Seafood Fra Diavolo

5 from 1 vote

This decadent seafood fra diavolo is made with an easy, homemade spicy tomato sauce, pasta and shrimp. Perfect for date night!

Prep Time5

Cook Time30

Total Time35

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: people

Calories: 964kcal

Author: Sarah Trenalone

Equipment

large heavy skillet (12-inch minimum)

Ingredients

1 pound mixed seafood, thawed if purchased frozen (Mixed seafood usually includes shrimp, scallops, mussels and calamari)
¼ cup olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 teaspoons red chili flakes Use less for a milder sauce
¼ teaspoon sea salt
4 garlic cloves, diced
2 pounds fresh tomatoes (diced) or 28oz can diced or crushed tomatoes
1 cup water
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ pound spaghetti Use gluten-free spaghetti if needed

Instructions

Fra Diavolo Sauce:

Add the oil, onions, chili flakes and salt to a large, shallow pan. (Use a 12" pan or larger, see recipe notes.) Cook the onions over medium heat until they begin to brown (~5 min).
Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute, or until the garlic is fragrant.
Add the tomatoes, water, and oregano to the pan. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer.
Simmer the tomatoes for 20-25 minutes, or until most of the water has evaporated and the sauce has thickened.
Taste the sauce and add more chili flakes, salt, or oregano if desired. Simmer 1-2 more minutes if you added more seasoning.
While the sauce simmers, bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the mixed seafood and cook for about 2 minutes. (If the seafood mix includes shrimp, cook until the shrimp turn pink.)
Use a mesh sieve, skimmer or slotted spoon to remove the seafood from the water into a colander. Rinse with cold water to stop the seafood from cooking. Place the seafood in the fridge until your sauce is ready.
(Do not discard the hot water.)
Add spaghetti to the large pot of boiling water.
Cook spaghetti according to package directions.
Add the cooked spaghetti to the pasta sauce and toss to coat.
Add the seafood to the pasta and toss again. Serve immediately.

Notes

Serves: This serves two people generously. For more modest portions, store half the pasta sauce for later and use ¼ lb. spaghetti.

Pan Size: Some readers have reported that their 12″ pans were too small for the volume of sauce. You may find a heavy Dutch oven works best for you, although I’ve always had success with my 12″ carbon steel pan.

Prepare Ahead: The sauce can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated for 4-6 days, or frozen and used within a year.

Smoother Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes: Canned tomatoes are peeled, and will yield a smoother sauce with less texture. If you’re using fresh tomatoes and want an extra-smooth marinara, you have two options:

1. Peel the tomatoes first. Use a knife to mark an X on each tomato, and then blanch them in boiling water until the tomato peel loosens (~15-30 seconds). Peel, and then proceed with the recipe. Crush tomatoes with your hands instead of dicing.

2. Blend the sauce. After cooking, add the sauce to a blender or use an immersion blender to blend the peels into the sauce.

Varieties of tomatoes: For the thickest sauce, use San Marzano tomatoes (or other varieties of Roma tomatoes). However, this recipe works well with juicy tomatoes also.

Nutrition