Friday, August 18, 2017

Crab Pasta in Lemon and Wine Sauce


Bursting with fresh, lemon flavor, I chose this Dungeness Crab pasta as the main course at our Gourmet Group dinner last month.  Even though Dungeness Crab isn't in season right now, thanks to Costco, and many other good seafood departments of major grocery stores, you can find them frozen or already thawed. Costco has the best pricing on these gems and they are usually found in the seafood 'road show' on Fridays and Saturdays.


It was the first time I had ever tasted Dungeness crab and we really enjoyed the delicious, sweet flavor. Getting the meat out of the shells takes a bit of time, but well worth it if you aren't cooking for a crowd. You can also shell them the day before you use the crab meat. If you do a web search on how to shell a Dungeness crab you'll find several helpful YouTube videos.


Along with the Prosecco, lemon juice and crème fraîche; shallots and red pepper flakes give the pasta sauce a lovely depth of flavor.  Everyone loved it!  If you can't find Dungeness Crab you can use the crab meat of your choice or even substitute lobster or shrimp.

We served the crab pasta with sauteed green beans and almonds. It's a fine dish worthy of company or a special weekend meal.  The left-overs still tasted great the next day with squeeze of more fresh lemon juice.


Most of you already know how much as I love my garden but sometimes it can be a dangerous place! I was weeding in my garden last week and got a nasty sting! It took a full week for the pain, swelling and itching to subside. Please be aware of aggressive yellow jackets and wasps building their nests at this time of year if you are a gardener or simply enjoy being outdoors. 

It's hard to believe we are only one month away from the beginning fall!  In some areas school has already begun.  My garden is brimming with tomatoes, zucchini and eggplant right now. Enjoy the harvest season!


Crab Pasta in Lemon and Wine Sauce


Printable Recipe

Serves 4

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
1 large shallot, chopped
1/2 dried red pepper flakes 
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1-1/2 cups dry Prosecco sparkling wine
1/2 cup crème fraîche 
Zest of 2 organic lemons 
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 
1 pound shelled cooked Dungeness crab 
1 pound linguine 
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley 

Using medium heat, warm oil in a large saucepan. Cook the chopped shallot until softened, 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the pepper flakes and salt, then stir in the Prosecco and crème fraîche. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat and reduce about 1- 1/2 cups. This should take about 10 to 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, get the pasta water boiling in a large pot. 

Add lemon zest, lemon juice, and shelled crab into the Prosecco sauce and remove from heat. 

Boil pasta until just tender, according to package directions. Drain pasta, return to pot, and gently toss with crab sauce and parsley. Taste; add more salt and lemon juice if you like.

Adapted from Sunset Magazine.

33 comments:

  1. wow Susan, this is a gourmet pasta dish! Those crabs would cost quite a bit over here..I miss quality seafood with reasonable price. I love your garden too, Susan. Have a wonderful weekend!

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    1. Thank you, Angie! I was very unique and delicious. I love finding great new recipes like this :) Have a great weekend, Angie ♥

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  2. lovely Susan! I love crab and this plate look amazing .love it !!xo

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    1. Thank you, Gloria! It was excellent :) Have a lovely weekend! xoxo

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  3. I have never cooked w/ these..in FL Fred did.It looks so fresh and beautiful w/ your beautiful blooms..not to mention the garden pics..I think in my next post I will jot notes..garden wise..to fall back on..as I have started hoarding for next yr already;)
    Yellow Jackets are the worse..twice..in the last 16 yrs..but they linger..and the itch..clawing;)

    Itches are annoying.

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    1. It was my first time cooking this Dungeness too! We loved the flavor. A bit of a pain to shell them but well worth the effort - especially for two ♥♥ About 10 years ago I was stung twice in the same month. The second sting had an even worse reaction. I'm going to leave the weeds alone for the rest of the season. not worth it. I love that you are already planning for next year's garden ;) xoxo

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  4. this is a special dish, crab is delicious ! Have a nice weekend my dear, a warm hug from Italy

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    1. Thank you, Chiara! It was very special and I got to finish the Prosecco myself :) xoxo

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  5. lovely Susan! I love crab and this plate look amazing .love it !!xo

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  6. This sounds wonderful Susan! What a great dinner party recipe! I love having simple elegant recipes like this in my arsenal :)

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    1. It comes together very quickly if everything is prepped ahead too! I even boiled the pasta earlier in the day and put it in a zipper bag with a little olive oil until we were ready to start cooking. I also sauteed the shallot an hour before everyone arrived and just kept the pan ready for the rest of the ings. Worked great and lessened the last minute work.

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  7. What a fabulous recipe, one that I will definitely be trying.

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  8. This dish looks delicious Susan and I love Dungeness Crab after trying it in Washington state a couple of years ago.

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    1. I'm so glad I finally know how good it tastes. Thank you, Larry!

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  9. Wow! You created the perfect meal! Love that you used creme fraiche and also cayenne pepper flakes.

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    1. I wasn't sure about the creme fraiche but it turned out great! Thank you, Mimi!

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  10. I've only had Dungeness crab once and loved it. This dish looks delicious! The bees were attracted to my popovers with strawberry jam in Maine so we had to eat indoors. People were getting stung!

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  11. A beautiful dish and look at those gorgeous crabs! Virginia is all about the crabs, they love them here. The Blue Crab is a local favorite. Love your beautiful garden and so sorry about the sting. I bet that hurt for days. Our garden is still producing cucumbers and squash and the tomatoes are about to get out of hand! We eat them at every meal - haha. Glad you're having a nice summer. Thanks for the lovely recipe - I may have to try it with shrimp - sounds great :)

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    1. How wonderful to have plentiful, local crab! I think this would be wonderful with shrimp also, although I haven't tried it myself. Yes, the sting was bad :( Still itches sometimes! Our tomatoes are peaking right now too and we are eating some at almost every meal too :) Not complaining! Thanks, Tricia!

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  12. What a heavenly sounding dish! It sounds light and tasty (with the Prosecco and lemon). I am definitely going to try this...perfect for that last meal or two al fresco!

    Jane x

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    1. It was a perfect summer dish. Al fresco is how our gourmet group ate - on our patio :) Thanks so much, Jane!

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  13. Sunset magazine has some great recipes and this definitely sounds like one, Susan! I love crab, one of sons cooks using Dungeness, and others, but I've never tried it. This is a great elegant dish to serve guests. Thanks for the recipe!

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    1. Not sure if Costco still has them but Dungeness was a very pleasant surprise for us, taste wise. Our guests really loved it. Thanks, Pam!

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  14. delicious I have never added crab to pasta.

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    1. It was the first time for us also, Rebecca. We loved it. Thank you!

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  15. I love crab meat although I must say crabs are quite expensive around here! This is a perfect summer pasta dish Susan!

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    1. I was lucky to find these at a reasonable cost but there was a lot of waste with the shells. Well worth the effort, though. Thank you, Katerina!

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  16. This could be hands down my favorite meal ever, love Dungeness crab. Gorgeous pics too!

    A few years ago we had an underground hornets nest in my garden and I was stung, funny how you never forget something like that. Always much more careful now. Leaving Oregon is 3 to 4 weeks, summer goes by so fast. Take care Susan!

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  17. Oh yes, please! I love those seafood road shows. They always make the weekend extra special! This sure would do it! I do not like stinging anythings! Hope you are better. I am covered with mosquito bites and I am a scratcher!

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I appreciate your comment!