Linguini with Crab
This linguini with crab meat 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.
Seeing how jumbo lump crab meat can be expensive, this recipe is perfect for special occasions like Mother’s Day, birthday’s or special holidays. Alternatively, you could use lump crab meat instead. Lump is made from broken pieces of jumbo lump and body meat of the crab. It’s sweet, mild and delicious.
If you do opt for a 16-ounce can of jumbo lump crab meat, be sure to use the remaining eight ounces of crab meat in another recipe. Option to combine it with lump meat to make crab cakes. Or serve it chilled with a side of cocktail sauce. No matter what, you’re going to love this flavorful crab meat.
About this Linguini with Crab Recipe
For this linguini with crab recipe, I used jumbo lump crab meat. The jumbo lump works best because you get a huge juicy piece of crab meat in every bite. Plus, the jumbo lump has the perfect amount of crab flavor, making this dish insanely delicious. I’m not exaggerating when I say I could have finished off the entire pan. This recipe is that good.
As far as pasta goes, I like using Delallo Food’s linguini. This recipe is reminiscent of linguini and clams but with a fun twist. That said, you can use any pasta shape you like. I do suggest however, that you cook the pasta al dente. The pasta will continue to cook in the sauce, and you do not want it to get mushy.
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.
Linguini with Crab
Ingredients
Pasta, crab and sauce
- 8 ounces linguini, pasta, al dente
- ¼ – ½ cup pasta water, reserved
- 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
- ¼ cup dry white wine, Sauvignon Blanc or similar
- 8 ounces jumbo lump crab meat, with the juice, lump crab works too
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh squeezed, plus lemon wedges for serving
- ¼ cup Italian parsley, chopped fresh, plus extra as garnish
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Breadcrumb topping
- ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese, grated
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Equipment
- 1 non-stick skillet for toasting breadcrumbs
- 1 pasta pot
- 1 colander
- 1 3.5-quart sauce pan
Instructions
Prepare the breadcrumbs:
- In a non-stick skillet add one tablespoon of butter over medium high heat. Add the panko breadcrumbs to the pan followed by the grated parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and paprika. Stir frequently. Toast until the breadcrumbs are golden brown. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Prepare the pasta:
- Boil a pot of water and season the water with 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:
- In a 3.5-quart saucepan pan over medium heat add 2 tablespoons of butter, minced garlic, and diced shallots.
- Once the shallots and garlic are fragrant and translucent, deglaze the pan with the white wine. Simmer for 2 minutes.
- Then, you will reduce the heat to medium-low and add 8 ounces of the jumbo lump crab meat with the juice. Saute for 1-2 minutes.
- Next, add the fresh squeezed lemon juice, fresh chopped parsley, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Gently toss everything together, trying not to break the jumbo lump crab meat.
- Add the cooked linguini into the pan with the sauce and crab meat. Gently toss everything together.
- Add about ¼ -½ cup of pasta water. I used a little more than a ¼ cup. Saute until well combined.
- Top the dish with tossed panko breadcrumbs and extra chopped parsley.
- Serve with lemon wedges and enjoy!
6 Comments on “Linguini with Crab”
Absolutely delicious. I made this for Mother’s Day and it was a hit. Followed the recipe exactly as printed.
I made this for Mother’s Day and it was a hit. Followed the recipe exactly as printed.
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!
Meh. Not a very flavorful dish. I wouldn’t do it again. Two stars because it’s at least edible.
Excellent dish. Quick and delicious. Making it again tonight.
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.