We often have a fab crab meat marinara on Christmas Eve, and my son does eat it so I thought I would try this amazing Linguine with Crab by Rachael Ray. It features a white sauce and lots of herbs. Pancetta is a main ingredient. Like a well-prepared Italian cook, the Jersey Girl ALWAYS has sliced pancetta on hand in the freezer.
This dish was a hit with my husband and son. The texture of the linguine holds up perfectly with the crab. I will definitely be making this again. It can definitely work for an elevated din with guests – if we are every allowed to have people over again. Ha. It’s nice and light so I can see me dining on this al fresca under the moonlight. Dreamy.
I did sub out the fresh peppers for just a 1/4 tsp. of dried red pepper flakes. I thought that would be more child friendly. My son can handle some spice, but I didn’t want to overdo it. In case you are having trouble finding chives, the green tops of scallions can be used in their place.
Linguine with Crab
Course: MainCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy4
servings10
minutes25
minutesThis is an amazing recipe from the “Everyone is Italian on Sunday” cookbook by Rachael Ray.
Ingredients
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 lb. pancetta, finely diced
4 large shallots, chopped
4 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 red Holland or Fresno chiles, thinly sliced
3 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves, chopped
Salt and pepper
1 cup dry vermouth or dry white wine
2 Tbsp. butter
1 lb. linguine
1 pound lump, king or snow crabmeat
Grated zest of juice of 1 organic lemon
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup minced fresh chives
Directions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.
- In a deep large skillet, heat the oil (2 turns of the pan) over medium-high heat. When it ripples, add the pancetta and render 2 to 3 minutes. Add the shallots, garlic, chiles, thyme, salt and pepper and stir for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the vermouth and cook until it has reduced by half. Swirl in the butter, then reduce the heat to low to keep warm while the pasta cooks.
- Salt the boiling water and cook the pasta to just shy of al dente. Before draining, ladle out about a cup of the starchy pasta cooking water and add it to the sauce along with the crabmeat, lemon zest and lemon juice.
- Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce. Toss with tongs for 1 to 2 minutes for the pasta to finish cooking and to allow the flavors to be absorbed. Toss in the parsley and chives and adjust the seasonings.
Please note: The Jersey Girl used white wine instead of vermouth and 1/4 tsp. dried red pepper flakes instead of fresh hot peppers.
