This recipe is sponsored by Calphalon. We’re using Calphalon Premier™ Hard-Anodized Cookware with new MineralShield™ to prepare today’s recipe. Shrimp Fra Diavolo is one of those Italian-American dishes that I just can’t stop myself from ordering. It’s the first dish on my mind when we visit one of our favorite Italian restaurants in New York. Large sweet, yet salty shrimp simmering in a garlicky spicy tomato sauce, served on a bed of pasta that’s wrapped in said fiery tomato sauce with specks of tender garlic and lots of pepper flakes. It’s typically served as a pasta dish with enough sauce to coat the cooked pasta. But you know what, I wouldn’t be mad at all if you nixed the pasta all together and served this with an abundance of white-truffle garlic bread. I can’t imagine that it would be anything short of amazing.
What is shrimp fra diavolo?
Literally translated ‘fra diavolo’ means ‘from the devil’ or ‘among the devil.’ It’s suspected that migrants from the Naples region of Italy created this Italian-American classic. Diavolo sauce is usually reserved for seafood such as lobster or shrimp. The term is used to describe a rich tomato sauce that is prepared with red chili flakes giving it that signature kick.
Ingredients you’ll need:
Pasta of choice: use any kind that you like! My preference is linguine, fettuccine or what I’ve used today – fusilli col buco. Be sure to save some of that pasta water so you have plenty to thin out the tomato sauce as needed.Shrimp: I like to use large or extra large shrimp for this recipe as the protein. Tails on or off is entirely up to you, however, the dish is typically served with tails-on so that it looks a bit fancier!Red Pepper Flakes: Adds that signature heat to the dish. I use red pepper flakes on the shrimp before we fry them off in the pan and then I use a chili paste to heat up the sauce up.Olive Oil: You’ll want to use lots of good quality oil for this recipe. We’ll use a bit to fry the shrimp first, then the rest will be used to fry the garlic and prepare the spicy tomato sauce.Garlic: The heart and soul of this recipe is lots and lots of garlic! Which just happens to be one of my favorite ingredients. I use a total of 12 garlic cloves for this recipe, but feel free to reduce that a little bit if you aren’t a huge fan. We’ll cook the garlic with the chili paste so it’s not harsh in the sauce.Calabrian Pepper paste: This is my secret little ingredient to give this sauce that restaurant quality flavor! Add anywhere from ½ to 2 tablespoons to paste to make this pasta taste as fiery as you like.Baking Soda: I add the tiniest bit of baking soda to raise the pH of the tomato sauce. This creates a silky smooth, low acidic sauce where the garlic and chili flavors really shine through.San Marzano Tomatoes: I usually buy a can of whole tomatoes that I’ll crush in a food mill or more typically just give them a good squishing with clean hands. Breaking them down by hand allows the tomatoes to break down quicker into a sauce when they simmer.Stock: You can use shrimp, fish, or chicken stock here. I typically make my own shrimp stock when I’ve collected enough shells. I’ll share the instructions on the recipe card in case you’re interested.Fresh Parsley: Used to add both color and flavor.
How to make shrimp fra diavolo:
If you like this recipe you might also like:
Garlicky Calabrian Chili Butter PastaMediterranean Shrimp Orzo SaladGarlicky Orzo Shrimp ScampiSpicy Shrimp PastaWeeknight Pasta Puttanesca
Thank you to our friends over at Calphalon for sponsoring today’s post!
- Homemade stock: Keep the shells from peeled shrimp in a baggy in the freezer until you have the peels of ~2 pounds of shrimp. Add a drizzle of oil to a saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute shrimp shells with 2-4 cloves of smashed garlic for 2 minutes. Then add 3 cup water, a few sprigs of parsley, 1 teaspoon black peppercorns, and ½ teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and let simmer for 15 mins. Strain stock through mesh strainer. Use or freeze within 3 days.
