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Fresh pasta tossed in a sweet-and-spicy vodka sauce flavored with fresh crab meat and chiles, all topped with crunchy bread crumbs.
By
J. Kenji López-Alt
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/kenji-lopez-alt-9e7ff3ba54e24328a853d774a05fd4b8.jpg "Pasta with Crab, Tomato, and Chiles Recipe (1)")
Updated June 23, 2023
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:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/__opt__aboutcom__coeus__resources__content_migration__serious_eats__seriouseats.com__recipes__images__2013__03__20130321-crab-and-pasta-recipe-4-560d0873393b4ead9328767cb2318a32.jpg "Pasta with Crab, Tomato, and Chiles Recipe (2)")
Why It Works
- Adding the vodka to the sauce when there are only a handful of minutes left of cooking time ensures the sauce is neither overly boozy nor absent of the flavor-enhancing effects of the vodka.
- Thinly sliced fresh chile adds to the heat of the sauce.
- Toasted and seasoned bread crumbs add flavor as well as textural contrast.
When I developed this recipe one early spring, it was still snowing on and off in New York and crabbing season had just started, which probably explains why I had crabs on the mind. It also helps that it's my wife's favorite seafood and she was about to embark on a six-month west-coast sabbatical, so I was trying to squeeze in all the brownie points I could before she took off for sunnier climes.
As I discovered, finding quality crab in New York City isnotan easy task in the ultra-early spring. I had to resort to taking toTwitterfor recommendations and calling over a dozen seafood sellers around the city, only to find that the *only* one to be carrying fresh crab (I can't abide by the canned and pasteurized stuff) was the fish counter atEataly. Now, despite the many great products that Eataly carries, I'd been burned by the fish counter there in the past with a rather expensive container of picked crab that turned out to be not-quite-so-fresh when I examined it at home.
Luckily, my Tweeted complaints were met with a prompt response and what appears to be an earnest attempt at rectifying the problems. I even had a chance to chat with the seafood manager to discuss ways in which product quality control could be improved. I've returned to buy seafood from the counter several times and have indeed noted an improvement in quality and care shown to the display, so cheers to taking feedback and running with it, Eataly!
And what have I been doing with all this fresh crab? Well for one thing, making a butt-load* of crab cakes for an upcoming installment ofThe Food Lab. But on my way out of Eataly I couldn't help but notice the fantastic-looking fresh Spaghetti alla Chittara in the pasta department.
*Did you know that a butt-load is an actual measure equivalent to 126 gallons or two hogsheads? True story.
My mind immediately drifted off to midtown and the fantastic spaghetti with crab, sea urchin, and basil atMarea.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/__opt__aboutcom__coeus__resources__content_migration__serious_eats__seriouseats.com__images__2013__03__20130321-crab-and-pasta-recipe-1-fec31da3c7c742d8aad4a588b531b321.jpg "Pasta with Crab, Tomato, and Chiles Recipe (3)")
Their version is made by blending sea urchins into their pomodoro sauce, then tossing the whole thing with fresh-cooked pasta, crab meat, oven-dried tomatoes, and a sprinkle of bread crumbs.
Riffing on that setup, I decided to instead go with thevodka-cream sauceI'd been doing tests on last week as the base for my dish. The brightness of the sauce and the sweetness of the crab really hit it off together. To the base I added a handful of sliced hot red chiles, reinforcing the heat in the sauce base.
With the sauce made, incorporating the crab is as easy as folding it in, taking care not to break it up too much. Crab has a way of ingratiating itself to its surroundings, its flavor blending in so that every strand of sauce-coated spaghetti gets its aroma and flavor whether chunks of it make it into your mouth or not.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/__opt__aboutcom__coeus__resources__content_migration__serious_eats__seriouseats.com__images__2013__03__20130321-crab-and-pasta-recipe-2-8e10c2b55ea1436eb5e4363db15de4c6.jpg "Pasta with Crab, Tomato, and Chiles Recipe (4)")
Rather than Marea's basil, I went with a mix of parsley and chives, also tossing some in with the bread crumbs that I'd toasted in olive oil.
"Bread crumbs are a completely underrated pasta topping," saidEd. I agree. They add texture and absorb flavor without distracting and are the perfect counterpoint to an otherwise all-soft plate.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/__opt__aboutcom__coeus__resources__content_migration__serious_eats__seriouseats.com__images__2013__03__20130321-crab-and-pasta-recipe-5-63eb169626024bed8d83bea3be28b120.jpg "Pasta with Crab, Tomato, and Chiles Recipe (5)")
The resulting dish is so darn delicious I may even have to share it with my wife next time. Did I mention I finished it all before she got a chance? There go my brownie points.
March 2013
Recipe Details
Pasta With Crab, Tomato, and Chiles Recipe
Active30 mins
Total45 mins
Serves4 servings
Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained and roughly broken up by hand
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup vodka
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 slices rustic bread or 1 English muffin, roughly torn
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 small red hot chile, finely sliced
1 pound fresh spaghetti, fettucini, or tagliatelle (dry pasta can also be used)
1 poundlump or jumbo lump fresh crab meat
Directions
Heat butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat until melted and foaming subsides. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant but not browned, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes and heavy cream. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly reduced, about 10 minutes. Add vodka and simmer for 4 minutes longer.
Transfer mixture to jar of blender and blend on high speed until completely smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper and transfer 2 cups to a large saucepan. Reserve remaining sauce for another use.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Combine bread and remaining olive oil in the work bowl of a food processor. Process until fine crumbs are formed. Transfer to a medium skillet and cook over medium-high heat, stirring and tossing constantly until golden brown. Transfer to a small bowl. Season bread crumbs to taste with salt and pepper and add a pinch of parsley and chives. Toss to combine. Set aside.
Add crab and sliced chiles to saucepan with sauce and stir to combine. Cook spaghetti in boiling salted water just until it is barely cooked through, about 2 minutes (if using dry pasta, cook according to package directions). Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of cooking liquid. Transfer pasta to saucepan with sauce and stir in remaining herbs. Heat over high heat until sauce is simmering and pasta is completely coated, adding reserved pasta water as necessary to thin sauce to desired consistency. Serve immediately, topping with bread crumbs.
Special Equipment
Blender, food processor
Read More
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- Shrimp Fra Diavolo (Shrimp and Pasta with Spicy Tomato Sauce)
- Penne alla Vodka
- Pasta Mains
- Italian
- Stovetop Pasta
- Crab
| Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 714 | Calories |
| 27g | Fat |
| 79g | Carbs |
| 37g | Protein |
Show Full Nutrition Label
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| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 4 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 714 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 27g | 35% |
| Saturated Fat 10g | 51% |
| Cholesterol 230mg | 77% |
| Sodium 1037mg | 45% |
| Total Carbohydrate 79g | 29% |
| Dietary Fiber 3g | 12% |
| Total Sugars 7g | |
| Protein 37g | |
| Vitamin C 51mg | 257% |
| Calcium 177mg | 14% |
| Iron 6mg | 32% |
| Potassium 1074mg | 23% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
