Spicy Shrimp Fra Diavolo Recipe

Who doesn't love an old-fashioned Italian meal? This recipe for shrimp fra diavolo is a classic that dates way back. According to Paesana, the name for this fiery shrimp came about in 1770 in Naples, Italy. A young boy survived a terrible illness, and later, someone gave him the nickname of "fra diavolo," which means "brother devil." The name later spun into a sauce, which is super spicy, to match the boy's attitude. All you need to make this dish is a little bit of red sauce, shrimp, and a handful of other ingredients. It's super quick to put together when you're in a bind for time, and it takes just 10 minutes to cook and no prep time at all. Sounds pretty good to us! 

Recipe developer Christina Musgrave of Tasting With Tina came up with this spicy and delicious recipe that is perfect for seafood lovers. "My favorite part of the recipe is how simple it is," Musgrave raves about the dish. "It comes together so quickly and is so full of flavor." It isn't too often that we enjoy shrimp in a spicy context, so this dish is perfect for anyone looking to turn up the heat on the beloved crustacean.

Before you do anything else, you will need to make a list of ingredients and hit up your local grocery store. Pick up some peeled and deveined shrimp, olive oil, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, minced garlic, lemon juice, marinara sauce, and chopped parsley.

Take out a large skillet and place it on your burner. Kick the heat up to medium and add the olive oil. Next, toss in the peeled and deveined shrimp into the skillet in addition to 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, 2 teaspoons of red pepper flakes, and two cloves of minced garlic. All of these ingredients will add a major burst of flavor to the shrimp as it cooks. Continue cooking the shrimp with the spices for about three minutes. Keep in mind that the shrimp will cook more in the sauce, so it doesn't have to be fully cooked at this point.

This is where your fiery red sauce comes into play, and it's really the staple of the dish. Go ahead and toss in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and 1 cup of marinara. "Any red sauce will work," Musgrave notes. Cook the shrimp for another two to three minutes, until the marinara is heated through. You can simply use a spoon to taste and see if it's hot. Be sure to check the spice level and add more red pepper flakes if you wish. This all depends on your spice preferences and how much of kick you want it to have. 

Once you remove the shrimp from the skillet, top with chopped parsley to add a little more color and flavor, and then serve. Musgrave also provides a few additional serving suggestions to take this dish to a whole new level. "This is delicious tossed with pasta, served with bread, and a side salad," she shares. We also think a nice glass of wine would complement the dish pretty well, too! 

If you happen to have leftovers, Musgrave notes that you can keep them for two to three days. Between the spicy red sauce and the succulent shrimp, however, it's hard to imagine that there will be leftovers!