SAN DIEGO — I was lucky enough to work at Guilio's Restaurant in Pacific Beach in the late 80's and early 90's. During that time Guilio's was selected by San Diego Magazine as the number one Italian restaurant in San Diego and number two overall. Guilio and his brother Italo were there every night except Sunday and Monday working on the line. I paid close attention, asked a lot of questions and learned a lot from these two chefs. This is where Scampi Fra Diavalo comes from.
Scampi Fra Diavalo
- 1 lbs. shrimp, size 16-20's, at least 1 pound
- 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes, good quality
- ½ onion diced
- 2 tbsp. garlic diced
- 1 tbsp. crushed red pepper
- 1 tsp Dried Oregano
- 6 - 8 oz. Dry White Wine
- 6 tbsp. Olive oil
- 1/3 cup Italian Parsley chopped
- 1/3 cup Fresh Basil chopped
- Salt and Pepper for seasoning
- 1 lbs. cooked Pasta
Shell and devein the shrimp or make it easy on yourself and buy them already cleaned. Pre-heat your pan as hot as you can, we're just trying to sear the shrimp.
In a bowl toss the shrimp, 2 tbsp. of olive oil, a large pinch of salt and the crushed red pepper.
Sear the shrimp in the hot pan for a minute on each side and then remove, we'll finish cooking them at the end.
Turn the heat to medium, use the remaining 2 tbsp. of olive oil and add the onions, sauté until slightly caramelized, next is the garlic for just a minute or two and then de-glaze with the white wine.
Bring to a boil and add crushed tomatoes and oregano, lower heat and allow sauce to simmer for 15 - 20 minutes.
Taste sauce and season with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper if needed.
Five minutes before serving, turn heat up and add basil, wait a few minutes and add shrimp, stir in and give them a couple of minutes to finish cooking.
Strain the pasta, toss with 2 tbsp. olive oil and a couple of tbsp. of the chopped parsley.
Serve family style or on individual plates and top with remaining parsley, offer more crushed red pepper on the table.
Watch more of Shawn's recipes below: