If you love garlicky shrimp, Italian flavors, oregano, and breaded shrimp, you will LOVE this easy Shrimp Oreganata!
This one-pan recipe (YES! One pan!!) is made with jumbo shrimp nestled into a bed of seasoned breadcrumbs made extra delicious with extra oregano. Then the shrimp is topped by more breadcrumbs and baked until the buttery shrimp is perfectly juicy and tender and the breadcrumbs are golden brown and crispy.
One-pan shrimp oreganata
Shrimp oreganata can be a fairly fussy recipe with making the sauce in one pan, baking the shrimp in a separate baking dish, butterflying the shrimp and stuffing each individual shrimp with breadcrumbs... who's got time for all that?!
In this EASY shrimp oreganata recipe I make the white whine lemon garlic sauce for the shrimp in the same pan where I toast the breadcrumbs, and magically use the same pan to bake the shrimp under a coating of tasty seasoned breadcrumbs.
It's one pan shrimp dinner magic!!
Related recipe: Clams Oreganata
Recipe highlights
You're going to LOVE this recipe if you love:
- Quick and easy one-pan dishes
- Perfectly cooked and seasoned shrimp
- Breaded shrimp, without the effort of breading every single shrimp
- Garlicky, lemony seafood
- Lots of fresh oregano flavors
I love the flavor of oregano and use it regularly in everything (see my ground pork burgers, chicken sloppy joes), so it made sense to create a few recipes that really highlight the wonderful oregano flavor!
Ready to get started??
Related recipe: Shrimp in Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 lb jumbo shrimp (20 shrimp per pound, or larger), cleaned and deveined, tails on
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves, minced, plus extra for garnish (or use fresh parsley)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Red pepper flakes, to taste
- 2 tablespoons dry white wine
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 cup Italian breadcrumbs (use 1.5 cups if you want extra breadcrumbs)
- ¼ cup freshly grated Pecorino-Romano or Parmigiana or any other sharp hard Italian cheese
- Optional: ½ lemon, sliced + ½ tablespoon unsalted butter, sliced into thin pats
You'll also need: A 12-inch cast iron or enameled pan, or other pan that is safe for the broiler. As you will see in the pictures below, this is a 12-inch pan and it just barely fit 2 lb of shrimp.
You can always half the recipe and make it in a smaller pan, or make the sauce and toast the breadcrumbs in a smaller pan and then bake the shrimp in a larger baking dish.
Related recipe: Sheet Pan Lemon Garlic Shrimp and Vegetable Linguine
Ingredient notes and substitutions
Shrimp: Use as large shrimp as you can find. At least jumbo, if you can find those. I like to leave the tails on, but you can remove the tails.
White wine: Use dry white drinking wine, not cooking wine. If using cooking wine, substitute some of the breadcrumbs for plain breadcrumbs, because cooking wine has added salt and the mixture will be too salty.
Skipping the wine: If you don't want to use wine at all, you can skip it and add an extra tablespoon of olive oil or add some chicken broth to make extra sauce/broth.
Want to make an oregano broth? I'm not a big fan of soggy breadcrumbs, so I typically don't make a broth for the shrimp oreganata and instead make the breadcrumbs extra flavorful with fresh and dried oregano. However, if you do want the shrimp swimming in a broth, then add 1-1.5 cups of chicken broth to the portion of the breadcrumbs in the pan before topping with shrimp and remaining breadcrumbs, then bake with the chicken broth. The breadcrumbs soaked in the garlicky broth will thicken the broth and make it great for dipping garlic bread.
No fresh oregano? Substitute it for parsley, or add a pinch more dry oregano if you want to reduce the oregano flavor a little.
Don't want to use butter? Use 2 tablespoons of olive oil instead.
Don't have freshly grated Pecorino-Romano? Freshly grated Parmegiana, or even the shredded Parmesan from the green container would work here, since you're not melting it into a sauce and are simply mixing it in with the breadcrumbs. You can also skip the cheese for a dairy-free shrimp oreganata.
Related recipe: 20 Minute Cilantro Lime Shrimp
Instructions
Step 1: Season shrimp lightly with salt and pepper in a bowl. Set aside.
Step 2: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 3: In an oven-safe, broil-safe large pan (such as a cast iron or enameled cast iron), heat the olive oil and butter. Add the minced garlic and cook over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes, or until the garlic starts to brown. Don't let it burn!
Related recipe: Shrimp Naan Pizza
Step 4: Add the fresh oregano and dried oregano, and cook for another 2 minutes, or until the oregano smells fragrant. Add the white wine and lemon juice, and stir. Turn off heat / remove from heat.
Step 5: Use a spoon to carefully spoon out half the sauce and spoon it on top of the shrimp. Toss the shrimp in the sauce.
Related recipe: 20 Minute Shrimp and Sausage Skillet
Step 6: Add the breadcrumbs to the rest of the sauce in the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, or until the breadcrumbs are coated in the sauce and starting to get toasted. Don't let them burn. If the breadcrumbs are very dry, drizzle in ½ - 1 tablespoon olive oil.
Stir in the freshly grated Pecorino-Romano and red pepper flakes, if using.
Step 7: Remove half the breadcrumbs and place them in a bowl. Carefully arrange the shrimp in the pan, overlapping the tails if needed, but trying to keep it mostly single layer.
If you are not using a large broiler-safe pan, then transfer half the breadcrumbs to a 9x13-inch baking dish, top with shrimp, and continue with the step below.
Step 8: Top the uncooked shrimp with the rest of the breadcrumbs. Optional: top the breadcrumbs with lemon slices and pats of butter. To be honest, I only do this because it looks fancy. It's absolutely not necessary because the breadcrumbs have enough butter/oil, and you can always squeeze some extra lemon juice when serving.
Step 9: Bake in a 400F degree oven for 10 minutes. Turn off the oven and turn on the "broil" function. Broil for 2 minutes, or until the shrimp is fully cooked (pink on the inside and 120F) and the breadcrumbs start to brown. If the breadcrumbs brown before the shrimp is fully cooked, turn off the broiler and leave the shrimp in the oven for 1-2 minutes.
Step 10: Serve warm, garnishing with fresh oregano and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Related recipe: Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas
Try a gluten-free low-carb version
If you want to make shrimp oreganata without breadcrumbs to make a lighter garlicky lemony oregano shrimp, simply steam the shrimp in the lemony white wine garlic sauce right in the pan. The wine will cook off, and you'll be left with succulent, tender shrimp flavored with fresh oregano, fresh garlic, and fresh lemon juice. Soo tasty!!
What to serve with shrimp oreganata
We typically serve shrimp oreganata as an appetizer, since it's so snacky and perfect for grabbing the tail with your hands and taking a big bite of the crispy breaded shrimp.
However, there are a few great side dishes you can serve with shrimp oreganata that go perfectly with the main dish:
This Italian chopped salad is great because it complements the flavors of lemony garlicky shrimp and has tasty chickpeas to make the meal more filling and satisfying.
Roasted asparagus with bacon also makes a great side dish for shrimp oreganata.
If you want to make a brothy shrimp oreganata (as I described in the recipe notes), you can serve with garlic bread for dipping into the broth.
And of course, pasta would be a great side dish to this crispy baked shrimp. I would probably do something like cacio e pepe, carbonara, or a roasted vegetable pasta, just to add some veggies to the meal.
More crispy seafood recipes to try: Crispy Baked Perch
If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!
One-Pan Shrimp Oreganata
Ingredients
- 2 lb jumbo shrimp - cleaned and deveined, tails on
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter - or additional olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves - minced, plus extra for garnish (or use fresh parsley)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons dry white wine - not cooking wine, see notes for substitutions
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 cup Italian breadcrumbs - (or up to 1.5 cups if you want extra breadcrumbs)
- ¼ cup freshly grated Pecorino-Romano - or Parmigiana or any other sharp hard Italian cheese
- Optional: red pepper flakes
- Optional: ½ lemon + ½ tablespoon unsalted butter - both sliced
Special equipment
- A 12-inch broiler-safe pan such as a cast iron or enamel cast iron
- Small bowl or plate
Instructions
- Season shrimp lightly with salt and pepper in a bowl. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- In an oven-safe, broil-safe large pan (such as enamel cast iron), heat the olive oil and butter. Add the minced garlic and cook over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes, or until the garlic starts to brown. Don't let it burn!
- Add the fresh oregano and dried oregano, and cook for another 2 minutes, or until the oregano smells fragrant. Add the white wine and lemon juice, and stir. Turn off heat / remove from heat.
- Use a spoon to carefully spoon out half the sauce and spoon it on top of the shrimp. Toss the shrimp in the sauce.
- Add the breadcrumbs to the rest of the sauce in the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, or until the breadcrumbs are coated in the sauce and starting to get toasted. Don't let them burn. If the breadcrumbs are very dry, drizzle in ½ - 1 tablespoon olive oil.
- Stir in the freshly grated Pecorino-Romano and red pepper flakes (if using).
- Remove half the breadcrumbs and set aside in a bowl or plate. Spread the remaining breadcrumbs around the pan evenly. Carefully arrange the shrimp in the pan, overlapping the tails if needed, but trying to keep it mostly single layer.
- Top the uncooked shrimp with the rest of the breadcrumbs. Optional: top the breadcrumbs with lemon slices and pats of sliced butter. It's not necessary, just looks fancy!
- Transfer to the middle rack in the oven and bake for 10 minutes, then broil for 1-2 minutes, or until the shrimp is fully cooked (pink on the inside and 120F) and the breadcrumbs start to brown - watch them so they don't burn! If the breadcrumbs brown before the shrimp is fully cooked, turn off the broiler and leave the shrimp in the oven for 1-2 minutes. Serve warm, garnishing with fresh oregano and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.
Norma
Wednesday 16th of August 2023
Made the shrimp oreganata in one large cast iron pan. Followed recipe relatively closely tweaking ingredients added Italian seasoning as well as oregano. I also used generous amount of white cooking wine and freshly squeezed lemons for juice. This dish was quick easy and delicious and flavorful!