A Life, Lived: Shrimp Gyros with Herbed Yoghurt Spread

July 14, 2008

Shrimp Gyros with Herbed Yoghurt Spread

This was another of those quick, light meals that seems perfect for the summertime. The recipe (originally from Southern Living Magazine- July 2002) suggests that the wraps can be made ahead of time, wrapped in parchment paper, refrigerated and later served cold. Conversely, you can make them and serve them warm. In the interest of blog-related research we enjoyed them both hot and cold - they were wonderful either way!

Be careful not to over-marinade the shrimp. Shrimp does not need to marinade for long at all or the taste of the marinade completely overwhelms the sweet tasting shrimp.

I 'lightened' up the recipe by using low-fat yoghurt, other than that there is little that needed to be changed to make this 'diet' ready.

Wondering about the origin of the word gyro?

Almost every culture has its own version of 'fast food', and in Greece that honor goes to the gyro sandwich. A gyro sandwich (pronounced YEER-oh) consists of various rotisseried meats, salad vegetables such as tomatoes, lettuce and onions, along with a yogurt-based tzatziki sauce. These ingredients are placed on a hearty form of grilled pita bread and served as a wrap sandwich.

Traditionally a gyro would not be made with shrimp but this 'tweak' works as far as we were concerned!

Enjoy . . . .

Shrimp Gyros with Herbed Yoghurt Spread

1 1/2 pounds unpeeled, medium-size fresh shrimp
2 tablespoons Greek seasoning
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 (12-inch) wooden skewers
4 (8-inch) pita rounds or gyro rounds
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 large tomato, chopped
1 cucumber, thinly sliced

Yoghurt Sauce

1/2 cup low-fat yogurt
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Whisk together all of the sauce ingredients; chill until ready to serve or up to 6 hours.

Peel and clean the shrimp.

Combine greek seasoning and olive oil in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag; add shrimp. Seal and chill 30 minutes.

Soak skewers in water 30 minutes while shrimp marinates; thread shrimp onto skewers.

Grill, covered with grill lid, over medium heat (300° to 350°) about 5 minutes on each side or just until shrimp turn pink.

Wrap each pita round in a damp cloth; microwave at HIGH 10 to 15 seconds or until soft. Spread 1 side of each pita round with Herbed Yogurt Spread. Top evenly with shrimp, cheese, tomato, and cucumber; roll up.

Posted at 05:40 PM in Cooking, Diet, Grilling, Sandwich, Seafood | Permalink