Cheesy Baked Shrimp (Karides Guvec) is a delicious Turkish dish usually served as an appetizer or a hot meze in seafood restaurants. It is made of fresh plump prawns cooked in a garlicky tomato & mushroom sauce and then topped with cheese.
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Baked Shrimp with Cheese is ready to eat in just 25 minutes. It is perfect for busy weeknight meals as well as for a romantic dinner. And the best way to enjoy it is with some delicious Bazlama (Turkish Flatbread) and a bowl of Rocket Salad with Parmesan.
What Is Guvec?
Baked Shrimps / Prawns (Karides Guvec) are typically cooked and served in an earthenware pot called guvec. These clay pots are widely used in Turkey to cook casserole dishes such as Turkish Lamb Stew With Chickpeas, or Guvec (Turkish Lamb Casserole). Don't worry if you don't have one of these clay dishes as any casserole dish would do the job.
Why This Recipe Works
- This delicious shrimp recipe is very easy to make and ready on the table in just under half an hour!
- It is full of Mediterranean flavors that the whole family would love.
- You can serve this cheesy Baked Shrimp dish on its own as a starter or along with a bowl of Orzo Pasta Salad and a slice of Turkish Pide Bread as a main meal.
Ingredients and Substitutes
Best Shrimp For Karides Güveç
Shrimp is the star ingredient for this casserole dish and it is best to try and buy fresh ones. I personally prefer fresh tiger prawns or king prawns for the chunkier texture.
Also, they add a luxurious feeling to the dish and they are amazingly juicy. I buy them in bulks, peel, devein and freeze for future use. There is a short video on the recipe card that shows how to peel and devein raw prawns.
You can keep shrimp frozen for up to 3 months and defrost fairly quickly which makes them perfect for emergencies. Alternatively, you can buy good quality frozen shrimp in supermarkets to make things easier. You can also use smaller-sized prawns if you prefer.
Other ingredients you will need are:
- Mushroom - Button mushrooms or chestnut mushrooms are perfect for the Cheesy Baked Shrimp recipe. You can use any of your favorite mushrooms you like cooking with.
- Tomatoes - During the summer, when the tomatoes are at their best, you can use any tomatoes. However, during the winter or spring, I prefer cherry tomatoes as they are sweeter and tastier.
- Peppers - Although I prefer Turkish chilies for Karides Guvec, any peppers you have in hand would work perfectly fine.
- Cheese - I use a mixture of cheddar and kasar cheese. You can substitute it with mozzarella, gouda, parmesan, or any hard cheese you prefer.
How to Cook Baked Prawns (Karides Guvec)?
This is a very simple, straightforward recipe and to achieve the best results, you need to follow a few simple steps:
Prepare The Prawns
The best shrimp for this recipe are tiger prawns as they are large enough not to get overcooked by the time the cheese is melted. However, you can use any shrimp available to you. Cooking time in this recipe is given for tiger prawns so if you use smaller ones, reduce the cooking time.
If you are using fresh shrimp in the shell, twist off the head, peel the shell off and make a small incision to remove the vein. A short video is attached to the recipe card to show how to peel and devein raw prawns.
Prepare The Tomatoey Mushroom Sauce
Preheat the fan oven to 200° C (400 ° F) and start cooking the tomato-based sauce.
Melt 20 grams of butter in a frying pan and sauté the mushrooms on high heat for a few minutes, until they are slightly softened.
Add the peppers and then sauté for a couple of more minutes.
Stir in the garlic and then add the tomatoes, chili, black pepper, and salt. Stir to combine, and then gently cook on low heat for 6-7 minutes.
Bake and Serve
Take the pan from the heat and then add the raw prawns into the tomato-based sauce, and give them a stir.
Spoon the mixture into an oven dish, Güveç dish, or 4 individual ramekins.
Sprinkle on the cheese and thyme. Cut 30 grams of butter into cubes and then spread them over the cheese.
Cook in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese on the top is melted and the prawns are cooked.
Top Tips From The Chef
- Don't overcook the shrimps as they get rubbery and lose their taste. If you are using small shrimps, reduce the cooking time to avoid overcooking them.
- If you use frozen shrimp for this recipe, make sure they are completely thawed before cooking them.
Recipe FAQs
The color of the skin and the tail of the shrimp turn pink and they curl into a C shape. Also, the opaque color of raw shrimp turns white and is no longer translucent.
The leftovers would keep for up to two days when refrigerated in an airtight container.
Yes, you can freeze the leftovers if you used fresh prawns. However, if you made the dish with frozen prawns, I don't recommend freezing the leftovers!
Related Recipes
For more delicious seafood recipes why not try:
Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.
I hope you enjoy the process of making this Cheesy Baked Shrimp - Karides Güveç as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂
Bon appétit! / Afiyet olsun!
Cheesy Baked Shrimp (Karides Guvec)
Equipment
- 1 grater
Ingredients
- 600 g prawns (ideally tiger prawns) (peeled and deveined)
- 50 g butter (20 g + 30 g separately)
- 250 g button mushrooms or chestnut mushroom (sliced)
- 2-3 Turkish green chilies or 1 bell pepper (cut in half, seeded and sliced)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 5 medium tomatoes (chopped, approximately 500 grams)
- ½ chopped red chili or ½ teaspoon flaked chili (optional)
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- 200 g kasar cheese, mozzarella or cheddar cheese (grated)
Instructions
- Preheat the fan oven to 200° C (400° F).
- Melt 20 grams of butter in a frying pan and sauté the mushrooms on high heat for a few minutes, until they are slightly softened.
- Add the peppers and garlic, and sauté for a couple of more minutes.
- Stir in the garlic then add the tomatoes, chili, black pepper, and salt. Stir to combine then gently cook on low heat for 6-7 minutes.
- Take the pan from the heat and add the shrimps, give it a stir.
- Spoon the mixture into an oven dish, Güveç dish, or 4 individual ramekins.
- Sprinkle on the cheese and thyme. Cut 30 grams of butter into cubes and spread them over the cheese.
- Cut 30 grams of butter into cubes and spread them over the cheese.
- Cook in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese on the top is melted and the prawns are cooked.
Video
Notes
- Don't over cook the shrimps as they get rubbery and lose their taste. If you are using small shrimps, reduce the cooking time to avoid over cooking them.
- If you use frozen shrimp for this recipe, make sure they are completely thawed before cooking them.
- Leftover Karides Güveç would keep for up to two days when refrigerated in an airtight container.
- A short video is attached to the recipe card to show how to peel and devein raw prawns.
- You can freeze the leftovers if you used fresh prawns. However, if you made the dish with frozen prawns, I don't recommend freezing the leftovers!
Nutrition
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Ayla
It was absolutely delicious and very flavorful without being too spicy. I would recommend it to anyone for its ease of preparation and delicious exotic flavor.
Ruth
This was a big hit! Delicious but easy to prepare: we will definitely be making this again.