Seafood Linguine fra Diavolo is an easy Italian pasta recipe that features perfectly cooked linguine pasta in a spicy red sauce! With only 4 ingredients and 20 minutes, you’ll love this easy weeknight pasta recipe. Use shrimp, calamari, scallops, mussels, or any mixed frozen or fresh seafood you want!
Seafood lovers, rejoice. You’re going to love this easy Italian pasta recipe for Seafood Linguine fra Diavolo!
Fra Diavolo is Italian for “Brother Devil,” and is the name for a spicy red sauce served with pasta, seafood, or both. This recipe is so simple, so delicious, and uses only four ingredients and takes 20 minutes to make, start to finish. No joke. Perfect for a busy weeknight, but special and tasty enough to serve at a dinner party.
It’s easy to control the amount of spice in this recipe based on personal preference. All you need is seafood (I used a bag of frozen mixed seafood… more on the specifics later), marinara sauce, linguine, and crushed red pepper to make this (along with some salt and olive oil).
Let’s get to it!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Seafood – I used a 1 lb. bag of frozen mixed seafood, which included shrimp, calamari, octopus, and mussels. You can use any kind of seafood, frozen or fresh, cooked or uncooked, for this recipe. Shrimp, calamari, lobster, crawfish, octopus, mussels, clams… anything and everything goes here! (A note on fish: it may not hold up well in the sauce and flake apart too much- shellfish and sturdy seafood are best here.)
- Marinara sauce – I recommend homemade marinara sauce or Rao’s, but any kind of prepared marinara sauce will do.
- Linguine – or another kind of pasta. I prefer long pasta for this, such as fettuccini or spaghetti.
- Crushed red pepper – for the spiciness Fra Diavolo sauce is known for.
- Fresh Parsley – optional, but adds a little something-something and some beautiful color.
- Olive oil and Kosher Salt
How to make Seafood Linguine with Fra Diavolo Sauce
- First, COOK THE PASTA according to the directions in heavily salted water until 1 minute before al dente.
- Then, SAUTÉ the seafood with crushed red pepper in olive oil in a large skillet. Make sure you pat the seafood dry first.
- ADD MARINARA SAUCE to the seafood and heat up.
- TRANSFER THE COOKED PASTA directly to the sauce using tongs. This will help the pasta water cling to it and thicken the sauce. Also add 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water to the sauce. The starches from the water will help thicken the sauce and make it stick to the pasta.
- FINISH COOKING THE PASTA directly in the sauce for 1-2 more minutes, until it’s thickened up and clings to the pasta.
- SERVE with parmesan, parsley, olive oil, black pepper, and more crushed red pepper if desired.
How to defrost frozen seafood
Just leave it in the fridge for 24 hours, or if you need it sooner than that, run cool water over it in a colander until it’s defrosted. You can also soak it in cool water until it’s thawed.
How to make the fra diavolo extra spicy
You can use a pre-made arrabbiata sauce (Rao’s makes a good arrabbiata) in place of regular marinara sauce. Arrabbiata is already spicy, so this with the crushed red pepper will add some fire to the sauce!
You can also just add a lot of crushed red pepper to your personal taste preference to make it extra spicy (and use less for a mild version).
Other authentic Italian pasta recipes
- Bucatini all’Amatriciana (bucatini or spaghetti with pancetta and tomatoes)
- Spaghetti alla Puttanesca (spaghetti with tomatoes, olives, capers, and anchovies)
- Pasta e Fagioli (pasta with beans)
Other quick and easy shrimp recipes
- Greek Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta (Garides Saganaki)
- Blackened Shrimp Tacos with Creamy Dill Sauce
- Classic Shrimp Scampi in 15 minutes
- Shrimp and Couscous with Peas and Mint
Did you know commenting and rating recipes is one of the best ways you can support your favorite food bloggers? If you made this recipe or have a question, please click the stars below to comment and Rate this Recipe and/or share photos on social media using the hashtag #bowlofdelicious or tagging @bowlofdelicious!
Seafood Linguine Fra Diavolo
Ingredients
- 16 oz. linguine (or another long pasta shape, such as fettuccini or spaghetti)
- kosher salt
- 1 – 1 1/2 lb. seafood such as shrimp, scallops, and/or calamari (see notes)
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2-1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (depending on how spicy you want it)
- 24 oz. marinara sauce (about 2 1/2 cups)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional)
- olive oil, more parsley, parmesan cheese, black pepper, and more crushed red pepper for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil and cook linguine according to directions until one minute before al dente.
- Pat seafood dry with a paper towel. (If using frozen seafood, make sure it's completely defrosted.)
- Heat the olive oil (2 tablespoons) in a large deep skillet or pot over medium heat. Add the seafood (16 oz.) and the crushed red pepper (1/2 -1 teaspoon) and sauté until seafood is cooked through, about 5-6 minutes (or if already cooked, heated through, about 3-4 minutes).
- Add marinara sauce (24 oz.) and parsley (2 tablespoons, if using) to the seafood in the skillet and heat through. If it's ready before the pasta is done, turn off heat and cover to keep it warm.
- When pasta is finished cooking to 1 minute before al dente, transfer it directly to the skillet with tongs, as well as 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water, and toss to coat. Heat for about 1-2 more minutes, until the pasta is finished cooking to al dente and the sauce thickens and coats the pasta well (you can add more pasta water 1/4 cup at a time if it seems dry at all).
- Serve with an extra drizzle of olive oil, parmesan cheese, parsley, black pepper, and more crushed red pepper if desired.
Notes
- I used a 1-lb. bag of frozen mixed seafood with calamari, shrimp, mussels, and octopus to make this. You can use any kind of seafood you want, cooked or uncooked, fresh or frozen, but fish may flake apart a lot as you make the sauce (shellfish and calamari/octopus are more ideal for this reason). If using frozen, sure it’s defrosted completely by leaving it in the fridge for 24 hours before cooking or by running cool water over the seafood in a colander or soaking in cool water until defrosted.
- If you want an extra spicy version of this diavolo sauce, try using arrabbiata sauce (which is a spicy marinara sauce) instead of traditional marinara.
- Seafood linguine fra diavolo is best served right away, but leftovers will stay good (and still taste great reheated) for about 2 days.
- Some purists out there may argue that parmesan cheese is not traditionally served with seafood. I acknowledge this, and also say do whatever makes you happy (I love parmesan cheese with mine!).
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
This post originally appeared on Bowl of Delicious on March 25, 2014. It has been republished with new photos, improved recipe instructions, and more pertinent information.
Christine
Oh yeah! I would strongly suggest Rao brand marinara! It costs more but so worth it! Added fresh basil instead of parsley. I was planning on cooking shrimp right in the sauce but I’m glad I followed the recipe. I made 1/2 a recipe but used 1 lb seafood and my son and I almost finished it!! 😳🤷🏻♀️
Elizabeth Lindemann
Agreed – Rao’s is the BEST! So glad you liked it!
Beck and Bulow
I’ve tried to make this several times, but it always ends up too salty. Like, can’t eat it too salty. The only kosher salt available at my grocery store is Morton’s Kosher salt. Could it be the salt? Should I try another brand?
Elizabeth Lindemann
The directions don’t call for any specific amount of salt, so you can do this according to taste. The salt goes in the pasta water, which flavors the pasta, and then the salty pasta water is added to the sauce. Feel free to use as little or as much as you like! And to answer your question about Morton Kosher Salt, that brand is “saltier” than Diamond Crystal kosher salt by volume, so in recipes that call for a specific amount of kosher salt you can take this into account. Hope that helps!
Mary
This recipe looks delicious – and what a great idea for Christmas Eve!
I am not able to find the bag of frozen seafood in the stores that you mentioned you used. Could you let me know what it was – or post a picture of the package?
Thanks- Mary
Elizabeth Lindemann
I got the only bag of mixed seafood my grocery store had from a brand called “ruby seas.” In the past, I’ve made it with a bag of mixed seafood from Trader Joe’s. You can also just use all shrimp, which is usually really easy to find! To make it extra easy, look for peeled, deveined, and tail off shrimp so you don’t need to do any prep with it.
Spencer Hugus
It’s not the same without calamari,muscles, and clams. Shrimp add an extra wow to it. Living in Arkansas it’s hard to find any ingredients here that are affordable. Or easy to find. I love this dish
Elizabeth Lindemann
Oh man! I lived away from fresh seafood for a long time too, and missed it terribly. Do you have an Asian market near you? That might be a good place to try, they are always stocked with affordable seafood!
Harold Lindemann
Hi Elizabeth ! Just wanted to say how much we love your write ups! Can’t wait to see you two soon!
Elizabeth
Thanks so much! Can’t wait to see y’all as well! :-)