Crab Tagliatelle

The weather is picking up now and it’s starting to feel like summer, which makes me want big bowls of tasty pasta dishes served alfresco with cold glasses of white wine. Yum! Well this dish certainly fits the bill. It sounds posh and looks pretty impressive, but in reality, it’s ready in about 20 mins and is super easy, which makes it perfect for a date night or intimate dinner party. Or even just to enjoy in the sunshine, sat on the grass, pretending you’re somewhere exotic.

My local supermarket sells pots of fresh crab meat for under £5, which I think is pretty good as it’s good quality and has a lovely strong flavour to it. Unfortunately, they haven’t had any in stock for the last few weeks, so I’ve used 2 tins of crab meat from the tinned meats and fish aisle instead. It still works, and still tastes good, but I find that you need to use a lot more to get the same strength of flavour, hence using 2 tins.

I love the warmth you get from the chilli flakes alongside the crab meat and lemon juice, but of course, how much you decide to put in is up to you. If you’re unsure, I recommend starting with just a pinch and building it up each time you make it to see how much you like.

This dish can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple of days and reheated thoroughly once. It may need a splash of olive oil to loosen it up again.

Ready in 20 mins – serves 2

Ingredients

• 100g of tagliatelle
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 large clove of garlic, crushed and finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon of chilli flakes
• 150g of fresh crab meat if you can find it, or 2x 145g tins of crab meat. I used 1 tin of Jumbo and 1 tin of Shredded to get the different textures
• 6-8 cherry tomatoes cut in half
• 1 heaped tablespoon of ricotta cheese
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
• A good pinch of black pepper
• A good pinch of nutmeg
• 1 heaped tablespoon of pine nuts
• 1 heaped tablespoon of fresh parsley

Method

• Cook the tagliatelle according to packet instructions until it is almost cooked. Save 100mls of the pasta water, drain the rest and set aside.
• Put oil, garlic and chilli in a pan over a medium heat. When the garlic starts to sizzle, add the crab meat and cook through for 2 mins. – Pic 1
• Add the tomatoes, ricotta, lemon juice, black pepper and nutmeg and cook for 5 mins. – Pic 2
• Add the pasta, pasta water, and pine nuts and cook for a further 5 mins until everything is hot and cooked through, then add the parsley. – Pic 3
• Serve with a rocket or spinach salad and a sprinkle of fresh Parmesan if you like.