Seafood Medley Fra Diavolo
This is our easy, delicious version of Seafood Fra Diavolo. It is spicy and bursting with the flavors of the sea.
Fra Diavolo is one of the tastiest Italian dishes on the planet. We’ve been making this recipe for many years with shrimp, but it’s even better with scallops, shrimp, and clams, making this version extra special.
This Seafood Fra Diavolo is one of the family’s favorite dinners. It is so simple to have dinner on the table in a jiffy, and it is loaded with all of your favorite seafood. It’s a win-win situation.
Tips for Buying Seafood
We use whatever seafood I have in the freezer. You can use little bay scallops or jumbo dry-aged sea scallops.
You always want to check the ingredients on your shrimp and scallops to make sure they do not have any STPP (sodium tripolyphosphate) added (referred to as wet-aged). This will give the seafood a bitter taste, as opposed to the sweet taste of dry-aged seafood.
Always buy frozen seafood. The seafood you get behind the counter has been previously thawed; you don’t know how long it has been sitting out. The freshest seafood is frozen; sometimes, it is frozen right on the boat after being caught.
Thaw the seafood in the refrigerator before beginning the recipe.
What you need
- Pasta: A long pasta like spaghetti, linguine, or fettucini. Cook the pasta according to the package directions, just to al dente.
- Scallops: We use whatever seafood we have in the freezer. You can use little bay scallops or jumbo dry-aged sea scallops.
- Shrimp: Again, use any size shrimp.
- Clams, Mussels: Bivalves, like clams you will buy fresh, if you want them in the shell. If you don’t care about the shell for presentation, you can buy frozen or even canned clams.
- Other seafood: You can use other seafood like calamari or lobster meat.
- Tomatoes: You can use canned tomatoes or frozen or fresh tomatoes. We also add fresh, frozen, or canned cherry tomatoes because they add a natural sweetness to the dish. Occasionally, we can find them at our local specialty Italian store.
- Onion: We use shallots since they are milder..
- Garlic: Use lots of fresh garlic to make this dish stand out.
- Wine: Use a dry white wine like Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc to deglaze the pan.
- Spices: Dried or fresh oregano, basil, and parsley.
- Crushed Red Pepper: The pepper is what gives this dish its signature heat.
- Seasoning: Kosher salt and black pepper.
How to Make Seafood Fra Diavolo
- Remove the skins from the shallots and garlic.
- Dice the shallots and garlic fairly fine. Halve about 35 ripe cherry tomatoes.
- Steam clams in a large pot with a small amount of water. When they begin to open, keep the lid off and remove individual clams as soon as they open.
- Saute the shrimp in very hot olive oil. Remove them as soon as they begin to turn pink. They don’t have to be totally done because they will cook in the sauce for a few minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool.
- Saute the scallops in the same pan. Add a bit more oil if the pan seems too dry. Again, cook until they’re just shy of done. 120°F. Remove the scallops to a plate.
- Lower heat in the pan. Saute shallots and garlic until soft, adding more oil if needed.
- Add the cherry tomatoes and about 2 cups of crushed tomatoes.
- Add the wine and the spices. Cook along for about half an hour. The liquid will reduce by about half, and the cherry tomatoes will begin to soften.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1/4 cup of the water. Add the pasta water and pasta to the Fra Diavolo sauce. Mix everything together.
Garnish with fresh parsley and freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Here is a YouTube video that will show you the technique if you’d like!
Pro Tips for Your Success
- Don’t overcook the seafood! The seafood will continue to cook in the sauce for a couple of minutes, so you don’t want to cook it all the way through when browning it.
- Try to find cherry tomatoes. They make a big difference in the flavor of the sauce.
- Use shallots instead of yellow onion; the flavor is milder and sweeter.
Storing Leftovers
Store any leftovers in air-tight containers in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Do not freeze.
Other Delicious Pasta Recipes on Binky’s Culinary Carnival
- Spaghetti alla Carbonara
- Eric’s Lemon Chicken
- White Lasagna with Romanesco and Italian Sausage
- Chicken Capri Parmigiana
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Enjoy. And have fun cooking!
Seafood Medley Fra Diavolo
Ingredients
- 12 whole clams
- 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil (might require a bit more if pan becomes dry)
- 1/2 pound large shrimp peeled
- 3/4 pound large or bay scallops
- 6 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 3 shallots peeled and chopped
- 35 cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 3/4 cup canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 can minced clams
- 1/2 Teaspoon oregano, dried
- 1 Tablespoon fresh basil minced
- 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley minced plus a bit for garnish
- 1 Teaspoon salt and pepper Plus salt for the pasta water
- 1/2 pound pasta of your choice
- 3/4 Teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese for garnish
Instructions
- In a large pot with a small amount of boiling water, steam clams just until they open. Remove immediately and set aside.
- Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add shrimp and cook, stirring once, until just cooked through (pink). About 1-2 minute per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Add scallops and brown on both sides, about 1.5 minutes per side. Transfer to the plate and set aside.
- Turn pan back down to medium. Add the garlic and shallots to the skillet and cook until soft, 3-5 minutes.
- Turn heat back up to medium high.
- Add wine, cherry tomatoes, canned tomatoes,, basil, parsley and oregano. Season to taste with salt and pepper and simmer, stirring occasionally and reducing heat if liquid starts to boil too rapidly, until cherry tomatoes are soft and the sauce has thickened, about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water over high heat until just tender, Drain, reserving 1/4 c. pasta water.
- Add parsley, pepper flakes, pasta, pasta water, and seafood to skillet and toss well.
- Serve immediately.
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Notes
Nutrition
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Originally Published 2/6/15
Awesome post Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Chang! I appreciate your comment! Have a great day!