Recipe | Roasted Shrimp with Feta + Breadcrumbs

Can you tell summer is winding down by my increased number of food related blog posts? ;)  I even turned my oven on for dinner last night! Summer is all about fresh and simple, maybe even a bit lazy, meals for us.  I'm occasionally inspired to try new salad or grilling recipes, but outside of that, my repertoire stays very limited - lots of sliced tomatoes and grilled, marinated chicken!

By mid to late August I get the itch to be a little more creative with my meal planning.  Heck, I actually start meal planning again  - something else that goes remiss in the summer.  However, I'm not exactly craving pork roasts or stuffed squash yet, which is why this recipe is so perfect this time of year.  It is one of my all time favorite shrimp dishes and I'm shocked I haven't blogged about it before.  In fact, I was certain I had till I went searching through old posts.  It's an old Barefoot Contessa recipe that doesn't need any tweaking whatsoever.

It is best eaten outside and shared with friends (in my case, my family.)  I usually serve it with a salad and a good baguette, but last night I served it alongside spaghetti tossed with a little salt and olive oil.  It is healthier than Shrimp Scampi and makes your kitchen smell incredible, Andrew came in from a bike ride and took a big inhale and said, it smells so good in here!  My once picky eater now loves this dinner!  Fennel, garlic and tomato is such a good combination alongside seafood.  Hope it becomes a favorite in your home too!

Recipe | Roasted Shrimp with Feta + Breadcrumbs
(source: Barefoot Contessa)

• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 1/2 cups medium-diced fennel
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic 
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes 
• 2 teaspoons tomato paste 
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano 
• 1 tablespoon Pernod (I skip this)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/4 pounds (16 to 20 per pound) peeled shrimp with tails on
• 5 ounces good feta cheese, coarsely crumbled
• 1 cup fresh bread crumbs 
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 2 lemons 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a 10-or 12-inch heavy ovenproof skillet over medium-low heat. Add the fennel and saute for 8 to 10 minutes, until the fennel is tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the tomatoes with the liquid, tomato paste, oregano, Pernod (if using), salt, and pepper to the skillet. Simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes.

Arrange the shrimp, tails up, in one layer over the tomato-mixture in the skillet. Scatter the feta evenly over the shrimp. In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, parsley, and lemon zest  with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle over the shrimp.

Bake for 15 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked and the bread crumbs are golden brown. Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over the shrimp. Serve hot with the remaining lemon cut into wedges.