Spaghetti with Crab

Spaghetti with Crab

Simplicity is often perfect. I'm occasionally shocked at how great a dish can be after eight minutes of cooking - this is one such recipe. Not only is it quick to put together, it contains few ingredients, with each given space to flourish. I had the intention of buying fresh crab but sometimes Newbridge is not the best place to shop. I settled on a good quality tinned crab and it worked really well. If it's this good with tinned crab, I can only imagine what it's like with fresh! Feel free to double the quantities to serve 4 people.

Serves 2

220g Dried Spaghetti

4 tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

1 clove of Garlic (finely chopped)

1/2 Red Chilli (finely chopped)

1 tsp Salted Capers (rinsed)

1 Small Lemon (zest and juice)

200g Crab Meat (tinned or fresh)

1 tbsp Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley (finely chopped)

Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

1. In a large saucepan, bring 2.5 litres of water to the boil and add plenty of salt. Add the spaghetti, return to the boil and cook until al dente (usually about 1 minute less than instructed on the packet).

2. In a large frying pan, heat the oil over a medium heat and add the garlic, chilli, capers and lemon zest. Cook for 2-3 minutes being careful not to burn the garlic. Season lightly with salt and pepper (be careful about adding too much salt with the capers already present). Add the lemon juice and crab meat and continue to cook for another minute to heat through.

3. Drain the pasta reserving some of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the frying pan and mix well. Add a little of the cooking water if it seems a little dry. Sprinkle over the chopped parsley and serve.