This 30-minute crab pasta recipe is so elegant and something a little different for a special occasion! It has a lovely parmesan cream sauce with Italian herbs and fresh tomatoes.
Juice and zest of 1/2 medium lemon (about 1 tbsp juice)
1teaspoonDijon mustard
1cupheavy/whipping cream
1/2teaspooncornstarch
8ouncescooked crab meatsee note
1/2cupfreshly grated parmesan cheese+ extra for serving
Salt & pepper
1/2tablespoonchopped fresh parsleyor to taste
Instructions
Boil a salted pot of water and cook the pasta al dente according to package directions.
Add butter to a skillet over medium heat. Once melted, cook the garlic for about 1 minute.
Add the tomatoes, Italian seasoning, lemon juice and zest, Dijon mustard, and cream. Stir until smooth, then let it simmer for about 5 minutes or until the tomatoes start to soften/fall apart.
In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with 1 teaspoon of cold water and stir it into the skillet.
Add the crab and parmesan to the sauce and cook it for a few minutes until it's warmed through and the sauce has thickened up a bit.
If the sauce gets too thick, reserve some of the hot pasta water and add it to the sauce.
Once the pasta is cooked, drain it, add it to the skillet, and toss it with the sauce. Season with salt & pepper as needed, and sprinkle with the chopped parsley. Serve with extra grated parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
For the crab meat, I buy it through a local British Columbia fish monger. A 1 lb. bag contains two sections of cooked wild Dungeness Crab (so, about 8 ounces of crab meat once you discard the shells). Some grocery stores sell ready to eat crab meat in 8 oz. containers (find them in the refrigerated fish/seafood section). You can use canned crab if you like the flavor. Imitation crab works too as an affordable option. Anything around 8 oz (or more!) will work fine.