I do, check out this easy baked Mediterranean salmon recipe that's ready in just 15 minutes.

OK, let’s get cooking.

Now, I’ve got some notes, tips and substitutions coming up below on how to make Mediterranean shrimp. Just tryin’ to be helpful.

If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.

Ingredient notes for Mediterranean shrimp skillet:

• Shrimp:I used a pound of extra large shrimp, which come 21-30 a pound. You can substitute another size shrimp, but you’ll need to adjust your cooking time.
• Shrimp prep: The shrimp need to be completely thawed (more on that in a minute) as well as peeled and deveined for this recipe. Please plan accordingly. (You can ask your seafood counter to prep these for you if needed. Or buy the deveined easy-peel frozen shrimp that are ready to go.)
• Shrimp tails: You can leave the tails on the shrimp if you prefer. It adds some extra flavor while cooking, but can be a bit more fussy for eating. Up to you.
• Bell pepper: I like the color and sweet flavor from a red bell pepper, but you could use yellow, orange or a mix of colors.
• Red pepper flakes: Feel free to adjust this to your liking, if you want it more or less spicy. You can also leave them out and use ½ teaspoon total of black pepper if you’d rather.

Also, this is really easy to make. We’re really just layering the ingredients into our pan.

You start by sautéing the onion and red bell pepper, then add the garlic and seasonings. Next comes the spinach to slightly wilt down. Then we add the shrimp last so we can get them perfectly cooked through without overcooking them.

And that’s it, it’s ready to go!

Oh, and as promised, I’ve got a few notes and tips for you on the shrimp. I know seafood can be intimidating, but shrimp is actually really easy to work with.

Tips on buying shrimp:

– I buy frozen shrimp, which is actually fresher than “fresh” shrimp in the grocery store case. Wait, what?! Yup. The shrimp they have on display in the seafood case is almost always frozen shrimp that they’ve recently thawed. So buying it still frozen is a better move. Unless you can get it from a boat!

– I love, love getting my shrimp already peeled and deveined – saves so much time. Highly recommend if you can find it that way. ????

– I prefer the 21-30 size shrimp, but you can use your favorite size.

– Cooking shrimp with the tail on helps give it more flavor. But I usually remove mine after that so it’s easier to serve and eat, especially for my kids.

And if your shrimp are frozen when you want to cook this, no problem.

How to thaw frozen shrimp:

– You can place frozen shrimp in the refrigerator (in a well sealed container) overnight to thaw.

– You can thaw frozen shrimp quickly by placing them, frozen, in a colander and rinsing them in the sink with cold water for 2-3 minutes, until they are completely defrosted.

Since the first option takes a little more planning and foresight, I’m often using option number two. And it works great every time.

OK, let’s get ready to eat!

We love to pair this shrimp with some fluffy cooked couscous. You could also serve it with some steamed brown or white rice or even some orzo. Or pair it with some crusty bread and call it a day!

I hope you give this a try for a new easy shrimp recipe you are sure to love!

Enjoy!

XO,

Kathryn