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Shrimp Fra Diavolo, meaning “brother devil” in Italian, earns its name with a bold kick of red pepper. Succulent shrimp and al dente pasta are tossed in a rich tomato-based sauce with garlic, good olive oil, white wine, and fresh herbs—simple ingredients that come together in about 30 minutes for a dish that’s as satisfying as it is flavorful.
I love to tinker with recipes, whether it’s lightening up classics like Twice Baked Potatoes and Chicken Pot Pie (or turning it into Chicken Pot Pie Soup). And once in a while, I discover a better method worth sharing, like with these Bacon Wrapped Scallops. But when it comes to Shrimp Fra Diavolo, I have to give most of the credit to Giada—her version is like Mary Poppins: practically perfect in every way.
“Love love love this recipe. Every time I make it the pan is empty! …”
jana
Table of Contents
Ingredients for Shrimp Fra Diavolo
- Shrimp: Medium shrimp work best for the right balance of texture and flavor.
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes: Adjust to taste, depending on how much heat you like.
- Olive Oil: A good-quality extra-virgin olive oil makes all the difference.
- Onion: Yellow or white onion both work well.
- Pasta: Linguine works well, but any long, slender pasta you have on hand will do.
- Canned Diced Tomatoes: San Marzano tomatoes make a noticeable difference in flavor. If you can find them, they’re worth using.
- Dry White Wine: Use one you’d be happy to drink. A crisp, dry variety works best.
- Garlic: Fresh cloves are a must.
- Dried Oregano: Mediterranean oregano has the best flavor for this dish.
- Fresh Basil: Adds brightness to the final dish.
- Fresh Parsley: Italian (flat-leaf) parsley is best.
- Salt: Kosher salt or fine sea salt, depending on your preference.
The main thing I like to do differently is to toss the buttery shrimp and spicy tomato sauce with pasta. It makes this dish a satisfying meal on its own and ensures that you don’t waste a drop of the silky sauce. And you don’t need much pasta to make a perfect Shrimp Fra Diavolo, just a couple of ounces per person. It’s a dish that tastes decadent, but won’t weigh you down.
Storage and Reheating
This dish is best enjoyed fresh, but leftovers keep well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
To reheat, warm gently in a skillet over low heat with a splash of water or white wine to loosen the sauce. Avoid overheating, as shrimp can become rubbery. If you know you’ll have leftovers, consider setting some of the sauce aside and tossing it with freshly cooked pasta when you’re ready to eat.
More Classic Italian Pasta Recipes
- Bucatini Carbonara (You’ll love this no-fail method!)
- Shrimp Carbonara (Just like the above, but loaded with delectable shrimp.)
- Broccoli Rabe and Sausage Pasta (Our go-to weeknight pasta dish.)
- Authentic Italian Ragu Sauce (You won’t believe how simple this is to make. It will almost seem too simple, but I promise it’s amazing.)
- Pasta alla Norma (One of my favorite ways to enjoy custardy, roasted eggplant! Everyone loves this dish.
- Bucatini Cacio e Pepe (With a no-fail method!)
- Tuna Pasta (A quick and easy way to turn a good quality can of tuna into an elegant meal.)
How to Make Shrimp Fra Diavolo
Toss raw shrimp with crushed red pepper flakes and salt.
Cook shrimp in hot olive oil and remove from the pan. Soften onions in the same pan then add tomatoes, wine, garlic and dried oregano, simmer 10 minutes.
While the sauce simmers, cook pasta until al dente. Return shrimp to pan. Drain pasta and add directly to shrimp mixture; toss to coat. Stir in fresh parsley and basil; serve.
Shrimp Fra Diavolo
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound medium shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt or 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 medium onion thinly sliced
- 8 ounces dry linguine
- 14 1/2 ounce can diced tomatoes with juices
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 3 large cloves garlic chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
Instructions
- Add shrimp, salt and crushed red pepper to a medium bowl and toss to coat.
- Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp; cook and stir until cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer shrimp to plate and set aside.
- To the same skillet add remaining tablespoon of olive oil and onion; cook and stir 5 minutes, or until translucent.
- Add tomatoes with juices, wine, garlic and oregano. Reduce heat; stir and simmer 10 minutes or until sauce is slightly thickened.
- Meanwhile, cook linguine in a large pot according to package directions (see recipe note #1) until al dente; drain (do not rinse).
- Add shrimp and pasta to tomato mixture; toss well to combine. Stir in basil and parsley; serve.
Notes
- Try to time the pasta so that it finishes cooking about the time that the sauce finishes simmering (just before you return the shrimp). If your pasta finishes earlier, drain into a colander in the sink (do not rinse) and reserve a cup or so of the pasta water. Just before adding to tomato mixture, toss pasta in colander with cooking water to loosen and separate any strands that stick together.
- You can use large shrimp for this recipe, but you may want to cut them in half crosswise.
- Use whatever olive oil you have on hand. Because you’re cooking with it, extra-virgin olive oil is not essential.
- For the canned tomatoes, crushed tomatoes or whole tomatoes that you crush in the skillet will also work.
- If you like your Shrimp Fra Diavolo fiery hot, feel free to add crushed red pepper to taste!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love this recipe! I make it once a month or so. Works perfectly as written. I now add anchovies and coat the shrimp with calabrian chili paste instead of crushed red pepper. 😋
Thanks for posting!
My pleasure, Jackie! So glad to hear you’re enjoying the recipe and adding your own twist.
Amazing recipe. It is one of our go to recipes when we are down at the beach and can get fresh shrimp.
Thank you.
I love to hear this, Dayle! My pleasure!
Love love love this recipe. Every time I make it the pan is empty! However, I wonder if it would be good over mashed potatoes instead of pasta. Thoughts?
Hi Jana! I love to hear that you’re enjoying this. I haven’t made these to serve over mashed potatoes, but I think it would be delicious!
Pretty tasty and easy to make, but use MUCH less salt than called for. For 4 servings it calls for “2 teaspoons kosher salt” and this ruined the shrimp for us, way too salty, and had to remove it from the plates. The rest was pretty good though and I added bacon for a nice touch.
Hi Mark! I’d love to help you figure out what went wrong here. I’m wondering if you used Diamond Crystal brand or Morton kosher salt? (Morton is about twice as salty. If you hover over the words ‘kosher salt’ in the recipe card, you’ll see my note about the saltiness of different brands.) The other thought is that it could be that adding bacon threw the salt balance off? Those things said, this dish is definitely punchy, both in spice and salt, so you may just prefer it with less salt. 🙂
I agree. I used Morton salt and it’s VERY salty. I’ll cut back next time. I will also punch up the red pepper as it wasn’t as spicy as we like. Otherwise, a solid recipe.
That amount of salt, with this amount of shrimp, pasta and sauce, should not have been too salty at all. However, salt is maybe the ONE thing that you should ALWAYS do a little at a time, no matter how much you trust the source of the recipe.
Delicious. I will be using this recipe again. Thank you!
My pleasure, Andrea! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
What a fantastic dinner idea. Love the tomato’s and spice in this dish!
Thank you, David!
I’ve made this several times now and love it so much. Of course, I’ve tweaked it to my liking. I use Himalayan sea salt from Costco and the first time I made it, I used the recommended 1 teaspoon and it was too salty. I’ve reduced to a heaping 1/2 teaspoon. Also, we eat spicy in our house, and the chili flakes weren’t enough heat. I’ve switched to a really spicy chili oil (pink cap for anyone shopping at a SE Asian market). Thank you for sharing this delicious, easy to follow recipe!
I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipe and making it your own, Meghan! Thanks for your cooking notes.
I made this dish with some extra crushed red pepper. My husband and I enjoyed it very much.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for coming back to let me know.
Made this recipe as directed and it was excellent.
So glad you enjoyed it, Steve! Thank you for coming back to let me know.
I don’t have any white wine in the house. Could I substitute chicken or vegetable broth ?
Hi there, Kathy. Yes, absolutely! If you have the choice, I’d go with chicken broth.
Omg this recipe was amazing. Kids loved it, and I can’t believe how quick and easy it was to make. Definitely a keeper…
I love to hear this, Christina!! Thank you so much for coming back to let me know. 🙂 p.s. Love that your kids are adventurous eaters!
Shrimp Fra Diavolo is my go to dish when I go to a new Italian restaurant for the first time. If they can prepare this simple dish (which it should be) without lots of extras, I know that I’ll like most dishes on their menu. This sounds like a dish I know I would like with just the right amount of each ingredient.
I do the same thing, Karen! When we try a new restaurant, I usually test them out with a classic recipe. 🙂
This looks absolutely mouthwatering with those succulent shrimps and that spicy sauce!
Thank you so much!
Marissa, such an awesome pasta dish and a catchy name! It looks so delicious – I definitely wouldn’t want to lose a drop of that sauce. I will be making this for my husband soon – he will love it! Thanks for a great recipe 🙂
That’s wonderful, Kelly! I hope your husband loves it!!