Jumbo Shrimp with Tomatillos and Feta

Have you ever eaten tomatillos before? Meaning ‘little tomatoes’ in Spanish, tomatillos are a staple in Mexican cooking and are a key ingredient in making salsa verde. You can find them sold fresh in many American supermarkets, but only in cans in Australia.

They taste like a cross between a plum and a red tomato and are slightly sweet and sour. They’re great to use in sauces and also in seafood dishes when you want to add a little ‘zing’ to your taste buds!

My recipe here is Jumbo Shrimp with Tomatillos and Feta- influenced by the ‘Baja-Med‘ style of cooking where Mexican and Mediterranean flavors are combined. This style of cooking is becoming popular in Southern California and Baja California (Mexico) by chefs such as Javier Plascencia (see my post on Charcoal-grilled Octopus).

Jumbo Shrimps used in my recipe (two were enough to fill me up)!

Mediterranean flavors of Feta cheese and cider vinegar combined with Mexican jalapeño peppers and tomatillos- this certainly makes a refreshing and colorful dish!

Jumbo Shrimp with Tomatillos and Feta

Print Recipe

Serves: 4 Cooking Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

8-10 Jumbo Shrimp (or medium shrimp)
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, diced
5 tomatillos
1/2 Jalapeño chili pepper, chopped
several tbsps. olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
3 tbsps. apple cider vinegar
1 cup stewed tomatoes
1/2 cup Feta cheese, crumbled
salt to taste
chopped parsley for garnish

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 350 F (180 C). De-vein the shrimp and season with salt and pepper. Heat several tablespoons of oil in a fry pan and cook both sides of the shrimp for several minutes until they turn pink then transfer to kitchen paper to drain.

In the same fry pan, add the chopped onion and garlic and cook for several minutes until softened. Slice the tomatillos in half, then into eighths, then add to the pan with the other ingredients. Add the chopped jalapeño chili pepper, white wine, apple cider vinegar, stewed tomatoes and salt to taste. Let simmer for 5 minutes then add back the shrimp. Transfer all ingredients to a casserole dish or Dutch oven. Break the Feta cheese into small pieces and sprinkle on top of the other ingredients. Place a lid over the casserole dish and bake for about 15 minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley.