Head to the Greek Isles this week with my Shrimp in Lemon Sauce with Olives ~ this quick healthy meal has it all: juicy shrimp, aΒ silky lemon sauce, and rich, briny olives. The sauce looks creamy but is made without any dairy ~ come find out the delicious secret!
Shrimp in lemon sauce with olives exemplifies the healthy Mediterranean diet
I love Greek food. I love all Mediterranean food, but have a special weakness for Greek flavors. Greek cooking is sunny, simple, and so good for you. When I think Greece I think olives and olive oil, seafood, lemons, wine, feta cheese, and lots of fresh herbs. Any combination of these ingredients make an amazing meal!
Greek lemon sauce turns simple sautΓ©ed shrimp into an outstanding meal
If you google Greek shrimp you’ll come up with lots of recipes that use tomatoes and feta cheese. That’s how I used to do shrimp all the time until I discovered this amazing lemon sauce. It’s the same sauce I used in my Greek Meatballs in Lemon Sauce, and that recipe was sent to me by a reader who lives in Athens (thank you Alexandra!!)Β The sauce is so versatile that I’ve been able to translate it into many different meals. My Chicken in Lemon Sauce with Olives is the poultry version, if you’re not a shrimp lover.
What you’ll need for this dish
The sauce is a simple, almost primal ~ it consists of stock (in this case chicken or fish) thickened with a mixture of fresh lemon juice and egg yolks. It looks creamy, but there is no dairy in it. The flavor and texture is pure heaven, and goes so well with the bite of the olives. I used both Greek cracked olives and an oil cured Moroccan variety. It really pays to buy your olives fresh from an olive bar rather than rely on jarred, there are so many to choose from and they go so well with healthy Mediterranean dishes.
TIP: It’s hard to find pitted olives in any kind of variety, so I leave the pits in and warn my diners.
If you love the ease of cooking with shrimp
- you may want to try my Chimichurri Shrimp, the sauce can be made ahead and the rest takes just minutes.
- If you think you can handle it, take the heat up a notch further with my Shrimp Fra Diavolo,
- Shrimp in Romesco Sauce makes a fun appetizer or light meal, and the sauce is such a gorgeous color!
Reader Rave ~
“I made this today and it was delicious! I added a teaspoon of lemon zest as I like it extra lemonyβ¦ I wish I could post a photo, it looked beautiful as well!β ~ Veronique
Shrimp in Lemon Sauce with Olives
Ingredients
- 1 lb medium or large shrimp peeled and deveined (leave the tails on if you like)
- olive oil
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice you can use up to 1/2 cup for a super lemony flavor
- 1 cup chicken or fish stock
- salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
- 1 cup mixed olives
- fresh thyme leaves
Instructions
- Whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice together until smooth and set aside.
- Lightly coat the bottom of a skillet with olive oil and heat on medium heat until hot. Saute the shrimp for about 4 minutes, turning once, until they are pink and cooked through. Remove to a plate, cover and keep warm.
- Heat the stock in a medium saucepan until it comes to a boil. Whisk about 1/2 cup of the hot stock into the egg yolks to temper them. Pour that yolk mixture back into the pan slowly, while whisking, and continue to heat on medium, stirring constantly, until the mixture just starts to thicken and comes to a simmer. NOTE: it won't get really thick, it will just get a little thicker and glossier. Once it comes to a simmer take off the heat immediately and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour the sauce into a medium casserole or gratin dish and place the shrimp in the sauce. Top with the olives and thyme. Serve immediately with rice, couscous, or crusty bread.
30 Comments
Mary Beth Brubeck
February 10, 2021 at 4:37 pm1500 mg. is a ton of sodium! Would rinsing the olives help to cut the sodium? Iβve reduced salt in my food.
Sue Moran
February 10, 2021 at 5:32 pmI added quite a lot of olives, but you could certainly reduce that amount, or leave them out entirely.
Morgana
February 9, 2021 at 6:13 pmThis was spectacular! I’ve made it twice, once as the recipe is written, and once adding two cloves of minced garlic (thrown in for about a minute just at the end of cooking the shrimp) and half an anchovy (added after the shrimp were removed from the pan). Also finished the sauce with a knob of butter. Both versions were really good. It’s a great recipe as written, and a good jumping-off point for other herbs.
Served it over Israeli Couscous. What a presentation!
I used a half cup of Kalamata olives from Costco, and half cup of Spanish Green olives with pimento. They are too salty, and I will follow your advice next time in buying from an antipasto bar at my grocery. I think something cured but not canned would be a better choice.
It occurs to me that capers or pickled artichoke hearts might also be good in this.
Thanks Sue! I look forward to your posts – each and every one!!
Sue Moran
February 9, 2021 at 7:35 pmLove you back Morgan!
Maria
February 1, 2021 at 12:12 pmThanks so much for this recipe . It is one of the best seafood dishes I have ever made! Looking forward to making it for friends when we are all able to get together again.
Sue Moran
February 1, 2021 at 12:32 pmThanks for the feedback Maria!
Evelyn
January 28, 2021 at 8:57 pmJust thought would let you know that I made this last night. Found it simple to make and delicious. My husband loved it and will be adding it to my repertoire of recipes. Always looking for good and different recipes for shrimps. Enjoy browsing through your recipes and the few that have tried have been excellent. Thank you!
Veronique Eichler
June 21, 2020 at 2:03 pmI made this today and it was delicious! I added a teaspoon of lemon zest as I like it extra lemony… I wish I could post a photo, it looked beautiful as well!
Victoria Sanderson
March 25, 2019 at 1:29 pmSue, you must have read my mind. Just looking to make shrimp, scallops and fish for dinner and this perfect recipe popped into my feed! I love the Greek twist! Too bad I can’t serve it to my B & B guests – so M and I will just have to eat it all ourselves !!! Thanks! V
Sue
March 25, 2019 at 3:12 pmEnjoy Victoria!
chris
January 14, 2019 at 3:36 pmThis looks delicious! I have shrimp in the freezer, and my lemon trees is loaded. As I was writing the recipe down, I couldn’t see when to add the other 1/2 cup of hot stock. But, I’ll guessing it’s added to the tempered egg/lemon mixture. I smash my olives with a meat tenderizer, and the pits come out easily. Not as pretty, but, I have too much dental work to take that chance!
Sue
January 14, 2019 at 3:40 pmHey Chris! What you do is ladle out 1/2 cup of the hot stock to add to the eggs, blend well, and then stir that back into the pot that has the rest of the stock in it.
chris
January 14, 2019 at 3:45 pmWow, you replied before I’d finished writing the recipe card! I’m so impressed. Thanks. π
Mary
October 14, 2018 at 12:06 pmJust love this recipe and it is going to be my dinner tonight. Will hold back 1/2 of the sauce to use with chicken tomorrow night. Itβs just me (husband away) so I can do that!!!
I am salivating already. YUM!!
Sue
October 14, 2018 at 2:47 pmHope you enjoy it Mary π I actually have several other recipes that use this type of Greek lemon sauce if you end up loving it.
Hannah
April 4, 2017 at 7:13 pmThis looks amazing, however I’m intolerant of eggs π (hives and stomach pains occur). Can you think of anything that might be able to take the place of the egg yolk?
Sue
April 4, 2017 at 7:40 pmThat’s a tough one, Hannah. I think you might want to try this with a classic flour and butter roux type of thickening. I go with a ratio of 1 to 1 flour to butter, and then add a little hot stock. You would get a thickened sauce that you can flavor with lemon, and then enrich with half and half, or cream.
Claudia
March 23, 2017 at 8:52 pmI tried this recipe with excellent results, I did at paprika to spice it up a little bit. My husband said it was delicious I served it on a bed of white lemon rice. And white wine.
Sue
March 24, 2017 at 7:53 amSounds lovely, thanks for coming back to let me know Claudia!
Susan
February 26, 2017 at 4:40 pmSuch a wonderful combination of flavors, Sue! We’re trying to eat lighter after a trip where we “food binged” so happy to have new ideas.
Dom
February 26, 2017 at 3:57 amgood lord Sue these look superb. I do love shrimp but so rarely buy it as part of my weekly shop, I must start to include it more. Love the addition of lemon and olives. So perfectly Greek, reminds me of a summer holiday!
Alexandra
February 25, 2017 at 8:05 amSue, what an addition of a dish enhanced with the “avgolemono” sauce! I love your way of exploring and trying new tastes. And as for the olives, is the right way to eat them -with the pits in- and no warning label; as you know, while processing olives to remove the pits, big part of the taste is lost. I take the pits only to make tapenade!
Great recipe, great journey to Santorini….
Chris Scheuer
February 24, 2017 at 5:14 pmThis sounds heavenly, I will definitely try it. Love the combination of shrimp and lemon, then add olives and I’m over the moon with this!
Robyn Gleason
February 24, 2017 at 4:21 pmI’ve long been admiring your lemon meatballs, Sue, and I had no idea the sauce was this easy and fabulous! And with shrimp? Wow! This is perfection. Funny cos meatballs and shrimp are my favourite foods and I’m craving lemon like crazy these days because I’ve got a major case of spring fever. Doing this!
Laura | Tutti Dolci
February 24, 2017 at 3:29 pmIf this shrimp dish will transport me to Santorini, I am all in! π
Sue
February 24, 2017 at 5:12 pmHaha, take me with you Laura!
Mary
February 24, 2017 at 1:09 pmSuch a lovely spring time meal! great lemony flavor:)
[email protected] is How I Cook
February 24, 2017 at 12:56 pmLove shrimp dishes and this looks like a winner! The lemon sauce is killer and inder 30 sure has my vote!
[email protected]'s Recipes
February 24, 2017 at 4:36 amThat lemon sauce sounds really great! And since I LOVE shrimp and olives, this is for sure a winner!
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert
February 24, 2017 at 3:57 amThat lemon sauce has been in my dreams! All your lemon recipes look fantastic and this is no exception. I adore how easy shrimp is to get on the table and I’m also a big fan of olives. This is going on my menu! Have a great weekend Sue!