Crab pasta is a pasta dish consisting of crabmeat as one of the main ingredients, often cooked in a sauce made with various other ingredients like olive oil, butter, garlic, onions, tomatoes, wine and seasonings. This sauce is tossed with cooked pasta to prepare the dish. Crab pasta can be served as a starter, side or main dish, with a garnish of grated cheese or basil leaves. It may be made into many interesting variants such as Angel Hair Pasta with Crab and Chili Crab Pasta.
Method of Preparation of Crab Pasta
Ingredients: Crabmeat, olive oil, butter, garlic, green onions, tomatoes, white wine, lemon juice, fresh parsley, salt and pepper are some of the usual ingredients suggested by crab pasta recipes.
About Crabmeat:
Pre-cooked and commercially available canned crab meat is most often used for the dish. Fresh crabmeat, if used, is cooked by boiling before inclusion in the dish.
Crab meat is appreciated for its delicate taste, and fresh crab has a better flavor than frozen one. Commercially available crabs are blue crabs, brown crabs, blue swimming crabs or red swimming crabs. The meat from brown crab, one of the most common varieties, consists of two 'grades' of meat- white meat from the claws and legs, which is high in protein and low in fat, and extremely delicate in flavor, and brown meat from the crab's body that has higher fat content but is also rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Both these grades may be used for preparation of crab pasta.
Imitation crab, also called crab sticks, is a processed form of seafood made with pulverized white fish, and is shaped like crabs. This may be used in place of actual crab for some variants called Imitation crab pasta.
Method of Preparation: To prepare the dish, pasta is cooked till tender-yet-firm in boiling salted water, and then drained. To make the sauce, garlic, onions, tomatoes and wine are added to a mixture of heated butter and oil. The mixture is cooked by simmering, and lemon juice and cooked, flaked crab are added in and the mixture cooked for a few more minutes. The sauce thus prepared is seasoned with salt and pepper and then tossed with cooked pasta.
Serving Suggestions
Crab pasta is served hot, with garnishes such as basil or coriander leaves or grated cheese. It may be served as an appetizer, a side dish or a main dish for a light meal. Common accompaniments served with it are French or Italian bread and green salad.
Crab Pasta Recipe Variations
- Crab Pasta Casserole: This is prepared by sautéing chopped onions, garlic, green peppers and mushrooms in heated oil till the vegetables are crisp tender. This vegetable mixture is mixed with cooked pasta, crabmeat, sour cream, salt and basil. It is spooned into a casserole dish and baked.
- Crab Spaghetti with Chili: This variant is prepared by adding crushed chili flakes to heated olive oil, cooking for a few seconds and then adding grated lemon zest and herbs like chopped parsley and cilantro. This mixture is poured over cooked pasta, and cooked crabmeat, lemon juice, salt and pepper are added.
Related Articles:
