Spicy Shrimp Francese with Calabrian Chili is a seafood dish combining traditional Italian Francese sauce with spicy Calabrian chili peppers.
Spicy Shrimp Francese with Calabrian Chili
I recently had Spicy Shrimp Francese at a restaurant, and it was so good I had to recreate it with less oil and butter. It’s a delicious and flavorful meal that combines classic Italian flavors with a spicy kick from the Calabrian chili peppers. I served it with broccolini but this would also be great with orzo. If you love shrimp but want to try something different, check out these shrimp recipes like Shrimp Scampi, Shrimp Stir Fry, Shrimp and Grits, and Shrimp Fried Rice.
What does Calabria chili taste like?
Calabrian chili peppers are a type of chili pepper that originates from the Calabria region in Italy. They have a spicy and slightly sweet flavor and are often used in Italian cuisine to add heat and depth of flavor to dishes. If you can’t find whole peppers, you may be able to find them in the form of a paste, and if not, you can use crushed red pepper flakes, harissa, or hot cherry peppers instead.
Spicy Shrimp Francese Ingredients
- Shrimp: Buy a pound of fresh or frozen peeled and deveined shrimp.
- Salt and Pepper to season the shrimp
- Flour and Eggs to coat the shrimp
- Broth: Use low-sodium chicken broth, or substitute vegetable broth.
- Lemon: Juice one lemon for the Francese sauce and squeeze half a lemon on top of the cooked shrimp.
- Garlic: Mince two cloves of garlic.
- Calabrian Chilis: Cook the garlic in the Calabrian oil and slice four to five peppers depending on how spicy you want the dish.
- White Wine: You’ll need a quarter cup of dry white wine or swap it with more broth.
- Butter: Melt the butter into the sauce.
- Parsley for garnish
How to Make Shrimp Francese
- Dredge the Shrimp: Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Beat the eggs with a tablespoon of water in a shallow bowl and place the flour in another. Coat the shrimp in the flour and eggs.
- Pan Fry the Shrimp: Heat a large nonstick pan over medium heat and add a teaspoon of olive oil to lightly coat the bottom. Cook the shrimp in a single layer for two to three minutes on each side or until the shrimp is opaque and cooked through. Transfer it to a large plate and repeat the process with the remaining shrimp.
- Spicy Francese Sauce: Whisk the broth with a tablespoon of flour and then add the juice of one lemon. Pour two teaspoons of Calabrian chili oil into the pan and sauté the garlic for 30 seconds over medium heat. Add the chili peppers and wine, and cook until reduced by half. Next, pour in the broth, bring it to a boil, and simmer for about five minutes until it thickens. Add the butter and let it melt.
- Final Steps: Return the shrimp to the skillet and cook for a minute until heated. Remove it from the heat, squeeze the remaining half lemon on top, and garnish with parsley.
What to Serve with Shrimp Francese
They served shrimp Francese with mashed potatoes at the restaurant, but I swapped it for broccoli rabe. When I made it at home, I paired it with broccolini. You can also eat shrimp Francese over pasta, like angel hair or linguine.
How to Store Shrimp Francese
Leftover shrimp Francese will last up to three days in the fridge. You can microwave it until warm to reheat it.
More Shrimp Recipes You’ll Love
- Linguini and Shrimp Fra Diavolo
- Drunken Shrimp
- Angel Hair with Shrimp and Tomato Sauce
- Garlic Shrimp
- Sheet Pan Shrimp Oreganata
Spicy Shrimp Francese Recipe with Calabrian Chili
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp, about 32
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup unbleached flour
- 2 large eggs, beaten with 1 tbsp water
- 2 teaspoons extra olive oil
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 4 to 5 jarred Calabrian chili peppers, sliced (or more to taste)
- 1 tablespoon oil from the Calabrian chili peppers
- 1 1/2 lemons
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons salted butter
- chopped parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Season the shrimp with 1/2 teaspoon salt and black pepper to taste, on both sides.
- Place the flour in a shallow bowl, and the beaten eggs in another shallow bowl.
- Lightly flour half of the shrimp, shaking off excess, then dip into the beaten eggs
- Heat a very large nonstick pan over medium heat. When hot cook the shrimp in two batches (in a single layer) – adding 1 teaspoon olive oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan.
- Cook the shrimp 2-3 minutes on each side, or until the shrimp is opaque and cooked through.
- When cooked, transfer to a large plate and repeat with the remaining oil, flour and shrimp reserving the remaining flour.
- Place the chicken broth in a mixing bowl with 1 tablespoon of the flour and whisk. Add the juice from 1 lemon.
- To the skillet add 2 teaspoons of the Calabrian chili oil and add the garlic, cook 30 seconds, over medium heat until fragrant.
- Add the Calabrian chili peppers and white wine.
- Cook to reduce by half, then add the broth, bring to a boil and simmer over medium heat for about 4 to 4 minutes so it reduces slightly and thickens. Add the butter and let it melt.
- Return the shrimp to the skillet and mix well, cook 30 to 60 seconds more to heat through.
- Remove from heat and squeeze the remaining juice from the half lemon on top. Finish with parsley and enjoy!
Another winner! I made it exactly as written with sides of mashed potato and some steamed broccoli.
The sauce for this was amazing – I served it over angel hair pasta with spinach and would definitely make it again. But I think I may have done the shrimp wrong because dipping in the egg last and doing such a shallow pan fry basically just made shrimp covered in scrambled eggs. Maybe next time I’ll just cook the shrimp as is or try coating in a little flour after the egg.
Made this last night and it was fantastic. Thank you Gina!!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I have been wanting to try this recipe for some time. We have a very special friend who is from Calabria (a region in Southern Italy), so I was interested in trying the Calabrian chili peppers. Delicious…This recipe only yielded 2 servings rather than the 4 listed in the recipe…wink, wink!
This recipe was delicious. I did change one thing – which was to dip the shrimp in the egg first then into the flour. Easy recipe and lots of flavor. This is a keeper.
Awesome!!
This shrimp dish was amazing! The Calabrian chili adds the perfect amount of heat. My husband said this was his favorite shrimp dish. Served with the broccolini and it was perfect!
So good!! Quuck and easy to make, with the sauce having so much complex, balanced flavor – tangy, spicy and lush. I served it over orzo. Restaurant-worthy!
I love Chicken Francese, so I am so excited to try this one! I can’t seem to find Calabrian Chilis at any of my stores (I’m looking online). What would you use for a substitute?
Oil & Vinger in palm beach gardens Florida sells them , they also sell the chilis with the chopped garlic in oil. You can order from them direct they ship
One of our new favorites! Another winner. Thanks Gina!
This was sooo good. I used chopped Calabrian chilis because that’s what we had. Delicious – my husband was licking his plate, haha. And the method of breading the shrimp was awesome. My kids loved the unsauced shrimp. Gina, you always have the best healthy recipes for the whole fam!
Thanks Nicole!
Looks great! Planning to make this soon. I never have white wine in the house and i don’t want to buy it to go to waste. What can i substitute that will not change the flavor?
Google alcohol free cooking wine, that’s the closest option.
Whew those little peppers are spicy! I made half the recipe and used 3 peppers and 1/2T of the pepper oil. Next time I will reduce those amounts. Otherwise this was delicious.
delicious…replaced the calabrian chilis with red pepper flakes- unbelievable!
Awesome!!
This was fantasic! I used a little less peppers, because they were hot! But absolutely delicous. My guy loved it!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I normally love skinny taste but this turned out strange.
I found it strange the shrimp was flour to egg to pan. Not egg to flour or even flour egg flour as most breading goes. This created like an egg batter.
Also the chilis add heat but not much flavor? Idk a bit disappointed
Francese is an egg batter.
I didn’t happen to have Calabrian peppers in the house so I used what I had… red chili flakes for the heat, some roasted red peppers and sun dried tomatoes…otherwise I followed the recipe exactly… as soon as I find Calabrian peppers I will definitely be making again. Served over pasta and a side salad.
Q: Is it a necessity to flour the shrimp? Has anyone made without dredging with flour? TIA 🥰
I only had crushed red pepper flakes but I followed the recipe otherwise, and this was a very tasty dish. It’s a little more flavorful than my regular scampi aglio olio.
Good flavor but the shrimp was a bit soggy. Maybe better air fried
Is there another protein you would suggest using?
I’ve never seen Calabrian Chiles in the store. Is there an acceptable substitute?
Serrano or Anahiem!
Safeway has the peppers in the pasta aisle with the bruschetta topping, not the condiments aisle
Can I sub gluten free flour for unbleached flour to make this dish GF?
should be fine!
If using Calabrian chili paste instead of the peppers, how much would I use?
The ingredient list on Relish said 1T. That is what I will use.
Which brand of Calabrian chilis do u use?