White crab meat, chilli, lemon and watercress make a light sauce for linguine. Chop the shallot, crush the garlic and prepare the lemon before starting the pasta; the sauce comes together quickly once the pan is hot.
Before you start
Start with cooked, picked crab meat and check carefully for shell fragments. Dried pasta needs its packet cooking time.
What you'll need
Gather everything first, then the cooking feels calmer.
Cook along
Take it step by step; seafood rewards a calm hand.
- 1
Put a pan of water on to boil for the pasta.
- 2
Heat a little olive oil in a saute pan or deep frying pan and fry the shallot over a medium heat for a few minutes until it starts to soften.
- 3
Meanwhile, add the linguine to the boiling water.
- 4
Add the garlic, chilli, lemon zest and lemon juice to the shallot and continue to cook on a low heat for a few more minutes.
- 5
When the pasta is cooked, take a couple of tablespoons of the pasta water and add it to the shallot mixture, then drain the pasta.
- 6
While the pasta is draining, add the crab meat to the pan and stir gently to heat through.
- 7
Add the drained pasta, gently combine, then stir through the watercress.
- 8
Season with salt and pepper and serve straight away.
This one loves a bit of swapping about. If you can only get dried linguine, that's no problem at all - just cook it for a little longer, and spaghetti or tagliatelle work just as well. No watercress in the fridge? Rocket, baby spinach or a handful of parsley will do the same peppery, fresh job. If you're not one for heat, leave the chilli out and be a touch more generous with the seasoning instead. A splash of white wine added with the garlic and lemon is a lovely touch too. We always serve ours with a simple side salad and a cold glass of Sauvignon Blanc.
Serve it with
Serve straight away while it's hot, kept simple so the crab stays the star. A dressed green salad, crusty bread and a cold glass of Sauvignon Blanc is all it asks for.
Common questions
- What's the difference between white and brown crab meat?
- White meat comes from the claws and legs - it's sweet, delicate and flaky, which is exactly what you want for this pasta. Brown meat comes from the body and is much richer and softer, lovely stirred into sauces or spread on toast. This recipe uses white meat, but a teaspoon of brown stirred in will add a deeper savoury note if you fancy it.
- Can I use dried linguine instead of fresh?
- Yes, easily. Fresh linguine cooks in a couple of minutes, while dried takes longer, so just follow the packet timing and start it a little earlier. Spaghetti or tagliatelle work well too.
- How much crab meat do I need?
- The white meat from one good-sized crab is about right for two people. If you're buying ready-picked white crab meat, around 150-200g does the job nicely.
- Do I need to cook the crab meat?
- If you're using cooked, ready-picked crab meat, it just needs warming through gently at the end - a minute or two is plenty. You don't want to cook it hard, as that toughens the meat and you lose that lovely sweetness.
- What can I use instead of watercress?
- Rocket is the closest swap for that peppery bite. Baby spinach or a good handful of chopped parsley also work, stirred through right at the end so they keep their freshness.
