Greek Shrimp with Lemon and Oregano

Here is a quick and easy shrimp recipe that tastes great both on the grill or in a frying pan. It’s pretty easy to cook.

It’s also high protein, low carb, and relatively low in healthy fats as well.

It’s one of my regulars, usually cooked in a pan (although I often use skewers on the grill in the summer too) and on my favorites list! My 93 year old father loves it too (and yes, he lifts).

Ingredients:

• One pound shrimp– deveined with shells off. I like extra large shrimp but any size works well. I buy them frozen at the market and they are already deveined. The shells are easy to take off when they thaw and I sometimes leave the very bottom of the shell on the tail to serve as a “handle.”
• Lemon wedges

Marinade:

• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano or 1/2 tablespoon dried. I prefer fresh but both work very well!
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (extra virgin, the good stuff, preferred)
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest. Lemon zest is the outside of the lemon peel. You can use a zester which is fast or a normal grater which is a little slower. Even if you skip the lemon zest this recipe rocks.
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic – either fresh chopped or in the chopped jar you can buy at the market. This is not a garlic heavy recipe.
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (or any other salt you may happen to have)

Dressing:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dried. Yup, both the marinade and dressing have oregano.

Mix the marinade with the shrimp and place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to 2 hours.

When done marinating, you can either skewer the shrimp and place them on the grill or cook them in a pan like in the picture. Cook on medium high heat for about 2 to 4 minutes, flipping them over and cooking for about another2 to 4 minutes (depending on the size of the shrimp and the heat). It is obvious when the shrimp are done because they will be pink and translucent.

Toss with the dressing, then either squirt them with lemon juice from the lemon wedges or serve them with lemon wedges as is.

Enjoy!

Nutritional info:

• Servings: 4 (4 ounces),
• Calories: 210
• Protein: 23 grams
• Carbs: 1 grams
• Fat: 10.5 grams

Note that the fat is all extremely healthy and good fat from the olive oil. You can reduce the fat by cutting down on the olive oil also, but I do not!

As an appetizer this is great, but as a main course I’ll usually have several servings, sometimes served on a salad.

Of course beside good nutrition, you need to workout smart, and get adequate rest to build a great body!