This Shrimp Fra Diavolo has perfectly cooked shrimp in a spicy, chunky tomato sauce! It’s a great meal to serve with pasta, or as an appetizer with crusty bread! Ingredients include garlic, butter, wine, Italian seasonings, and fire roasted tomatoes!

A skillet of Shrimp Fra Diavolo with a spicy tomato sauce and parsley on the side.

Shrimp Fra Diavolo

I am pretty excited to have a new gourmet-style dish to add to my rotation at home. My husband and I absolutely love having this as a fancy little appetizer, or as a meal! It pairs well with pasta, roasted vegetables, and garlic bread with cheese.

About the Sauce

Unlike regular spaghetti sauce, Fra Diavolo sauce is spicy (but there are ways to control that). It’s also thicker and more concentrated. And while it’s definitely loaded with gourmet flavor, the ingredients are simple, and include diced tomatoes, garlic, butter, wine, a little broth, Italian seasonings, and a few of my favorite flavor enhancers.

Unlike Arrabiata sauce, (which is also spicy), this one won’t ever include ingredients like basil or capers.

I love to serve this with crusty bread, it’s the perfect tool to sop up that delicious sauce! (Or as the Italians say, “Fare la scarpetta” (Which means: Using bread to soak up sauce.)

How to Make It

See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

Sauté the shrimp in olive oil for about 1 minute + 20 seconds per side, set aside.

Shrimp on a plate before and after being cooked.

Add butter and onions and cook for 10 minutes. Add wine and garlic, reduce by half, about 4-5 minutes.

Add the chicken broth, tomato paste, soy sauce, hot sauce, and seasonings.

Adding wine and tomato paste to a skillet to make a Fra Diavolo sauce.

Add the roasted tomatoes and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, until concentrated and thickened.

Making Fra Diavolo sauce with diced tomatoes and seasonings.

Reduce heat to low and add shrimp back, allow it to heat through for about 1 minute. Garnish with parsley and serve! Garlic bread with cheese is great with this!

Adding shrimp to Fra Diavoilo sauce until combined.

Controlling the Heat

  • The spiciness in this dish comes from the hot sauce and the red pepper flakes. Using more or less of those ingredients will allow you to control the heat level. I recommended that you taste as you go and adjust accordingly.
  • The Fire Roasted Tomatoes actually do not make this spicy, they actually add a little more sweetness to this sauce, along with a smokey flavor.

Pro Tips

  • Shrimp: The size I use is large, and is labeled as 26/30 per pound. (This means that it takes between 26-30 shrimp to equal a pound.) You can use fresh or frozen.
  • If using frozen shrimp: Run them under cool water until completely thawed, then pat them dry. You may also need to remove the shells/veins.
  • Shrimp Seasoning: Frozen shrimp are typically placed in a brine before being frozen, and the solution in the frozen container is typically salted as well, so there is no need to salt the shrimp prior to cooking.
  • Shrimp can go from cooked to overcooked very quickly, consider setting a timer to avoid overcooking. One way to mitigate this is to peel them after you sauté them, the shell helps protect them from cooking too quickly.
  • Shrimp curled into a “c” =cooked. A shrimp curled into an “o” = overcooked.
  • Wine: Dry white wine like Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, or Pinot Grigio are best in this recipe. Chicken Broth may be used if you don’t cook with wine.
  • Garlic: This is definitely a recipe where I would mince fresh garlic (instead of using jarred) for ultimate flavor.
  • Homemade Roasted Tomatoes are great in this recipe, especially if they’re garden fresh! Otherwise, I use Hunt’s Fire Roasted Tomatoes.
  • Soy Sauce adds umami to this dish and you can’t taste it outright. Mustard powder acts as a flavor enhancer that you also can’t detect. 
  • Hot Sauce: I use Frank’s Hot Sauce in this recipe, it’s not overpowering. If you like heat, consider adding up to 4 teaspoons instead of 2. 
  • Freshly Grated Parmesan makes a great topping at the end as well.
  • Pasta: Up to 1/2 lb. pasta can be served with this sauce. I like to use linguine. 

Storage

  • Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Cooked/leftover shrimp can be frozen and reheated for future meals, and this tomato-based sauce does reheat well.
  • To reheat: Let it thaw completely and reheat in a skillet on the stovetop over medium heat until just heated through. Overcooked shrimp becomes rubbery, so try to avoid that.
  • You can also reheat this in a makeshift double boiler on the stovetop, it applies a nice, even heat without being too direct or harsh.

A white plate with Shrimp Fra Diavolo over linguine.

Tools For This Recipe

(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.

Try These Next

Get My Free E-Book! 

Tried This Recipe?

Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Shrimp Fra Diavolo in a skillet with chunky tomatoes and fresh parsley.

Shrimp Fra Diavolo

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
5 from 16 ratings
Servings: 4 people
Tap or hover to scale
Print Pin Save Review
This Shrimp Fra Diavolo has perfectly cooked shrimp in a spicy, chunky tomato sauce! It's a great dinner idea to serve with pasta, or as an appetizer with crusty bread!

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

Shrimp

  • 1 lb. large uncooked shrimp, see notes
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Sauce

  • 1 medium yellow onion
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • ¾ cup dry white wine, see notes
  • ½ cup chicken broth
  • ¼ cup tomato paste
  • 14.5 oz. can fire roasted tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons hot sauce

Seasonings

  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon mustard powder
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, more or less to your liking
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper

Instructions

  • Measure out ingredients before beginning. Thaw the shrimp completely and pat the surface dry. You may also need to remove the shell, tail, and veins.
  • Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook for about 1 minute + 20 seconds per side. (Use a timer to avoid overcooking). Tilt the pan to transfer the shrimp onto a clean plate. Note that they’ll cook a little bit more as they sit, and again when added back to the sauce.
  • Add the onions and butter to the skillet over medium heat. Cook and reduce the onions for 10 minutes, this allows the onions to release some of their natural sugars which offsets the acidy of the tomatoes. Stir occasionally as they cook.
  • Add the white wine and garlic. Bring to a gentle bubble and let it reduce by half, about 4-5 minutes. Add the chicken broth and tomato paste and stir to combine. Add the roasted tomatoes, soy sauce, hot sauce, and seasonings. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer.
  • Let it simmer, thicken, and concentrate for 10-15 minutes, until desired thickness and flavor is obtained. Reduce heat to low.
  • Add the shrimp back, along with any juices from the plate. Cover partially and let it heat through for 45 seconds or so. Garnish with parsley and serve with pasta, roasted vegetables, garlic bread with cheese, or crusty bread!

Notes

  • Shrimp: The size I use is large, and is labeled as 26/30 per pound. (This means that it takes between 26-30 shrimp to equal a pound.) You can use fresh or frozen.
  • If using frozen shrimp: Run them under cool water until completely thawed, then pat them dry. You may also need to remove the shells/veins.
  • Shrimp Seasoning: Frozen shrimp are typically placed in a brine before being frozen, and the solution in the frozen container is typically salted as well, so there is no need to salt the shrimp prior to cooking.
  • Wine: Dry white wine like Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, or Pinot Grigio are best in this recipe. Chicken Broth may be used if you don't cook with wine.
  • Garlic: This is definitely a recipe where I would mince fresh garlic (instead of using jarred) for ultimate flavor.
  • Homemade Roasted Tomatoes are great in this recipe, especially if they're garden fresh! Otherwise, I use Hunt's Fire Roasted Tomatoes.
  • Soy Sauce adds umami to this dish and you can't taste it outright. Mustard powder acts as a flavor enhancer that you also can't detect. 
  • Hot Sauce: I use Frank's Hot Sauce in this recipe, it's not overpowering. If you like heat, consider adding up to 4 teaspoons instead of 2. 
  • Freshly Grated Parmesan makes a great topping at the end as well.
  • Pasta: Up to 1/2 lb. pasta can be served with this sauce. I like to use linguine. 
Storage:
  • Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Cooked/leftover shrimp can be frozen and reheated for future meals, and this tomato-based sauce does reheat well.
  • To reheat: Let it thaw completely and reheat in a skillet on the stovetop over medium heat until just heated through. Overcooked shrimp becomes rubbery, so try to avoid that.
  • You can also reheat this in a makeshift double boiler on the stovetop, it applies a nice, even heat without being too direct or harsh.
The nutritional information provided is an estimate and is per serving. There are 4 servings in this recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 332kcal, Carbohydrates: 14g, Protein: 26g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Trans Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 206mg, Sodium: 709mg, Potassium: 589mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 1086IU, Vitamin C: 10mg, Calcium: 144mg, Iron: 2mg
Did you try this recipe?Mention @TheCozyCook on Instagram or tag #thecozycook!
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Author: Stephanie