Recipe: Feeling Crabby
Crab, Sage, Asparagus, Tomato, Chilli and Garlic Spaghetti
I’ve been waiting to post this recipe for a while and trust me you are going to love it.
I first created this dish for an early evening summer dinner party and now the sun is back out it’s the perfect opportunity to share it with all of you.
This pasta dish showcases the best ingredients of summer with a sharp kick of garlic and chilli at the end. If you can get your hands on fresh crab then it makes a huge difference but don’t worry if not – they can be nippy creatures!
Serves 8
Ingredients:
500g cooked white crab meat
1 red onion, finely diced
5 garlic cloves, crushed
1 red chilli, finely chopped
2 bunches asparagus, sliced
500g vine tomatoes
Large handful of sage
Large handful of basil
Olive oil
1 lemon, zest and juice
250g pinenuts, toasted
8 handfuls of the best quality dried pasta you can find (or make your own!)
Method:
Bring two pans of water to the boil, one big, one small. Prep your asparagus by slicing at a large angle around 1 cm thick. Quickly blanch the asparagus in the small pot of boiling water for 3 minutes until soft but not fully cooked. Set aside.
Using a large wide pan, sauté the onions until soft, add the garlic and chilli and cook for 3 more minutes on a low heat.
Once your large pot of water has come to the boil, add the pasta and cook for time specified on packet.
In a small frying pan, lightly toast the pinenuts and set aside.
Finely chop the sage and basil (saving a few leaves for garnishing at the end) and half the tomatoes. Add all the remaining ingredients including the crab into the pan with your onions and cook on a low heat for 4 minutes.
Once the pasta is cooked, drain and set aside (try and reserve a little pasta water - this helps the pasta to stop sticking together)
Mix the pasta with your sauce and warm through for a couple of minutes. Season with lemon zest, salt and a good drizzle of olive oil.
Finish by mixing in the remaining un-chopped herbs and serve with a large glass of white wine.
(If you are cooking a live crab. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, gently add the crab and cook for 15 minutes. Once cooked immediately transfer to cold water or iced water to cool down then remove all the crab meat).