Hot and Spicy! This week's recipe is our personal favorite, the Seafood Fra Diavolo. Ours is served over a bed of linguini with shrimp, calamari, mussels and clams with the hottest sauce on this end of Long Island.
The name Fra Diavolo translates directly to "Brother Devil" and boasts a sauce hot enough for the devil himself. This particular item is a staple of all our restaurants. Unfortunately, in order to safeguard our trade secrets, we cannot divulge our protected family recipe. But don't fret: we did find a fantastic one from the Food Network's Emeril Lagasse. Enjoy!
Ingredients
* 2 tablespoons, plus 1/4 tablespoons salt, divided
* 1 pound linguini
* 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
* 2 sliced red jalapenos
* 3/4 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
* 1 tablespoon Essence, divided, recipe follows
* 1 cup small diced onion
* 2 tablespoons minced garlic
* 2 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
* 2 cups canned tomato sauce
* 2 tablespoons tomato paste
* 12 Littleneck clams, scrubbed
* 1/2 pound mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded
* 1/2 pound calamari, bodies diced into rings, with the tentacles
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
* 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, optional
Directions
Bring a large 1-gallon pot of water to a boil, add 2 tablespoons of the salt to the pot and place the pasta in it. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain and then transfer pasta to a large bowl and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Toss to coat the pasta well, then set aside.
As the pasta cooks, set a 14-inch saute pan over the medium-high heat and add the remaining olive oil. Once hot add the red jalapenos. Season the shrimp with 2 teaspoons of the Essence, add the shrimp to the pan and cook for 1 minute. Turn the shrimp over and cook for another minute. Remove the shrimp from the pana dn set aside as you prepare the sauce.
Place the onions in the pan and cook until wilted, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the red pepper flakes and saute briefly before adding the tomato sauce and tomato paste. Cook the sauce briefly, then add the clams to the pan. Cover the pan and cook the clams for 1 minute, remove the lid, add the mussels to the pan and replace the cover. Cook the mussels for 2 minutes, remove the lid and season the calamari with the remaining 1 teaspoon of Essence before adding them to the pan along with the seared shrimp and the pasta. Continue to cook the pasta, tossing to blend the pasta with the sauce and season with the remaining 1 1/4 teaspoons of the salt, about 2 minutes. Garnish the pasta with the chopped parsley and cheese and serve.
Emeril's Essence Creole Seasoning:
* 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
* 2 tablespoons salt
* 2 tablespoons garlic powder
* 1 tablespoon black pepper
* 1 tablespoon onion powder
* 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
* 1 table dried oregano
* 1 tablespoon dried thyme
Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch, Published by William Morrow, 1993.
Food Network Recipe
