Recipes › Seafood › Seafood Fra Diavolo Recipe

Seafood Fra Diavolo Recipe

Recipe by Pedro M. A. Neves

Seafood fra diavolo is a classic Southern Italian pasta dish featuring a fiery tomato sauce enriched with shrimp, clams, and mussels. This spicy seafood preparation balances the heat of fresh red chili peppers with briny shellfish and bright garlic, creating a sophisticated yet rustic coastal dish that celebrates the simplicity of quality ingredients.

Ingredients

• 400g linguine or spaghetti
• 500g large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 600g littleneck clams, cleaned
• 300g mussels, cleaned and debearded
• 400g canned San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 red chili peppers, thinly sliced (or 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes)
• 80ml dry white wine
• 60ml extra virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• lemon juice to taste

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Season the water generously so it tastes like the sea.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large, wide skillet over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and sliced chili peppers, stirring constantly for 45 seconds until fragrant.

3. Pour in the white wine, scraping the pan bottom to deglaze. Let it reduce by half, approximately 1-2 minutes.

4. Add the crushed tomatoes to the pan, season with salt and black pepper, and simmer for 5 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly.

5. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in the boiling water until just al dente, following package directions. Reserve 120ml of pasta water before draining.

6. Add the shrimp to the tomato sauce and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

7. Nestle the clams and mussels into the sauce, cover the skillet loosely with a lid, and cook for 4-5 minutes until the shells open. Discard any that remain closed.

8. Add the cooked pasta directly to the skillet with the seafood and sauce. Toss gently, adding reserved pasta water a little at a time until the sauce coats the pasta.

9. Finish with fresh lemon juice and taste for seasoning. Adjust salt and heat as needed.

10. Divide among bowls and garnish generously with fresh chopped parsley and a drizzle of quality olive oil.

Substitutions

• Substitute shrimp with 500g diced halibut or sea bass for a white fish version
• Use 1 tablespoon of fresh red chili paste instead of whole peppers for easier preparation
• Replace white wine with fish stock for deeper umami without alcohol
• Swap pasta with gluten-free linguine or use zucchini noodles for low-carb adaptation

Tips

• Do not overcook the seafood; shrimp becomes rubbery and clams become tough. Cook just until they turn opaque or shells fully open.
• Reserve pasta water before draining to create an emulsified sauce that clings to the noodles and unifies the dish.
• Source the freshest seafood possible; the quality of your shellfish is the foundation of this dish's success.

Seafood fra diavolo originates from Southern Italy, particularly the Campania region around Naples, where the proximity to the Mediterranean Sea made fresh shellfish abundant and affordable. The term 'fra diavolo' literally means 'between the devil,' referring to the fiery heat of the chili peppers that characterize this rustic yet elegant coastal preparation.

You might also like

Seafood Marinara Pasta Recipe

45 min · Seafood

Seafood Pasta Al Cartoccio Recipe

32 min · Seafood

Seafood Risotto Recipe

55 min · Seafood

Seafood Stew Cioppino Recipe

55 min · Seafood