Our shrimp fra diavolo recipe combines the seafood with tender pasta and spicy tomato sauce to give you a delicious meal. Each twirl of noodles packs intense flavors and an aromatic fragrance from herbs, shrimp, and white wine. And it all comes together in just 20 minutes.
This shrimp fra diavolo is one of the many dishes in our Italian Shrimp Recipes collection. Check it out if you want some quick and easy ways to make classic Italian dishes.
What Is Shrimp Fra Diavolo?
‘Fra diavolo’ means ‘brother devil’ describing the spicy Italian red sauce. Its simplest version includes onion and garlic sautéed in olive oil, tomato, pepper, stock, spices, and a pile of chili flakes. Sometimes it’s paired with bread and other times with pasta.
Other versions add white wine, which we think pairs beautifully with shrimp or any seafood like mussels, scallops, crab, or crawfish. There’s also a type of chicken fra diavolo that doesn’t use tomatoes, replacing them instead with tons of spicy peppers like jalapeños.
Today’s version has both tomatoes and white wine, and doesn’t taste as spicy as the original. Out of the two carb options, we went with pasta as we think it’s a better fit.
Is Fra Diavolo Spicy?
Spice is what the sauce is about. We wanted this shrimp fra diavolo recipe to be kid-friendly, but you can be more generous with the flakes if you want.
What Is the Difference Between Fra Diavolo and Arrabiata?
Both of these Italian tomato sauces are spicy and made with similar ingredients, but there is a distinction.
Although there’s no rulebook to mandate it, arrabiata (which means ‘angry’) often goes with penne (or sometimes vegetables) to make a vegetarian dish. Tomatoes, while optional in fra diavolo, are a must in arrabiata. They’re sautéed with oil and tons of garlic and chilis.
Sometimes, the ‘angry’ sauce uses capers to enhance its sour taste. And since it’s not cooked with seafood or meat, it also doesn’t have wine.
Is This Recipe Healthy?
The dish contains carbs from pasta, and plenty of protein and micronutrients from shrimp. These are nutrients your body needs to function properly.
The saturated-fat levels in this dish are already low. All we had to do was adjust the portion size so that each has an acceptable amount of salt and calories.
In the end, we created a flavorful pasta and shrimp meal with a healthy nutritional profile:
- 465 calories
- 3.9 g saturated fat
- 569 mg sodium
Main Ingredients
1. Fra Diavolo Sauce
For the sauce, you’ll need:
- Aromatics: onion and garlic, the two basic ingredients of a savory sauce. We also used a mix of dried Italian herbs (often labeled Italian seasoning), extra oregano, and a sprinkling of fresh parsley at the end.
- Tomato products: fresh cherry tomatoes cut in half, tomato paste, and our favorite tomato sauce. Tomato sauce alone would do, but we love the extra tomato flavor. It makes the pasta more juicy too.
- Spices and seasonings: we season this sauce with sugar and salt, giving it a balance. For that spicy kick, we added black pepper, paprika, and plenty of red pepper flakes in the end.
- Broth: we love Swanson’s unsalted broth — it’s easy to find and tastes great. The one we’re using is chicken broth, which has a more neutral flavor compared to beef broth.
- White wine: any type of white wine will bring out the shrimp’s flavor. Don’t use red wine — it suits red meat better than seafood.
Remember that we’re using unsalted Italian seasonings, broth, and tomato sauce to better control both the flavor and nutritional profile. The product links are all in the shrimp fra diavolo recipe card at the bottom.
2. Shrimp
Pasta meals are the best occasions to use medium or large shrimp — they look better on the pasta than smaller ones. We’re using medium-sized shrimp.
As usual, we remove the vein with the toothpick trick, remove the head and shell, but leave the tail for presentation. You can check out this detailed guide on preparing shrimp to answer any questions.
If you want to save time, look for peeled shrimp in the frozen food section.
3. Pasta
We’re using fettuccine, but this dish will work with other pasta as well. Spaghetti, angel hair, penne, etc. — take your pick.
What’s important is to cook the pasta al dente, as it will be simmered in sauce. Look at the instructions on the package, boil it for the minimal amount of the time listed, then rinse it with cold water.
4. Additionals
We grated some parmesan on top for extra savoriness. Just use a little, as cheese contains a considerable amount of sodium and saturated fat.
Cooking Tips
Keep in mind that:
- We cooked this dish using pasta we had boiled earlier and kept in the fridge. You can just as easily cook pasta while preparing the ingredients so it’s ready by the time you need it.
- After adding the shrimp, leave it in the pan untouched to sear for about a minute and a half, then flip. A golden color is what we’re after.
- Some people use wine just to deglaze the pan, so they add it after the tomatoes. We want to infuse the white wine’s fragrance into the sauce, so we add it along with the broth.
- When cooking with tomato paste, let it cook in fat until it transforms into a liquid. Only then do you add the next ingredient — tomatoes in this case.
How to Store and Reheat
Seafood pastas like this one should be refrigerated and used within 4 days. Make sure its container has an air-tight seal.
To reheat, either zap it in the microwave for 2 minutes, or heat it in a pan for 3-4 minutes.
We don’t recommend freezing pasta, as it doesn’t thaw well.
What to Serve With
We round off the strong flavors with a sweet, fresh salad and a tangy, tropical beverage. They add what the main dish is missing, beautifully completing the meal.
Other Shrimp Dishes to Try Out
- Shrimp Alfredo Recipe
- Instant Pot Shrimp Pasta Recipe
- Instant Pot Jambalaya Recipe
- Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta Recipe
Shrimp Fra Diavolo Recipe
Our shrimp fra diavolo recipe makes a healthy meal with robust flavors in just 20 minutes. It's a perfect easy-prep dinner.
- cook TIME 15 mins
- prep TIME 5 mins
- total TIME 20 mins
- COURSE Main Course
- CUISINE Italian
- SERVINGS servings
- CALORIES 465 kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 13 oz peeled shrimp (tail-on, from 24 oz whole)
- 14 oz cooked pasta (from about 10 oz dry)
- 0.5 oz parmesan (grated)
- 6 oz cherry tomatoes (halved)
- 1/3 cup unsalted chicken broth
- 2 oz onions (about half a medium, chopped)
- 2 tbsp white wine
- 2 tbsp olive oil (divided)
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp garlic (about 5-6 cloves, finely minced)
- 1/3 cup homemade tomato sauce
- 1 tbsp Hunt’s tomato paste
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp Italian seasonings
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp parsley (finely chopped)
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add 13 oz peeled shrimp and sauté for about 3 minutes. Put in a bowl and set aside.
Add the remaining olive oil (1 tbsp) and melt 1 tbsp unsalted butter into it. Sauté 2 tbsp minced garlic for about 30 seconds. Add 2 oz chopped onions and sauté for another 2 minutes.
Add 1 tbsp tomato paste and stir for 30 seconds or until the paste coats the aromatics evenly, then add 6 oz tomatoes and stir to cook for about 3 minutes.
Add 1/3 cup tomato sauce, 1 tsp brown sugar, 1 tsp Italian seasonings, 1 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp black pepper, and 1/2 tsp salt. Stir everything for 1 minute.
Gently pour in 1/3 cup unsalted chicken broth. Add the cooked shrimp back and pour 2 tbsp white wine over it all. Stir, then simmer for about 1 minute.
Add 14 oz cooked pasta and, with a pair of tongs, give it all a good toss. Simmer for about 2 minutes or until the sauce becomes thick enough to coat the noodles, then remove from heat.
Sprinkle with 0.5 oz grated parmesan, 2 tbsp chopped parsley, and 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (or more if you want it to be spicier). Enjoy.
NUTRITION
Tuyet Pham
Head Chef, Culinary Consultant
Luna Regina
Writer, Author
Emily Rogers, MPH, RDN
Nutrition Reviewer
- Michael MelickThis shrimp fra diavolo is a spicy and flavorful dish that's easy to make and perfect for a special occasion.