Shrimp Fra Diavolo with linguine is a classic Italian dish perfect for Christmas Eve and the seven fish, Friday nights during Lent, or just a spicy summer pasta with a kick! I love spicy shrimp pasta and this dish has a depth of flavors and a short-lasting kick of spice, perfect for the whole family.
Little Michele was apparently such a notorious handful on these solemn occasions that someone once labeled him “fra diavolo,” meaning “brother devil.” The highly combustible nickname stuck and, in an extreme example of a self-fulfilling prophecy, Michele “Fra Diavolo” Pezza went on to live a hot-tempered early life …
What Does Fra Diavolo Mean?
It means brother devil in Italian. The dish gets its name from the spiciness of the dish. It is commonly misspelled diablo in English, maybe because diablo is devil in Spanish.
Theres a history of the phrase dating back to the French occupying Italy and Michele Pezza, nicknamed fra diavolo, leading an Italian insurgent revolution, but youre not here for a history lesson.
As with a lot of Italian dishes, the origin of this fiery tomato sauce is contentious. Some believe it is from Naples while some believe it was created in the tri-state area. My thoughts on this are always this, does it really take a genius to put these simple ingredients together? Who cares where its from?
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Shrimp. Always buy raw shrimp for this dish. You need to cook the shrimp in the pan for the sauce to develop the right taste. Fra Diavolo is mainly served with seafood, so the sauce needs that seafood flavor developed from start to finish.
Linguine. Im always going with a long pasta when it comes to seafood. Linguine is my favorite for this because its flat and picks up a lot of the sauce. I would substitute, bucatini, angel hair, or spaghetti.
Red Wine. If you wouldnt drink it; dont eat it. Thats my motto when it comes to wine. Buy a decent red wine and have a glass while you cook. Dont use crappy wine. There is no such thing as cooking wine. There is good wine and bad wine.
Calabrian chili peppers. I buy these in a jar. You can also use fresh or dried chili peppers. Another option is to just substitute crushed red peppers.
This recipe is so easy to make and the sauce is the perfect level of spicy!
Step 1: Marinate your shrimp 1 hour before youre ready to make this dish. Peel, devein, and remove the tails. Then dry the shrimp with a paper towel. Place the shrimp in a bowl and add 2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, and 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Marinate for at least an hour.
Step 2: In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Once hot, fry your shrimp in batches without overcrowding the pan. Cook shrimp on each side for 60-90 seconds. Overcooked shrimp will start to shrivel and the head will touch the tail. Set the shrimp aside for later.
Step 3: In the same pan, lower the heat to medium and add another tablespoon of olive oil. Sauté shallots for 3-4 minutes. Stir often to not burn the shallots. Once the shallots are translucent add the garlic, and saute for 30 seconds.
Step 4: Then add calabrian chili peppers and tomato paste. Stir and caramelize the tomato paste for 2 minutes.
- Dry your shrimp! Press them with a paper towel. If you dont they will “boil” instead of sear. It makes a huge difference. Its a mistake I used to always make!
- The key to the sauce is cooking it in the same pot as you cooked the shrimp! You dont want to miss all that flavor.
- Be patient with your red wine reduction. Check for the trail. See the video below for what I mean!
Step 5: Deglaze the pan with the red wine. I used a cabernet. Scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Simmer the red wine for 5 minutes until the wine is reduced by half. The red wine reduction will thicken and when you drag your spoon through, it will leave a trail behind.
Step 6: Add in the tomatoes, basil, and 2 teaspoon salt. Bring the sauce to a simmer for 30 minutes. Add 1 cup of pasta water from your linguine about 25 minutes in, to help the sauce stick to the pasta.
Step 7: Bring a large pot of water with salt to a boil and cook your linguine to al dente. Add the pasta to the boiling water when your sauce has been simmering for 20 minutes.
Step 8: Stir your shrimp and the juices into the fra diavolo sauce. Drain the linguine and add it to the sauce. Stir in some chopped parsley and extra basil. Serve with a loaf of crusty Italian bread.
If you like this fra diavolo sauce, wed love for you to share it! You can find us on Instagram @vindelgiudice and @alwaysfromscratch on Tiktok. Leave a rating below to tell us what you think and check out these seafood pasta recipes if you like our recipe
Some things you may want to try with this recipe!
- Add anchovies to the pan with your tomato paste. It brings the sauce a little more depth, saltiness, and umami.
- Instead of shrimp, try it with scallops, clams, or lobster. You may also love our Linguine Clamato sauce.
- If you want the sauce to feel a little lighter, use white wine instead of red wine.
Usually, fra diavolo has seafood in it. Arrabiata is more of a spicy marinara. I also find that fra diavolo tends to be a little chunkier.
I believe anything with tomatoes in it, needs to simmer for a minimum of 25 minutes. Tomatoes in a can are basically raw. They need to be cooked to get the best flavor.
The big one is mussels, but you could do shrimp, calamari, lobster or crab.
How To Make Shrimp Fra Diavolo
FAQ
What does fra diavolo mean in English?
What is the meaning of Diavolo?
What is the difference between fra diavolo and Arrabiata?
What does Fra Diavolo mean?
Subscribe to America’s largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free! The meaning of FRA DIAVOLO is prepared with tomato sauce usually seasoned with garlic, oregano, and hot red pepper. How to use fra diavolo in a sentence.
What is Fra Diavolo sauce?
Fra Diavolo (from Fra Diavolo, nickname of 18th century guerrilla leader, in Italian “Friar Devil”) is a spicy Italian-American tomato sauce for pasta or seafood, made with crushed red pepper, garlic, and fresh herbs like parsley and basil.
What does FA Diavolo mean?
Need even more definitions? Subscribe to America’s largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free! The meaning of FRA DIAVOLO is prepared with tomato sauce usually seasoned with garlic, oregano, and hot red pepper.
What does Fra Diavolo taste like?
Fra diavolo is a slightly spicy red tomato sauce with the fresh seafood flavor of shrimp or lobster. Oregano, garlic, and olive oil are other signature flavors. What’s the Difference Between Arrabbiata and Fra Diavolo?