Linguini with Crab
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This Linguini with Crab pasta recipe is the seafood pasta recipe you never knew you needed. The white wine lemon butter sauce tastes amazing with the juicy jumbo lump crab meat and al dente linguini pasta.
Tossed with fresh herbs, seasonings and toasted panko breadcrumbs, this recipe is hard to resist. What’s great is that the entire dish comes together in 30-40 minutes. If you love crab try my Classic Crab Cakes.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple yet gourmet. This recipe is made from simple ingredients yet has a very gourmet restaurant quality feel.
- Impress guests and family. Your family and friends will feel the love by enjoying this delicious decadent recipe. The jumbo lump crab meat makes this dish feel and taste very special.
- Perfect for holidays. This recipe is easy enough for a weeknight but fancy enough for a holiday!
Recipe Ingredients
- Pasta / Pasta Water – This recipe calls for 8 ounces of cooked al dente linguini. Make sure to reserve some of the pasta water.
- Crab – You’ll need 8 ounces of jumbo lump crab meat with any juices. Option to use lump crab meat instead.
- Fats – This recipe calls for both olive oil and butter. The oil is used to prevent the pasta from sticking together. And the butter is used for the recipe.
- Aromatics – This recipe calls for garlic and shallots.
- Wine – You’ll need a dry white wine for this recipe.
- Lemon Juice – Fresh squeezed lemon juice tastes best.
- Parsley – You’ll need freshly chopped Italian parsley for this recipe.
- Seasoning – This recipe calls for kosher salt, cracked black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Keep in mind that the butter and water already have salt so use the salt sparingly. Also if you do not like spice, omit the red pepper flakes.
Variations
Use lump crab instead. Lump is made from broken pieces of jumbo lump and body meat of the crab. It’s sweet, mild and delicious.
Use leftover crabmeat. If you opt for a 16-ounce can of jumbo lump crab meat, be sure to use the remaining eight ounces of crab meat. Serve it chilled with a side of cocktail sauce and fresh lemon wedges.
How to Make
Toast the Breadcrumbs
- In a nonstick skillet add one tablespoon of butter over medium high heat. Once melted, add the panko breadcrumbs. Toast until the breadcrumbs are golden brown.Once the breadcrumbs are cool, toss them with the parmesan cheese, paprika and garlic powder. Mix until well combined.
Boil the Pasta
- Boil a pot of water and lightly season the water with kosher salt. Cook the pasta according to the package. Al dente is best as the pasta will continue to cook in the sauce.Reserve ¼-½ cup pasta water before draining. Drain the remaining water using a colander. Drizzle the pasta with olive oil and set it aside.
Prepare the Sauce
- Place a saucepan pan over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of butter. Once melted, add the diced shallots and minced garlic. Saute until tender and lightly browned.Deglaze the pan with white wine. Let the wine reduce by half. Next, add the jumbo lump crab meat and any juices. Saute.
- Then, add ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water, fresh squeezed lemon juice, chopped parsley, cracked black pepper and red pepper flakes. Let it reduce, then add the cooked linguini and gently toss everything together. Taste and season accordingly.
Assemble
- Top the dish with tossed panko breadcrumbs and extra chopped parsley. Serve warm with freshly lemon wedges.
Storage
- Store this pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat this dish, simply add a small amount of olive oil to a pan and toss everything together. You can also microwave the leftovers as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I reheat this linguini with crab pasta recipe?
Yes! Heat some olive oil to a pan and place it over medium heat. Add the leftovers and warm through.
Can I swap the pasta shape?
You can use spaghetti or fettuccine instead of linguini if you prefer. Angel hair would work too.
Other Pasta Recipes to Consider Trying
Linguini with Crab
This linguini with crab pasta recipe is the seafood pasta recipe you never knew you needed. The white wine lemon butter sauce tastes amazing with the juicy jumbo lump crab meat and al dente linguini pasta.
Equipment
- 1 nonstick skillet for toasting breadcrumbs
- 1 pasta pot
- 1 colander
- 1 3.5-quart sauce pan
Ingredients
Pasta, Crab and Sauce
- 8 ounces linguini, cook al dente
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, drizzle over the drained pasta to prevent sticking
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced, about 3 cloves
- ¾ cup shallots, diced small
- ¼ cup dry white wine, Sauvignon Blanc or similar
- 8 ounces jumbo lump crab meat, with the juice, lump crab works too
- ¼ – ½ cup pasta water, reserved
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh squeezed, plus lemon wedges for serving
- 3 tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped fresh, plus extra as garnish
- kosher salt, to taste
- cracked black pepper, to taste
- red pepper flakes, to taste, optional
Breadcrumb Topping
- ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese, grated
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
Prepare the Breadcrumbs
- In a nonstick skillet add one tablespoon of butter over medium high heat. Once melted, add the panko breadcrumbs. Toast until the breadcrumbs are golden brown. Once the breadcrumbs are cool, toss them with the parmesan cheese, paprika and garlic powder. Mix until well combined.
Boil the Pasta
- Boil a pot of water and lightly season the water with kosher salt. Cook the pasta according to the package. Al dente is best as the pasta will continue to cook in the sauce.Reserve ¼-½ cup pasta water before draining. Drain the remaining water using a colander. Drizzle the pasta with olive oil and set it aside.
Prepare the Sauce
- Place a saucepan pan over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of butter. Once melted, add the diced shallots and minced garlic. Saute until tender and lightly browned. Deglaze the pan with white wine. Let the wine reduce by half. Next, add the jumbo lump crab meat and any juices. Saute. Then, add ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water, fresh squeezed lemon juice, chopped parsley, cracked black pepper and red pepper flakes. Let it reduce, then add the cooked linguini and gently toss everything together. Taste and season accordingly.
Assemble
- Top the dish with tossed panko breadcrumbs and extra chopped parsley. Serve warm with freshly lemon wedges.
Notes
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for three to four days. Reheat leftovers in a pan on the stove top or in the microwave.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 436kcal, Carbohydrates: 55g, Protein: 20g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 47mg, Sodium: 895mg, Potassium: 456mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 651IU, Vitamin C: 16mg, Calcium: 91mg, Iron: 2mg
6 Comments on “Linguini with Crab”
We doubled the recipe to use the leftover snow crab, and happy that we did. It wouid have been very small portions to feed 4. It was easy to make and every one enjoyed it.
Excellent dish. Quick and delicious. Making it again tonight.
Meh. Not a very flavorful dish. I wouldn’t do it again. Two stars because it’s at least edible.
This dish is easy and elegant! I love that your recipes consist of ingredients I usually have on hand. I bought the crab on sale this week with this recipe in mind and subbed spaghetti for linguine, as that was what I had. Delicious!
I made this for Mother’s Day and it was a hit. Followed the recipe exactly as printed.
Absolutely delicious. I made this for Mother’s Day and it was a hit. Followed the recipe exactly as printed.