Description
Seafood Fra Diavolo is a classic Italian-American pasta dish featuring bucatini noodles tossed in a spicy tomato sauce loaded with succulent sea scallops, shrimp, clams, and crab meat. This hearty and flavorful meal balances the sweetness of fresh seafood with a kick of crushed red pepper and savory herbs, making it a perfect dinner to impress family and friends.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Pasta
- 10 ounces uncooked bucatini
Seafood
- 6 ounces sea scallops
- 6 ounces peeled and deveined extra large shrimp
- 12 littleneck clams
- 6 ounces lump cooked crab meat
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
- 2 large shallots, finely chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 (28 ounce) can Hunt's whole peeled plum tomatoes, crushed by hand
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 2 tablespoons pepperoncini peppers from the jar, minced
- 1 tablespoon pepperoncini brine from the jar
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves, plus more to garnish
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced basil, plus more to garnish
Instructions
- Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the bucatini according to the package directions until al dente. Drain well and set aside.
- Sauté seafood: Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large, high-walled pan over medium-high heat. Season the scallops and shrimp with kosher salt and black pepper. Cook the scallops and shrimp in batches to avoid overcrowding, about 2 minutes per side, until just cooked through. Transfer the seafood to a large bowl and tent with foil to keep warm.
- Sauté aromatics: Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the same pan. Stir in the chopped shallots, minced garlic, crushed red pepper, and dried oregano. Cook over medium-high heat until fragrant and the shallots soften, about 1 minute.
- Build the sauce: Add the hand-crushed canned tomatoes and bring the sauce to a boil. Let it cook for 5 minutes to concentrate the flavors. Then pour in the white wine and simmer for another 5 minutes to reduce slightly.
- Cook clams: Add the littleneck clams to the sauce and cover the pan. Reduce heat to medium and cook for about 8 minutes, or until all the clams have opened. Discard any clams that remain closed.
- Add remaining seafood and seasonings: Stir in the lump crab meat, minced pepperoncini peppers, pepperoncini brine, and the cooked scallops and shrimp. Mix in chopped parsley and sliced basil. Taste and adjust seasonings with additional salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper if desired.
- Toss pasta with sauce: Add the cooked bucatini to the pan and toss gently to coat the pasta evenly with the spicy seafood Fra Diavolo sauce.
- Garnish and serve: Plate the pasta and garnish with extra chopped parsley and basil leaves. Serve warm immediately for best flavor.
Notes
- Use fresh seafood if possible for the best flavor and texture.
- Adjust the crushed red pepper amount to your preferred heat level.
- If you can’t find bucatini, spaghetti or linguine make good substitutes.
- Discard any clams that do not open during cooking to avoid food safety issues.
- White wine adds depth to the sauce; substitute with extra broth if avoiding alcohol.
