Dungeness Crab Spaghetti

Serves 4

This is a favorite way to serve crab, after the usual feast of steamed and cracked whole Dungeness with drawn butter and sourdough, which needs no recipe. It was inspired from an article in “Saveur” magazine and I’ve adapted it over the years to work well with Dungeness crab. The sauce is slightly spicy and has a fresh flavor from lots of celery and parsley. Don’t forget the crab crackers. 1 whole crab, cooked,

cleaned and cracked

¼ cup olive oil

½ teaspoon celery seed ¼ teaspoon red chile

flakes

2 stalks celery, finely diced

1 onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained and cut up or crushed in a large bowl

½ cup dry white wine Salt and freshly ground

pepper

12 ounces spaghetti 4 tablespoons chopped

fresh parsley

Instructions: Make sure the crab legs are well cracked so they are easy to eat; leave the meat in the shells. Remove all the meat from the body.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the celery seed and red chile flakes; cook until the oil sizzles lightly, then add the celery and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 8-10 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until the tomatoes have reduced down to an intense sauce, 12-15 minutes.

Add the white wine and simmer until reduced, about 5 minutes. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the spaghetti until al dente.

Add the crab legs to the pasta sauce. Increase the heat and simmer, stirring, until the legs are warmed through and coated in the sauce, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat and fold the crab meat into the sauce.

When pasta is done, drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water. Stir the pasta into the sauce with half the parsley, adding the reserved water as needed to thin the sauce so it coats the pasta. Stir over low until heated through, about 1 minute, and season well with salt and pepper.

Serve immediately in pasta bowls, garnished with the remaining parsley.

Per serving: 503 calories, 19 g protein, 65 g carbohydrate, 15 g fat (2 g saturated), 24 mg cholesterol, 532 mg sodium, 10 g fiber.