Catch of the day? Melissa Clark’s buttery crab pasta recipe
The long-delayed commercial Dungeness season is here at last. Much as we love the simplicity of Dungeness served with melted butter and a squeeze of lemon, there are other options, too, including this buttery crab pasta recipe by food writer Melissa Clark.
The New York Times food columnist is known for the delicious, easy-to-follow recipes she shares in the Times food section, as well as the pages of her bestselling cookbooks. In “Dinner in French: My Recipes by Way of France” (Clarkson Potter, $37.50), she’s taken classic French fare and updated it for American kitchens. The book’s 150 recipes include salade nicoise with haricot vert, cornmeal and harissa souffle, ratatouille sheet pan chicken, apricot tarte tatin and this beautiful pasta that combines fresh herbs, lemon, Parmesan and lump crabmeat.
Clark doesn’t specify what kind of crab, but we’re nominating fresh Dungeness for the honor.
Buttery Crab Pasta with Golden Tomatoes and Chervil
Makes 2 main course servings or 4 appetizer servings INGREDIENTS
Fine sea salt, as needed
8 ounces bucatini or linguine
4tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving 2 cups halved golden or red cherry tomatoes
1 scallion (white and green parts), thinly sliced
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus more to taste
½ cup fresh chervil leaves, divided
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
Juice of ½ lemon
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
8 ounces lump crabmeat, picked over to remove any stray shells
Extra-virgin olive oil, for serving
Flaky sea salt, for serving
DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente (usually a minute or two less than the package directs). Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and drain the pasta.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk in ½ cup of the pasta water and the Parmesan. Then stir in the tomatoes, scallion, red pepper flakes and a large pinch of salt and simmer for 1 minute.
Stir in the pasta, ¼ cup of the chervil, the lemon zest and juice, and black pepper to taste; toss until warmed through. Gently fold in the crabmeat. Remove the skillet from the heat and serve the crab pasta sprinkled with Parmesan, the remaining ¼ cup chervil, a drizzle of olive oil and flaky sea salt to taste.