This recipe works as an easy companion to our Feta-Topped Eggplant Dish with Onion, Olives, and Capers. They can both be done together in about an hour. Serving the layered eggplant alongside the tomato-ey shrimp eliminates the need for bread. Our Greek Shrimp is an adaptation of a New York Times recipe by the very talented David Tanis (his included feta and mint) whose straightforward, elegant dishes grace the pages of the weekly Food Section.

The Quick Three Tomato Sauce cooks in about 15 minutes using, you guessed it, three different kinds of tomatoes: 1 can or organic diced tomatoes in juice, a package of julienned dried tomatoes, and 8 ounces of organic cherry tomatoes, sliced in half. All three were purchased at Trader Joe’s. Pick up some dried oregano from their spice aisle while you are there. I add 5 cloves of garlic, a little olive oil like in our Tomato Compote, and sometimes I put in a splash of a dry white or rose wine if one happens to be around and opened.

Now for the shrimp. Spend the money to get fresh and please try to buy wild shrimp. I bought ¾ of a pound of Argentinian shrimp at Met Market for $14.00. I tossed them in a bowl with lots of dried oregano and then delicately added the shrimp to the tomato sauce once it was finished. The sauce, shrimp and a sautéed onion (and fresh thyme and lemon) were baked uncovered for about 15 minutes at 400 degrees.
Since I do this as a companion dish with our eggplant, the two sit side by side in my oven. The eggplant gets a 15 minute head start.  When these two dishes are served with an arugula salad dressed in a lemon vinaigrette, a company-worthy meal to serve four is ready in short order for under $40.00 You may have enough for a lunch, too!

Directions:
Turn oven to 400 degrees. Have rack placed in the center of the oven.

Remove shrimp from packaging and add to bowl with 1 Tblsp olive oil and 2 Tblsp of dried oregano. Delicately toss the shrimp in the herbs. Set aside.

Slice the cherry tomatoes. Assemble the tomato sauce by putting all the ingredients in a pan and turn to medium heat.
Cook for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.

While the sauce cooks, thinly slice the red onion length-wise and sauté it in a T of olive oil.

Once the sauce is complete (about 15 minutes) give it a stir. Taste the sauce and adjust by adding salt and pepper, as needed. Don’t forget to include pepper. Next, gently add the shrimp, fresh thyme leaves and the onions, leaving the shrimp to sit on top. The shrimp can be pushed down a bit into the sauce but don’t submerge.
Squeeze juice of one lemon over the top.

Bake uncovered, for about 12-15 minutes until the shrimp are done. You should begin to smell the finished dish. Remove from oven and add juice from another ½ lemon and few more fresh thyme leaves and serve with the extra lemons at the table.