In the interest of getting dinner on the table quickly mid-week, I’ve developed a repertoire of dishes that I can throw together in about 30 minutes. Not surprisingly, many of them involve pasta paired with a simple sauce that can be thrown together and cooked (or not) while you’re waiting for the water to come to a boil. This is one such dish, and it depends on your having some pantry staples on hand and a little bit of seafood hiding in your freezer.

I’m in the habit of buying those giant bags (2 lb. I think) of frozen shrimp when they go on sale at the supermarket. I don’t get the cooked ones, I get the uncooked. You can thaw them out in minutes by running them under cold water, and they’re really good to use in dishes where the shrimp is a component. They’re not what I’d buy to make baked stuffed shrimp, for example, but for shrimp and rice, or paella, or any kind of pasta dish, they’re absolutely great. Last night I had the remainder of a bag of very large ones that I had used for another purpose — there were seven shrimp left, and they were pretty big. So I made this, which we really like:

Shrimp Fra Diavolo

• Linguini or similar type of pasta (1/2 lb. to 1 lb. depending on appetite and/or number of people at table)
• 28-oz. can diced tomatoes
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 2 or 3 cloves of minced garlic (or to taste)
• Salt and pepper
• Crushed red pepper flakes
• Fresh parsley
• 3/4 - 1 lb. shrimp ( or scallops — or you can use shellfish, in which case you’ll want a bit more by weight, or you can use a combination)

Put the water on to boil and cook your pasta al dente. While that’s happening, make your sauce. I like to do this sauce in a skillet as opposed to a sauce pan because the sauce doesn’t cook for long and it cooks a bit more thoroughly this way.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat, and then add the garlic. Don’t brown the garlic — as soon as it starts to become fragrant, add the tomatoes (with their juice — don’t drain them). Season to taste with salt and pepper, and add crushed red pepper to taste. The whole point of fra diavolo is spiciness, but be judicious if you have timid taste buds or haven’t used red pepper before. Simmer the sauce at a lively bubble — it’s not going to cook for long, but you do want it to thicken a bit while the pasta cooks.

About five minutes before your pasta is ready, add a handful of chopped parsley, and then add the seafood to the sauce and simmer until just cooked — if you’re using shrimp or scallops, cook them until opaque (or pink in the case of shrimp); if you’re using shellfish, cover the pan and cook until the shells open.

Drain the pasta, toss with some of the sauce, and arrange on plates topped with seafood.

As always, my favorite recipes are flexible. This will serve two to four people depending on how much pasta and seafood you use. You can always add more tomatoes too. It’s good enough to serve guests, and it’s really quick. Bread is a good accompaniment, and a green salad.