Seafood Fra Diavolo

All the best flavors from the sea, lobster, shrimp and scallops cooked in a rich and slightly spicy tomato sauce

We are just back from a well earned, though certainly not long enough, vacation in Maine

This was our first time in Maine and all I can tell you is it was fantastic. The views, the beaches, the trails… I could go on and on

Like almost everyone, I love beaches, but to visit a beach that also has cliffs, grottoes, islands and pine trees just seems to add to the majestic beauty

Now let’s talk about our favorite subject on this blog

Eating!

Well, as they say, when in Maine eat lobsters and we did as much as we could.  We even brought some home!

Even though all the lobsters we ate were great, our favorite lobster dinner was from this one restaurant we visited.  It had such an amazing view!

Imagine seeing this while enjoying a delicious meal

Their lobster dish inspired this recipe, so I hope you will join us on our vacation and enjoy this as much as we did!

We are starting with the claws and tails of 2 whole steamed lobsters, 1 pound of peeled and deveined shrimp and about 1/2 pound of large sea scallops

We are going to approach this dish in steps, so let’s start with the lobster

We actually had these steamed in Maine, packed on ice and we brought them home

I pulled the meat from the claws but left the tails with the shell on

I cut these in half

Set the lobster aside and lets work on the shrimp

We are going to season these with 1/2 teaspoon each of kosher salt, ground black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and 1 tablespoon of paprika

Mix the seasonings and shrimp together and set aside

Now for some scallops

Not much needed here, just a sprinkle of kosher salt and ground black pepper, then set aside

Now let’s start with the base for a great Fra Diavolo sauce

What is fra diavolo sauce?

Fra diavolo is Italian for “From the Devil”.  This spicy sauce is most commonly served with pasta or seafood. Most versions are tomato-based and use crushed red pepper flakes for spice

We started off with 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 celery stalk, 3 garlic cloves, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and ground black pepper, 1/2 to 1 whole teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes (based on your tolerance) and 2 bay leaves

Peel the onion, carrot and garlic and give everybody a chop

Chope the celery as well

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat

Add in the crushed red pepper and bay leaves and cook 2-3 minutes until they start to release their fragrance

Add in the garlic and cook another 2-3 minutes

Next add in the onions, carrots and celery

Cook for around 10 minutes or until the veggies start to soften and the onions start to look translucent

Next we will need 2 cups of seafood stock (you can also use chicken or vegetable) and 28 ounces of crushed tomatoes

You can click on our link to make your own homemade Seafood Stock

Add the stock to the pan, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer 6-8 minutes

Next add in the crushed tomatoes, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes to allow all the flavors to meld

While the sauce is simmering, let’s put a little crust on the scallops to add some depth of flavor

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil until it starts to smoke and sear the scallops for 1-2 minutes

Flip and cook for 1 minute then remove from the heat and set aside

Next, we will need around 2 tablespoons of butter and about a 1/4 cup of fresh parsley

Cut the butter in chunks and chop up the parsley

Add the butter to the sauce.  This adds a little richness

Then add in the shrimp and cook for 2 -3 minutes or until the shrimp start to turn pink

Next, add in the lobster

Remember the lobster is already cooked, so we really just need to heat it through at this point

Toss the lobster around a bit to help heat it

Add in the seared scallops and allow them to cook around 2 minutes

Top with some fresh parsley

Can you say yum?

Now you can serve this with some form of your favorite pasta, but we think this is good enough on it’s own with some toasted bread!

Enjoy!!!

Tools used to make this recipe

Simply Bamboo Cutting Board

OXO Good Grips Fish Turner

Lodge Cast Iron Pan

Lodge Cast Iron Round Griddle

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