This bold and spicy shrimp fra diavolo recipe is an Italian-inspired dish made from juicy shrimp simmered in a fiery tomato sauce with garlic and broth. It’s ready to serve over pasta (or rice) in just 25 minutes!
Some of my favorite summer meals start with seafood, from this baked shrimp parmigiana to one-skillet dinners like shrimp scampi, cioppino (fisherman’s stew), and this quick, Italian-style shrimp and tomatoes.
My grandmother’s spicy shrimp and tomatoes, or shrimp fra diavolo, has seasoned, sautéed shrimp cooked with cherry tomatoes, garlic, and broth. As a spice (and shrimp) fanatic, I can’t get enough! And don’t worry, if you’re not quite as sold on the heat, this recipe is easy to adapt to make it milder, too. This is a slightly less conventional fra diavolo recipe, but it’s a family favorite served over pasta. You’ll see why soon enough.
Why I Love This Shrimp Fra Diavolo Recipe
- I LOVE a spicy tomato sauce. I mean, if there’s pasta all’arrabbiata on the menu, I’m all over it. The sauce in this shrimp recipe is similar, with juicy fresh cherry tomatoes simmered with spices, garlic, and veggie broth.
- One pan. Sauté the buttery shrimp and add the sauce ingredients to the same skillet. Dinner is on the table in 25 minutes, which is great for dinner parties or dining al fresco in the summertime.
- Versatile. Toss everything together afterward and serve it over rice or pasta for a fresh, zingy, delicious shrimp dinner. I even love spooning this saucy shrimp over crostini or focaccia bread slices for a zesty appetizer.
What Does “Fra Diavolo” Mean?
Fra Diavolo, which translates to “brother devil”, is a spicy Italian-American tomato-based sauce like the one you’ll find in this recipe. It’s often cooked with seafood like shrimp, scallops, mussels, or lobster and seasoned with fiery chili flakes or cayenne (or both).
Ingredients You’ll Need
Shrimp fra diavolo uses simple ingredients but packs plenty of spice onto a plate. Of course, if you’re sensitive to heat, you can always adapt the seasoning to taste (or go for a milder recipe instead, like this bright and delicious lemon garlic shrimp).
I’ve included notes on the ingredients below. Scroll to the recipe card for the printable recipe, followed by step-by-step instructions with photos.
- Shrimp – You can make this recipe with fresh or frozen, peeled and deveined jumbo shrimp. If you’re using frozen shrimp, thaw it first and drain off any excess water.
- Flour – Coating the uncooked shrimp with all-purpose flour helps crisp up the outside when it’s fried. You could also toss the shrimp with cornstarch, which is a technique called “velveting” (used in Asian recipes like shrimp stir-fry and firecracker shrimp).
- Seasonings – This recipe uses a spicy blend of cayenne pepper, paprika, salt, and pepper, mixed with a little sugar (brown or granulated). You can amp up the spiciness with crushed red pepper flakes if you’d like.
- Butter – Salted or unsalted.
- Garlic – I love fresh garlic, but you can also substitute ¼-½ teaspoon of garlic powder per clove if needed.
- Broth – Classic shrimp fra diavolo calls for white wine, but I make this alcohol-free version with low-sodium vegetable broth. You could also use chicken broth.
- Cherry Tomatoes – Sliced in half. I find cherry and grape tomatoes have the best flavor, but cocktail and Roma tomatoes will also work. Cut larger tomatoes into quarters. You could also use canned crushed tomatoes.
- Lemon Juice and Parsley – Fresh is best!
Recipe Tips
- Use larger shrimp. Jumbo shrimp cook up nice and juicy in this recipe. The bigger, the better.
- Simmer the shrimp tails. When time allows, I’ll remove the shrimp tails in advance and simmer them in a pot with the vegetable broth for 5-10 minutes. It creates a lovely, quick shrimp stock that adds even more flavor to the sauce! Afterward, strain the tails and deglaze the pan with the stock as directed.
- Swap the broth for white wine. If you’d prefer to make your shrimp fra diavolo the more traditional way, substitute the broth with white wine instead. My advice for choosing cooking wine is to pick an inexpensive bottle, but one that you’d still like to drink. Good options are dry whites, like Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio (luckily, I almost always have at least one in my fridge! 😉)
- Don’t overcook the shrimp. Most shrimp is quick-cooking, so keep an eye on it while it sautées in the pan. Shrimp is perfectly cooked when it’s pink and curled into a “C” shape. On the other hand, overcooked shrimp will be rubbery.
- Get creative with add-ins. Change up this fra diavolo recipe with more add-ins like anchovies, capers, bell peppers, pine nuts, mushrooms, and fresh herbs like basil and thyme.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Refrigerate. Store leftover shrimp fra diavolo in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Reheat. Warm the shrimp and tomato sauce in a covered skillet until the shrimp are heated through. Be careful not to overcook!
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Season the shrimp. Pat dry the shrimp with paper towels. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, paprika, cayenne pepper, sugar, salt, and pepper; add shrimp and, using your fingers, mix to combine. Set aside.
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Sauté. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet or a cast-iron skillet. Add garlic and salt; cook for about 30 seconds, stirring frequently.
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Cook the shrimp. Add the previously prepared shrimp to the pan; cook for 2 minutes.
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Put it all together. Stir in tomatoes, vegetable broth, and lemon juice; continue to cook for 3 minutes, or until shrimp is done and tomatoes are tender. Remove from heat.
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Finish and serve. Stir in fresh parsley and serve over pasta or rice.
- Broth options: You can substitute vegetable broth with chicken stock or dry white wine, like Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay.
- Make it spicier: For extra spice, sprinkle in crushed red pepper flakes.
Calories: 169kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 145mg | Sodium: 426mg | Potassium: 236mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 809IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 182mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
How to Make Shrimp Fra Diavolo
I recommend a cast-iron skillet for this recipe. It’s the best way to get a perfect sear on the shrimp before you make the sauce! Otherwise, use a non-stick pan and follow the steps below:
- Prepare the shrimp. Begin by patting the shrimp dry with paper towels. Afterward, add the shrimp to a bowl with the flour, spices, and sugar and toss to combine.
- Cook the shrimp. Next, sauté the garlic with melted butter in a large skillet. Season to taste, then add the shrimp and cook for 2 minutes.
- Put it all together. Stir in the cherry tomatoes, broth, and lemon juice. Simmer for 3 minutes or until the shrimp is cooked and the tomatoes are softened.
- Finish and serve. Lastly, take the pan off the heat and stir in fresh parsley. You’re ready to serve over pasta or rice! See earlier in the post for more serving suggestions.
