After the crab cakes a couple days ago, I moved on to a pasta recipe with the crab meat in the fridge. I saw Mario Batali make a version of this on The Chew and everyone was raving about it, so naturally I had to try it. His version included a habanero chili as well, but I’m a little afraid of them (or at least my stomach is…) so I stuck to jalapenos. Feel free to use one if you’re into that sort of thing. He also uses cilantro, but I didn’t have any around and I’m not that big a fan of it unless we’re talking Mexican food. Either way, it’s a great, quick dish and I’ll be making it again.
Spicy Pasta with Crab
1/2 pound crab meat, preferably Dungeness
1/2 pound tagliatelle, tajarin, or other long pasta
1 clove garlic, sliced
2 shallots or cippolini onions
1 jalapeno, minced
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped (optional)
basil leaves and chili flakes for garnish
Roast the shallots or onions in foil in a 425 degree oven for half an hour until they are soft and you can easily remove the skin. Let them cool and chop them up.
Cook the pasta in salted boiling water for 1 minute less than the package instructions. Meanwhile, saute the garlic, jalapeno, and onions in a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Add the crab meat and stir through. Add a cup of the pasta cooking water and let it cook down for a minute. Add the drained pasta and reserve some more water in case you need it. Add the cilantro if using it, and toss. Remove from the heat and add a splash of olive oil along with basil leaves and chili flakes for garnish.
I’ve been reading about the Texas A&M-developed mild habanero (c. 2004) and more recently a mild habanero called Bellaforma. I wish these got to our markets so we could bring the wonderful, different taste of ripe habanero pepper to dishes without the extreme heat.
Bellaforma
http://www.seaspringseeds.co.uk/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=140&category_id=25&vmcchk=1&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=53
I must say I would like your version much better than Chef Batali, I am afraid of the habanero and am not a big fan of cilantro unless its in very small amounts. Love the crab in this dish sounds absolutely delicious.
Nice dish, I too am not too sure about habanero peppers. I prefer the heat from a Serrano pepper.
I saw him make this recipe and, at the time, thought that I’d use a jalapeño and skip the cilantro. I know from experience that habanero are far too hot for me. Everything else about this dish, though, sounds great. Thanks for being our test kitchen!
I’m a little bit afraid of habaneros too. I like spicy food, but I don’t know if I like it THAT spicy. I think your version without the cilantro sounds better too!
I love spicey food, but it must not be burning!! This sounds delicious!!
Loving this post! I m going to have to try this recipe! Sounds yummy!
Totally agree with omitting cilantro and extremely hot peppers. Have to try this sometime, when I feel like picking crab meat (which I usually don’t…)