Spaghettini with crab, lemon, herbs and chilli
This is such a lovely and bright combination, with no cooking of the sauce required. It’s all about the heat of the pasta warming the crab and gently wilting the vibrant riot of herbs. Superior olive oil, the zing of lemon and punch of chilli complete the picture, with the short marination and a little pasta water dragged across with the pasta bringing everything together.
We interviewed Karen Martini for The Press, and you can read it here.
- Author
- Karen Martini, Bar Carolina
- Cook Time
- 30 minutes
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Category
Mains
- Cuisine
- Italian
Ingredients
- 200 ml (7 fl oz) Mount Zero extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 small garlic cloves, finely grated
- 2 long green chillies, finely sliced into rings
- Zest and juice of 2 lemons
- 300 g (10½ oz) cooked crabmeat
- ½ bunch of chervil, leaves and fine stems roughly chopped
- 6 dill sprigs, fronds finely chopped
- 6 flat-leaf (Italian) parsley sprigs, leaves finely sliced
- ½ bunch of chives, finely snipped
- 2 handfuls of curly endive (frisée), finely chopped
- 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) dried spaghettini
- 80 g (2¾ oz) unsalted butter, finely diced
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Add the oil, garlic, chilli, lemon zest and lemon juice to a large bowl
- (stainless steel is best to take on the heat of the pasta, rather than cooling it down)
- Season with salt and pepper and combine
- Flake the crabmeat in and submerge it under the oil
- Add the herbs and endive to the side of the bowl, so they’re not in the oil mix
- Marinate the crabmeat for 5 minutes or so while the pasta cooks
- Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions, until al dente
- Tong the pasta directly into the bowl, taking a little pasta water with it
- Drop the butter on top of the pasta, grind in plenty of pepper, then toss through the sauce quite vigorously, to soften the herbs and emulsify the sauce
- Adjust the seasoning as needed and serve immediately, in warmed bowls