Shrimp Fra Diavolo
Featuring plump shrimp swimming in a piquant tomato sauce, shrimp fra diavolo translates as “brother devil.” Although there’s some dispute about the origin—some say it came from Italy, while others claim it’s an Italian-American invention—there’s no disagreement that this hearty and satisfying dish is delicious. And it’s easy enough to prepare on a weeknight. This recipe comes to us from chef, cookbook author and television host Tyler Florence. He spikes his sauce with red pepper flakes and garlic, then adds lots of fresh basil and zesty lemon for brightness.
Ingredients
For the pasta:
- Kosher salt
- 1 lb. (500 g) dried linguine or fettucine
- Extra-virgin olive oil for tossing
For the sauce and shrimp:
- 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 8 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 5 ripe tomatoes, diced
- 1/4 cup (2 fl. oz./60 ml) white wine
- 1/4 cup (2 fl. oz./60 ml) chicken stock
- 1/2 bunch fresh basil, leaves torn, plus whole leaves for garnish
- 2 lb. (1 kg) jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Grated Parmesan cheese for garnish
Directions
To prepare the pasta, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat, then season with salt; it should be salty like the ocean.
Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for about 9 minutes. Because different dried pastas may require different cooking times, check the package for the recommended time. Drain the pasta and toss with olive oil to keep it from sticking together while you are making the sauce.
To prepare the sauce and shrimp, in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Once it begins to shimmer and smoke, add the onion, garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and simmer, stirring frequently, to cook the water out of the tomatoes, 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the wine and stock and stir to deglaze the pan. Fold in the basil and simmer until the sauce is thick, about 5 minutes.
Reduce the heat to low, add the shrimp and gently toss them in the sauce, making sure all the shrimp are submerged so they will cook properly and evenly. After about 1 minute, flip the shrimp over and cook for 1 minute more. Add the lemon zest and juice and toss gently, mixing them in. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Transfer the pasta to a large serving platter and gently spoon the sauce and shrimp on top of the pasta. Garnish with whole basil leaves, Parmesan and a little more olive oil. Serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6.
Courtesy of Tyler Florence, Chef, Author and Television Host