Want a quick meal with a little kick? Try Shrimp Fra Diavolo! This Italian-style dish stars tender shrimp that swim in a garlicky, spicy tomato sauce. Fra diavolo means “brother devil” in Italian, alluding to the intense heat of this dish. But make it homemade and you can customize the spiciness to taste! It’s fast and easy, great for impressing guests but weeknight friendly too. Here’s how to make this dish that will wow everyone!
History of the dish
Fra diavolo sauce is a spicy Italian tomato-based sauce for pasta and seafood. The name translates to “brother devil” in Italian, named so because of the heat of the sauce. It’s likely it’s not a traditional Italian sauce but is Italian American, invented at Italian restaurants in New York City in the early twentieth century. One New York City restaurant called Grotta Azzurra claims to have been serving lobster fra diavolo since 1908.
Ingredients in shrimp fra diavolo
Shrimp fra diavolo is a spin on the lobster version of the dish that’s cheaper and easier to make, and it’s become popular on restaurant menus these days. This punchy sauce brings a kick! Made at home, it’s easy to customize the heat level to taste. Here’s what you’ll need for this dish:
Protein: Large shrimp, tail on Pantry: Olive oil, dried oregano, fire roasted tomatoes, Calabrian chili peppers or red pepper flakes Dairy: Butter Fresh ingredients: Garlic, white onion Special ingredients: White wine or broth
For the heat: Calabrian peppers vs pepper flakes
This shrimp fra diavolo recipe has two options for bringing the heat. If you can find them, we highly recommend using Calabrian chili peppers for the sweetly smoky heat they infuse into the dish. Substitute red pepper flakes for another common way to flavor this dish.
Calabrian peppers are a type of chili pepper grown in Calabria, Italy and often used in Italian cuisine. They add just the right level of heat that’s not too searing, along with subtly sweet, smoky, and fruity flavor notes. We can’t recommend them enough! Chopped or crushed Calabrian peppers are available in many grocery stores near the olives and pickles, or you can find them online. Or, you can chop up the whole peppers if that’s all you can find (make sure to protect your hands). We buy these chopped Calabrian peppers from our local grocery. As a substitute, use red pepper flakes instead! Red pepper flakes don’t add flavor like the Calabrian peppers: they add a straightforward punch of heat.
Customize the heat to taste
The great thing about making a shrimp fra diavolo recipe at home? You can customize the heat and add spiciness until it reaches the ideal level for the eaters at your table. Here are some notes:
1 teaspoon chopped Calabrian chilis makes a medium spicy dish. This is comparable to ½ to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes. Start low, then add more to taste. You can always add more spice, but you can’t remove it! So be conservative at first. Alternatively, have each eater add heat at the table. Serve shrimp fra diavolo with a little dish of chopped Calabrian chilis or red pepper flakes at the table, so each eater can customize the heat level before digging in.
Use fire roasted tomatoes if possible
The other key to this shrimp fra diavolo recipe is using fire roasted tomatoes. Here’s what to know about this special variety of canned tomatoes:
Fire roasted tomatoes are a type of canned tomato that’s roasted over an open flame before canning, which gives them a sweet, smoky flavor right out of the can. They’re sold by several different brands; look for them in the canned tomato section in your local grocery. (We like the brand Muir Glen.) Fire roasted tomatoes taste sweet and subtly smoky right out of the can. This means you can cook them for less time than standard tomatoes. The best substitute is San Marzano tomatoes, which are becoming easy to find canned at your local grocery. Otherwise, use the highest quality canned crushed tomatoes you can find and simmer the sauce for at least 15 minutes. Consider adding ½ teaspoon each sugar and smoked paprika to round out the flavors.
Ways to serve shrimp fra diavolo
Shrimp fra diavolo can be served in a variety of ways! Serving it over pasta is common, but similar to Shrimp Scampi, that’s not the only way to do it. Add a side of crusty bread, or even rice or couscous. It’s totally customizable! Here are some serving suggestions:
Long pasta noodles like angel hair pasta, spaghetti or linguine Crusty bread like garlic bread, garlic toast, baguette slices, or an artisan loaf Rice like white rice, pesto rice, or lemon rice Couscous or orzo like easy couscous or lemon orzo Salads like Italian salad, arugula salad, favorite chopped salad, kale salad, endive and orange salad, fennel salad with Parmesan, frisee salad or fennel orange salad Vegetables like roasted broccolini, sauteed broccolini, sauteed green beans, Parmesan broccoli or cannellini beans
More shrimp recipes
Shrimp is quick to cook and nutritious: making it king among healthy dinner ideas! Here are a few more shrimp recipes to try:
Go for classic Shrimp Scampi or Shrimp Risotto Try Cajun Shrimp Pasta, Jumbo Shrimp, Marinated Shrimp Skewers or BBQ Shrimp Grab a Shrimp Stir Fry, Shrimp Bowl, Shrimp Burger, Shrimp Nachos, or Shrimp Fajitas Go for Creamy Shrimp Pasta or Honey Garlic Shrimp Browse these 40 Shrimp Recipes or Healthy Shrimp Recipes
This shrimp fra diavolo recipe is…
Gluten-free. 5 from 7 reviews **Chopped or crushed Calabrian peppers are available in many grocery stores near the olives and pickles, or you can find them online. We used these chopped Calabrian peppers. The flavor is fruity and subtly spicy, and it’s absolutely worth finding! If not, use red pepper flakes. 1 teaspoon Calabrian chilis makes a medium spicy dish. Customize the heat level to your tastes!
