The broiled feta cheese on top of the zucchini boats adds a tangy and slighly salty flavor to the mild shrimp-red pepper-onion filling. Most of the 45 minutes preparation time for this recipe is taken up by baking. You can serve it as a light lunch or as part of a more elaborated mezze summer dinner. Let it cool off a bit before serving this versatile dish.
Yield: 4 servings
Time: 45 minutes, mostly unattended
Ingredients:
- 4 medium sized zucchinis, halved lengthwise
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 medium red pepper, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 1/2 cup (300 g) chopped and drained tomatoes, you may use canned ones
- salt and ground pepper to taste
- a pinch red pepper flakes or to taste
- 3/4 lb (250 g) shrimp, shelled and deveined, roughly chopped
- 4 Tbsp flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped
- 1 1/2 cup (170 g) roughly crumbled feta cheese
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400° F/200° C.
Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, pepper and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Add tomatoes, red pepper flakes and cook for 5 minutes longer or until mixture has thickened a bit. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and add the chopped raw shrimp, parsley and dill. Taste for salt and pepper again.
Using a melon scoop or a spoon, scoop out the zucchini flesh leaving about 1/4 inch (1/2 cm) edge around it. Rub zucchini “boats” inside and outside with olive oil. Salt and pepper them lightly. Transfer zucchini shells to an oiled baking sheet. Fill the “boats” with the shrimp mix and bake it for 30 minutes or until filling bubbles lightly and zucchini is tender when pierced with a fork. Zucchinis should not get too soft, they should retain some firmness. Just before serving, top zucchinis with feta and broil them for 5 minutes or until feta begins to melt. Serve hot or at room temperature.
