Crab Pasta

I found this recipe in Bon Appetit magazine.  It looked good but maybe a bit boring.  I loved the idea of  pasta with egg yolks and crab on a hot summer night. I altered the recipe by making my own pasta, adding jarred artichokes, toasted pine nuts, red pepper flakes and frozen peas.  I went heavy with the garlic, lemon and chives.

The final product was delicious. My husband and dinner guests loved the flavors and texture.

  • 12 oz. uncooked bucatini pasta (I made fresh linguini)
  • ½ C. olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 2T. finely chopped garlic
  • ¼ C. drained and rinsed capers, chopped.  (I used ½ C. Caperberries)
  • 1 C. peas (fresh or frozen)
  • 1 small jar artichokes (packed in water), roughly chopped
  • 1 t. coarsely ground black pepper
  • 1 t. red pepper flakes
  • 6 LG. egg yolks (Make meringue with the whites for dessert)
  • 3 oz. pecorino cheese plus more for garnish
  • ½ C. thinly sliced chives
  • 8 oz. fresh crab meat (I used canned blue crab)
  • ¼ C. toasted pine nuts
  • 1 T. grated lemon zest, plus 1 T. fresh lemon juice (I used the juice from ½ lemon)
  • sea or kosher salt, to taste 
  • lemon wedges for serving
  • Boil pasta in well-salted water until very al dente.  Reserve 1 ½ C cooking water. Drain in a colander.  Drizzle with a small splash of olive oil.
  1. Cook garlic in oil in a large, deep skillet over medium, stirring often until lightly toasted. 
  2. Add capers, black pepper, red pepper flakes, peas and artichokes and cook for a couple of minutes.  
  3. Add  1 C. reserved pasta water and bring to a boil over medium heat.
  4. Add pasta and return to a boil until pasta is al dente. Add another ¼ cooking water if needed.
  5. Remove from heat.
  6. Quickly add egg yolks, stirring vigorously until creamy, about 10 seconds.
  7. Add cheese, pine nuts and chives; stir.
  8. Add crab, pine nuts, zest, lemon juice, salt and more cooking water if too thick.
  9. Serve with lemon wedges

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit.

Previous article
Next article

Recent Articles