The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in DarknessStart CookingComment on this storyCommentAdd to your saved recipesSaveBy Julia Turshen
This decadent weeknight pasta recipe is adapted from Stephanie Dietz, who runs the Pink Dinghy in Virginia Beach, Va. If Calabrian chile paste is a new ingredient in your kitchen, try using it anywhere you’d use sambal or hot sauce (mix with mayo for a great sandwich spread). While fresh crabmeat is the best thing you can use here, it’s a pricey ingredient, and in its place, you can sub in high-quality canned crab; or to make this dish vegetarian, simply leave out the crab.
Storage: Refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Where to buy: Fresh jumbo lump crab can be found at well-stocked supermarkets and seafood shops. Calabrian chile paste can be found at Italian markets, specialty stores, well-stocked supermarkets and online.
From Stephanie Dietz, adapted by cookbook author Julia Turshen.
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Ingredients
measuring cup
Servings: 6 (makes about 9 cups)
Directions
Step 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the bucatini and cook for 3 minutes less than the package directions instruct. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the pasta cooking water (reserve an extra 1/2 cup if not using wine), then drain the pasta.
Step 2
While the water comes to a boil and the pasta cooks, in a large (12-inch) skillet over medium heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the shallots and cook, stirring, until they start to soften, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, increase the heat to high, and season with the salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to burst and get a little saucy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, just until everything is very saucy and cohesive, about 1 minute more. Stir in the wine, butter, lemon zest, chile paste and tomato paste. Decrease the heat to low and simmer while you cook the pasta.
Step 3
Once the pasta is cooked, stir the reserved pasta water into the sauce. Add the pasta to the skillet, increase the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring, until the pasta is cooked through and absorbs a lot of the sauce, about 3 minutes. Taste, and season with more salt and/or pepper, if needed. Just before serving, gently fold in the crabmeat, doing your best not to break up the lumps.
Step 4
Divide among bowls, garnish with parsley and parmesan, and serve right away.
Substitutions
Bucatini >> any long pasta, such as spaghetti or linguine.
Gluten-free? >> Use gluten-free pasta.
Calabrian chile paste >> sambal oelek (start with 1 teaspoon).
Fresh jumbo lump crab >> high-quality canned crab or rock shrimp (stir in the latter at the end of cooking).
Vegetarian? >> Omit the crab.
Alcohol-free? >> Use extra pasta cooking water, plus a squeeze of lemon.
Variations
For a mixed seafood pasta, use crab, plus sautéed shrimp (rock shrimp work well here) and steamed mussels.
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Nutritional Facts
Per serving (1 1/2 cups pasta)
-
Calories
466
-
Fat
15 g
-
Saturated Fat
6 g
-
Carbohydrates
65 g
-
Sodium
416 mg
-
Cholesterol
41 mg
-
Protein
18 g
-
Fiber
4 g
-
Sugar
5 g
This analysis is an estimate based on available ingredients and this preparation. It should not substitute for a dietitian’s or nutritionist’s advice.
From Stephanie Dietz, adapted by cookbook author Julia Turshen.
Tested by Olga Massov.
Published April 25, 2024
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Source link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/bucatini-tomato-butter-crab/