Baked Shrimp Oreganata
Updated: Feb 15, 2022
WHAT IS SHRIMP OREGANATA?
It is an Italian American dish with moistened breadcrumbs on top of shrimp that is then baked in the oven. Shrimp oreganata is almost always made with some white wine, lemon juice, parsley, parmigiana Reggiano or pecorino, and garlic infused breadcrumbs. Butter, olive oil, and red pepper flakes are normally in there as well. Essentially, many common Italian inspired ingredients find their way into this dish. Shrimp is the most popular seafood in the United States. It is a very versatile food that is used in a wide range of ethnic dishes. Here is a relatively easy and tasty recipe to add to your repertoire.
Ingredients:
2 pounds of jumbo shrimp (12-15 per pound)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons dry white wine (I use pinot grigio)
3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup unsalted butter
4 minced garlic cloves
1 minced small shallot
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup panko (aka Japanese) bread crumbs
Cooking Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Make sure that shrimp are peeled and deveined with only tail of shell remaining. Rinse shrimp with cold water in a strainer and the place on plate and pat shrimp completely dry with paper towels. Next butterfly the shrimp (this will allow for greater surface area and better absorption of cooking ingredients; hence better flavor). Place the shrimp single layer in a baking dish or large cast iron skillet.
Heat olive oil in saucepan over medium heat then add minced garlic, minced shallots, dried oregano, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes and minced parsley and saute for 5 minutes while gently stirring the mixture. Next add the panko bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, butter and white wine and cook an additional minute until butter is completely melted again stir mixture until consistent throughout.
Pour the mixture evenly over the shrimp that were already arranged in the baking dish. Next drizzle the lemon juice over the coated shrimp and bake for 10-12 minutes in preheated oven at 425 degrees and then alone or over rice or pasta.