This dish is my own creation and one of my husband's favorites. He is originally from Maryland, so a love for crab runs in his DNA! Whenever I make crab cakes, I keep them pretty simple—crab, mayo, egg, breadcrumbs, lemon juice, dash of Worcestershire sauce and some chopped parsley. I like my crab cakes "crab-y" and want that flavor to stand out the most. I decided to translate those flavors into a pasta dish, and came up with the perfect combo of thick spaghetti, succulent crab, crunchy breadcrumbs and a lemon-y butter sauce (are you drooling yet?). It is incredibly easy to make, and always a crowd pleaser. I do tend to save this dish for a special occasion only because crab meat is expensive, and imitation crab simply will not do the dish justice. I turn the volume up an extra notch and top it off with a generous grating of parmesan cheese and Italian parsley—delicious! Crab, pasta, a nice glass of wine—what more do you need?! You can check out the recipe below. As always, Happy Cooking & Eating :-)
Crab Cake Pasta
1 lb. box thick cut spaghetti
1 1/2 sticks butter, plus 3 tbsp. for the breadcrumbs
1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup olive oil
zest and juice of one lemon
1 lb. lump crab meat
1 bunch of Italian parsley (chopped for garnish)
freshly grated Parmesan cheese (for garnish)
Old Bay seasoning (optional garnish to make it a true Maryland-style crab cake dish!)
salt & pepper to taste
*Note* You'll want to sauté and toast the breadcrumbs before cooking the pasta
In a sauté pan, melt 3 tbsp. of butter and add Panko bread crumbs. Toast over medium-medium/high heat for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally until they are golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside in a bowl. Next, cook the pasta according to the directions on the package.
In the same sauté pan you toasted the bread crumbs in, melt 1 1/2 sticks butter with 1/4 cup olive oil over low/medium heat. Add zest and juice of one lemon to the pan and let it melt together. Once melted and blended together, keep the pan on the lowest heat until it's ready for the pasta. When the pasta is ready, use tongs to put it directly into the butter-lemon sauté pan. You'll want the heat completely turned off at this point. Add salt and pepper to taste and toss.
Add lump crab meat, a generous sprinkle of parmesan, parsley, and a handful of toasted breadcrumbs. Toss a few times to mix everything in, being careful not to break the crab too much (If the sauce gets a little dry, use some of the pasta cooking water to thin it out). Serve immediately with a little extra garnish of cheese, parsley and breadcrumbs, and a few dashes of Old Bay if you like. Enjoy!
