Shrimp oreganata is an Italian-American dish consisting of shrimp topped with moistened breadcrumbs, white wine, lemon juice, parsley, and butter. This classic dish is wonderful to serve with pasta or crusty bread to mop up the sauce and while perfect for any night of the week, it's especially good for Christmas Eve!
Editor's Note: Originally published on December 17, 2018. Updated with full process shots and expanded info.
Shrimp oreganata is one of the dishes I grew up eating.
It's on nearly every Italian restaurant menu in the New York area and for good reason!
It's loaded with outrageous flavor from the garlic, breadcrumbs, oregano, and white wine which happens to pair particularly well with seafood in general, like salmon oreganata and clams oreganata.
And the beauty of shrimp oreganata is that the recipe is totally customizable. If you want more garlic, add it; don't want wine, omit it.
Our goal here is to give you a great recipe that you can use to adjust to your own tastes and needs.
How to make it
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- Preheat your oven to 425f and set one rack in the middle and the other near the top. Mince 2 tablespoons of parsley and 6 cloves of garlic. Grate 2 tablespoons of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
- Heat a large pan to medium-low and saute the minced garlic in 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil until fragrant (about 2 minutes).
- Add ⅓ cup of plain breadcrumbs, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, the parsley, 2 teaspoons of dried oregano, ½ teaspoon of crushed red pepper, ½ teaspoon of kosher salt, and the grated Parmigiano Reggiano and mix well. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Pat dry 1 ½ pounds of colossal peeled and deveined shrimp with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper to taste. In an oven-safe baking dish or large pan, arrange the shrimp with the tails pointing up. Top the shrimp with the breadcrumb mixture and pour ¾ cup of low-sodium chicken stock and ¼ cup of dry white wine around the shrimp. Note: Use whatever baking dish you like. A cast iron or stainless steel pan works well too. We used two smaller dishes in the pic above.
- Top the shrimp with 6 tablespoons of cubed cold butter and drizzle a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil on top of the breadcrumbs.
- Bake in the oven for 10 minutes or until the shrimp are cooked through. After 10 minutes, move the baking dish to the top rack and broil for 1-2 minutes or until brown but watch carefully to prevent burning. Remove the shrimp from the oven and serve on plates with lemon wedges and a spoonful of the garlicky pan sauce. Serve with crusty bread to mop up the sauce and enjoy!
Top tips for perfect shrimp oreganata
- Shrimp. Buying cleaned shrimp that's already been peeled and deveined is a huge time saver and I recommend it. That being said, it's always good to look over the shrimp to double-check before you start prepping. For recipes like shrimp oreganata or shrimp cocktail, I suggest using colossal shrimp, sized U12-15 (that means 12-15 shrimp per pound). You can definitely use smaller shrimp but note that your cooking time may be lessened by a few minutes if doing so.
- Garlic. Shrimp oreganata is known for being super garlicky. If you enjoy garlic and want more, add some sliced garlic to the bottom of the pan when baking so that it infuses the butter.
- Wine. I usually use a dry white wine when cooking, such as a sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio. If you cannot have wine, you can definitely omit it here.
- The breadcrumbs. The breadcrumbs in this dish should be well moistened and there's no need to overdo it with them as the sauce may become too thick or dry out. If that happens, add some water to loosen it up before serving.
- Broiling. Broiling at the end isn't mandatory, but suggested as it will give a wonderful toasty top to the breadcrumbs. When broiling, watch carefully to prevent burning.
- Lemon. I suggest serving this dish, and any oreganata dish, with lemon wedges. The squeeze of lemon at the end really takes the flavor over the top!
More shrimp recipes
If you came here looking for shrimp recipes, you're in the right place!
- Lemon garlic shrimp pasta - one of our most popular recipes, this pasta is a must for any shrimp lover!
- Shrimp scampi rolls - buttery rolls loaded with shrimp scampi and topped with sauteed cherry tomatoes.
- Shrimp fra diavolo - shrimp tossed with pasta in a spicy marinara sauce.
- Shrimp cocktail - colossal shrimp boiled with onion and Old Bay served with a homemade horseradish cocktail sauce.
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Ingredients
- 1.5 pound colossal shrimp cleaned, shells removed, and deveined - size U12-15
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¾ cup low sodium chicken stock
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 1 large lemon cut into wedges
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter cubed
For the seasoned breadcrumbs
- ⅓ cup breadcrumbs
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons Parmigiano Reggiano grated
- 2 tablespoons flat-leaf Italian parsley minced
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
For the seasoned breadcrumbs
- In a large pan saute the garlic in the extra virgin olive oil over medium-low heat for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Add all of the remaining breadcrumb ingredients and mix well. Turn off the heat and set aside.
For the shrimp
- Preheat oven to 425f. Set a rack in the middle and the other rack near the top of the oven.
- Pat the shrimp very dry then season with salt and pepper to taste.
- In an oven safe baking dish or large pan arrange shrimp with tails pointing up. Distribute the breadcrumbs on top of the shrimp.
- Pour the wine and chicken stock around the shrimp. Sprinkle the cubed butter all over the shrimp and into the sauce. Drizzle 1-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil all over the breadcrumbs.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until the shrimp are cooked through.
- After ten minutes, move the baking dish to the top rack and broil for 1-2 more minutes or until nice and brown. Remove shrimp from the oven and plate with lemon wedges. Spoon the sauce onto plates and serve with crusty bread to mop up all of the butter sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
- The recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.
- The sauce in the center can be loosened up before serving with a couple of ounces of water or chicken stock if needed.
- The shrimp used in this recipe are U12-15 which means 12-15 per pound. Cooking time will be up to a few minutes less if using smaller shrimp.
- Leftovers can be saved in the fridge for up to 3 days and can be reheated in the microwave, though this dish is best eaten right away.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on December 17, 2018. It was completely updated on December 13, 2022.
Good results easy to make perfect Christmas Eve dish or as an happy with a few friends
Thanks very much! Glad you enjoyed it!
Made it several times now. Very flavorful—delicious. Had it over angel hair pasta. That sauce is soooo good over the pasta!
Hi Joseph. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I like the idea of serving it with angel hair!
Best recipe ever
Hi Jayne, thanks for the comment and so happy you liked this recipe!
I don’t understand how you get a sauce with 1.5 cups of breadcrumbs soaking up everything.
Hi Jen, I do address this within the post and note that if you want it to be saucier, you can add water and/or wine.
I'm making a list for my Christmas eve and day dinners. What I like to do with your recipes is watch them a few times before I make them. Makes it easy when I go to make the dish. Thank you
Hi Jim, I'm making this dish for Christmas eve can I prepare in the morning ready to pop in oven in the evening?
Hi Sandy, yes, you can prepare this in the morning, then add the wine, chicken stock, and butter right before you're going to pop in the oven.
Thank you Jim. I did my prep in the morning and put the sauce in just before cooking. What a time saver and a crowd pleaser. My son want me to make it for his New Years party. I might. Merry Christmas
Hi Sandy, so happy you were able to find time by prepping ahead and I'm glad you all enjoyed! Thanks for the comment!
We make shrimp oreganata for Christmas Eve as one of our 7 fish dishes the only difference is we don’t add the cheese but add lemon zest to breadcrumb mixture.
I really enjoy your recipes and watching your videos.
Merry Christmas🎄. . .
Thanks for the comment, Lina! So happy you're enjoying the recipes. Merry Christmas to you too!
Jim, I've got to say that you are teaching this Irish guy to be a pretty good cook! Thanks for posting all of the outstanding recipes. If I could ask a favor, could you include the size of the cooking dishes you use when preparing these recipes? keep up the great work!
Thanks Tom, I appreciate the comment! I will often include the dish size if it's pertinent to the recipe and always show the dishes I'm using in my videos. I'll keep this in mind for the future and appreciate the feedback.
This is amazing! And, so easy. I didn't even have chicken broth, but just used a li'l extra white wine....superb! And, no crusty bread...weather is nasty or I would go get some....but just made a li'l polenta...and yum-oh! I love your recipes! My grandmother is from Italy, but sadly has passed. I was a military kid and didn't get to know her as well as I would have liked. Thank you for giving me some lovely Italian recipes to use for my friends and family. The Peposo was the first one I tried. It was wonderful! I am going to try the Torta Caprese next!
Hi Janet, thanks for the comment and so happy you're enjoying the recipes!
Absolutely fantastic! This is soooo good. Do not hesitate to make this dish. Really my favorite dish of all time. I never hesitate to make this guy’s recipes. I’m super confident they’ll be delicious unless I make a stupid mistake.
Hi Nina, thanks so much for the awesome comment. I am so happy you liked the shrimp!
This recipe is amazing. I was skeptical as I was serving this over pasta that there would be enough sauce and I did add a little more wine and chicken as you mentioned and it was perfect! Thank you for making our Christmas Eve extra special and making me look like a super star! Even my critical husband was raving!!! This is definitely a treasured keeper!!
Hi Elaine, thanks so much for the comment! I'm so happy you enjoyed the oreganata for Christmas Eve!
Tasty but I feel like I did something wrong? The breadcrumbs soaked up so much white wine, the taste overpowered all my delicious garlic and butter. I used almost the exact same dish, giant shrimp but maybe too much bread crumb? It got soggy and tasted like wine. I measured with my eyes. Will definitely try it again.
Hi Steph, thanks for the comment. Since you weren't measuring the ingredients it's possible something was a bit off. Please let us know if you make it again.
Wow. Just wow! It was a smash hit with the in laws. Amazing recipe. Did take a bit longer than the recipe said. Make this!!!
Hi Cynthia, thanks for the comment and so happy you enjoyed the shrimp!
Easy. Delicious. Elegant. I made this for Christmas Eve and it was a huge hit. Very easy to make ahead of time and pop in the oven. The shrimp were tasty and flavorful. I will definitely be making this again.
Hi Scott, I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed the shrimp and that you'll make them again. Thanks for the comment!
Made it today. Packed a hell of a punch considering how simple it was. Also liked that you could prep most of the ingredients into one bowl before dumping them in the pan to saute (sometimes my mise en place spreads out, and takes up all of my counter space). Used one sub: a few splashes of balsamic mixed in with the stock to replace the wine. I think it gave a decent head nod towards the real thing.
Hi Jim, thanks for the comment and so happy you enjoyed it! Thanks for mentioning your substitution - that will likely help others looking for a sub for the wine.
Yeah, I usually don't like when people make subs without making it as directed at least once (you never know how ingredients will interact, and it feels like an insult to the cook who developed it). But my house is a no alcohol zone, & I hate just dropping something like wine flavor without trying a workaround.
I normally don't write reviews for recipes but i felt this was worth reviewing! this was absolutely amazing!! Just like it came from a long island italian restaurant! i definitely suggest serving it with linguini or toasted bread to dip in!
we used 2lbs tailed-removed shrimp from costco
We adjusted the recipe slightly since we used 2 lbs of shrimp - we added an extra 1/3 cup of breadcrumbs, 1 tablespoon of minced garlic from the jar, 1/2 lemon juiced (about 2 tablespoons) and extra pecorino romano cheese instead of parm regg.
the shrimp was a lot smaller than what the recipe called for so we cooked it for 7 mins at 425 and then broil for 4 min in a large oven safe dish leaving a circle in the middle to pour the wine and chicken stock.
Hi Nicole, thank you for your review and so happy to hear you enjoyed the shrimp!
As usual a great video.
Thank you
Thanks for the comment, Phyllis, and so happy you enjoyed it!
Made this tonight, the family loved it with Angel hair pasta. Easy to make and great flavor. Video was very helpful. Will definitely make again.
Hi G, thank you for the comment and so happy you enjoyed!