Fresh seafood blended with a spicy San Marzano tomato sauce served over homemade linguine are all it takes to prepare this classic Italian American meal. No longer will you only enjoy this delicious meal at your favorite Italian restaurant.
Seafood Fra Diavolo is a traditional Italian American dish prepared with fresh seafood and a spicy marinara sauce served over a bed of pasta, most often linguine. The selection of seafood is left to your preference. The traditional dish usually includes clams, mussels, calamari and shrimp. Other options that work well include lobster, scungilli and scallops. The recipe is fairly simple and the most important factor is using fresh seafood, quality tomatoes and fresh pasta.
What are the origins of Seafood Fra Diavolo?
Most consider the dish’s origins to be southern Italy or Sicily. When researched, this link is vague at best. The dish appears to have originated with Italian American immigrants during the early 20th century.
What does Fra Diavolo mean?
The literal translation is brother of the devil. The connotation of this definition with the dish is likely associated with the heat or spiciness of the sauce.
What is Seafood Fra Diavolo?
Seafood Fra Diavolo is a classic Italian American meal comprised of a generous assortment of fresh seafood; traditionally clams, mussels, calamari and shrimp combined with a spicy tomato sauce and served over a bed of pasta most often linguine. Linguine is a flat version of spaghetti. The shape of linguine holds the sauce better than spaghetti.
How do I make Seafood Fra Diavolo?
To make this dish it is imperative to start with fresh seafood. Use of shellfish that isn’t fresh will guarantee failure. Did you ever wonder why seafood at a restaurant sometimes tastes “fishy?” The simple answer is the fish was not fresh. If that ever happens, I would advise that you not go back to that restaurant.
The second trick I have learned is to not cook your seafood with your marinara sauce. Prepare a good marinara with quality tomatoes. That is a third trick. Many of the canned tomatoes you see at your local supermarket are just not of high-quality. We recommend using San Marzano tomatoes. We love the Nina brand.
While the marinara is simmering, this is the time to prepare the calamari. We also used cuttlefish in the dish. Cuttlefish is similar to calamari but has a bit more flavor and texture. Blend the sliced calamari and cuttlefish in a hot pan with olive oil and garlic. Cook quickly. When the calamari and cuttlefish begin to shrink, they are ready. Remove from heat, drain the excess liquid and set aside. We will now prepare the shrimp in the same manner. The shrimp will cook fast. Do not overcook! Bring water for linguine to a boil.
Now, we will prepare the shellfish. Place the mussels and clams in a bowl with some salt water. This allows them to expel any sand within their system. Remove from salt water and rinse. Heat olive oil in a pan large enough to fit all of the shellfish. Sauté garlic. Add a small amount of chunky tomato sauce that was set aside. Place shellfish in the pot, combine with tomato sauce and cover. Simmer until shellfish begin to open. Place calamari, cuttlefish and shrimp in pot. Combine all and let cook a few more minutes.
If using fresh pasta, be aware that it cooks much faster than the dry kind. Pasta is best when cooked “al dente” or chewy. When linguine is cooked, drain and mix with the spicy marinara sauce to keep it from sticking together. To serve, place linguine in a bowl. Top with marinara sauce then add your seafood. Add additional marinara to taste. Sprinkle with pecorino romano cheese. We know Italy frowns upon the addition of cheese to seafood, however as previously established this combination was created in America. Most Italian American restaurants will ask if you would like them to cover you Fra Diavolo in cheese. If you are traditional, just skip the pecorino Romano. It’s all good.
Is Fra Diavolo spicy?
Traditionally, this is a spicy marinara sauce. However, the level of spice is left to the taste of the cook and their audience.
Is seafood Fra Diavolo healthy?
The foundation of the dish is fresh shellfish and calamari. Shellfish is high in protein and low in calories. Shellfish also is high in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and polyunsaturated fats. That’s the good kind of fat! Many are concerned about mercury in seafood. By eating in moderation and avoiding certain species, seafood can remain a part of your healthy diet.
What do I serve with Seafood Fra Diavolo?
This is a meal to itself. Serve with a side of crusty Italian bread to soak up the extra sauce. After, rest a bit then finish the meal with espresso and some biscotti.
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Seafood Fra Diavolo
4
servings30
minutes40
minutes1
hourThis classic Italian meal is full of healthy high protein and low calorie shellfish. Combine that with a spicy and delicious marinara sauce served over a bed of fresh linguine.
Ingredients
1 large onion, diced
1 head garlic, chopped
2 28 oz cans San Marzano whole tomatoes. Separate 2 cups and set aside.
olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 Tbs red pepper flakes or to taste
1/2 tsp ground habanero flakes or to taste
1/2 cup fresh basil chopped or 2 tbs dry
1 lb cleaned and sliced calamari
8 cleaned and sliced cuttlefish
1 lb medium cleaned shrimp
2 lbs mussels
2 dozen little neck clams
Directions
- Make the marinara sauce. Sauté onion, 5 cloves garlic in olive oil until onion is translucent. Do not burn. Add the San Marzano tomatoes ( minus the 2 cups set aside). Add salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and ground habanero flakes. Reduce or eliminate depending on your palate. Use immersion blender but leave some chunks ( you can also blend before adding). Add basil and let simmer on low for 25 minutes.
- Boil water for linguine.
- Prepare calamari and cuttlefish. Sauté 5 cloves chopped garlic in pan for 30 seconds. Do not burn! Add calamari and cuttlefish. Once they begin to shrink around 1-2 minutes, remove from heat and drain. Be very careful not to let garlic drain out. Set aside.
- Prepare shrimp. Add 2 cloves chopped garlic to olive oil. Add shrimp. Cook for 30-45 seconds. Do not overcook! Remove and set aside.
- Cook linguine. Do not overcook!
- Prepare shellfish. Crush the 2 cups tomatoes set aside with your hands. It should remain chunky. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a deep pot. Add 4 cloves of chopped garlic and sauté for 30 seconds before adding the 2 cups of the crushed tomatoes. Stir then add shellfish and combine. Cover pot and let simmer until shells begin to open. Add the calamari, cuttlefish and shrimp to pot and combine. Cook until all shells crack open. Less than 5 minutes.
- When linguine is al dente, drain and combine with 1 cup of marinara sauce. Serve in bowls with linguine topped with some marinara. Cover with prepared shellfish. Add more marinara to taste. Top with Pecorino Romano.
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Recipe Video
Notes
- The selection of seafood is left to your discretion. Many use scallops and lobster tail. You can just do a shrimp fra diavolo as well.
- If you can find fresh pasta, go for it. The texture is much better and will improve the dish. Just be aware fresh pasta cooks extremely fast.
- Don’t skimp on the tomatoes. Try to use San Marzano. This will improve your sauce more than you can imagine. Tomatoes are not all the same.
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