Fra Diavolo (from Fra Diavolo, nickname of 18th century guerrilla leader, in Italian "Brother Devil”) is a spicy Italian-American tomato sauce for pasta or seafood, made with crushed red pepper, garlic, and fresh herbs like parsley and basil.[1] The sauce is made by sauteing chopped onions in olive oil, then adding tomatoes (canned or fresh), crushed red pepper and garlic.[2] Some recipes add white wine.[3] Some versions of Chicken Fra Diavolo are made without tomato sauce.[4][5]
It is unclear how "Fra Diavolo" became attached to the name of a deviled (i.e., spicy) sauce, but the name was possibly influenced either by the nickname of celebrated Italian guerrilla/bandit Michele Pezza, or the opera of the same name by Daniel Auber.
- ^ "Definition of Fra Diavolo at Merriam-Webster".
- ^ "Spaghetti with Shrimp Fra Diavolo". Today. 13 April 2022.
- ^ "Shrimp Fra Diavolo". Delish. 25 September 2020.
- ^ "Torrisi's Chicken Fra Diavolo". The New York Times.
- ^ "How To Turn Up Your Weeknight Chicken Dinner Like a Sicilian". Esquire. March 2015.