SEAFOOD PASTA FRA DIAVOLO

Spicy and super flavorful. My recipe for Seafood Pasta Fra Diavolo is perfection in a bowl! You would think this fancy dish is super difficult to prepare…it is NOT…the key is to layer the flavors and cook the seafood in stages.

Local to Charlotte? Head on over to The Carolina Meat & Fish Co. and grab super fresh, and local seafood. Make this for dinner tonight! This recipe will feed at least four people, easily!

Start boiling a big pot of water for your pasta. In a deep pan, heat up the olive oil with the anchovies. Melt them down…using anchovies in this way provides another level of deep flavor.

Rinse your clams and mussels. Do NOT use any clams/mussels that are open. Drop your pasta. Do NOT forget to salt your pasta water!

Add the garlic and shallots to the pan and allow to warm up in the olive oil for about a minute…do NOT brown or burn.

Add a generous amount of red pepper flakes…I used about five good dashes…this is what is going to make this dish Fra Diavolo! Pour in the wine and allow the alcohol to cook off for a minute or so.

Add in the canned tomatoes and crush inside the pan. Add in a few dashes of the dried oregano and the fresh basil. Season with kosher salt and pepper.

Allow the sauce to simmer for about 8 to 10 minutes. Taste for additional salt. Drain your pasta, but be sure to reserve at least a cup of the pasta water. Add a big ladle full of the pasta water to your sauce. Reserve the rest of the pasta water just in case you need just a touch more.

Add your scallops and clams to the pan. Cover and allow the clams to open. This should take about 8 minutes…discard any clams that do NOT open.

Add in your shrimp. When shrimp are almost fully cooked, add in the mussels and place lid. It will only take under a minute for the mussels to open…discard any that do NOT open.

Place the pasta in a big bowl and pour sauce on top! Garnish the Seafood Pasta Fra Diavolo with fresh parsley, a few fresh chiffonades of basil and a touch of light olive oil! Serve immediately and ENJOY!

I did add a few lobster tails and king crab legs to my dish…mainly just for show and for the finished picture. I placed both (frozen) on a baking pan and baked in the oven at 350 degrees until the legs were fully warmed and the lobster was fully-cooked. I then cut up the tails and the meat from the legs then added them to the sauce at the end.

My Cioppino recipe uses similar ingredients without the pasta. You will definitely want to try out that recipe!