Having lived much of my life in Maryland, the thought of using canned crab meat for crab cakes or any other dish in which crab is the star is anathema to me. Most canned crab is from the other side of the world and is bitsy claw and back meat best suited for dips, but economical canned lump does exist for times when crab has a supporting role as it does here. This crab meat is from Malaysia, although much if not most canned crab is Indonesian.
This simple but delicious and colorful crab and pesto pasta recipe, from a friend, was written for canned crab and boasts a trio of summer flavors: crab, tomato and pesto made from garden-fresh basil. Last summer I froze some before adding the cheeses, as directed in the recipe I use and posted two years ago. I freeze portions in Pyrex bowls (so they become thin discs that defrost quickly; that’s it beneath the can) then pop them out and vacuum seal them. This is the end of last summer’s batch, so my timing’s pretty good. Farm stands will soon have great local basil to make more!
Pasta with Crab and Pesto
6 oz fettuccine or other long pasta
1/3 cup (about 5 heaping TB) pesto
1 can (6 oz) crabmeat, drained, picked over and flaked
1 large tomato, diced
Garnishes:
2 TB chopped fresh basil
Fresh-grated Parmesan cheese
Cook pasta according to package directions; drain but don’t shake. A little water clinging to the pasta is a good thing.
Toss hot pasta with pesto. Transfer to a serving plate. Sprinkle crabmeat and tomatoes over pasta.
Garnish with basil and Parmesan cheese.
Ella’s Note: The salt in this dish comes from the cheeses in the pesto. If you need more, add it to the pesto and not the finished dish. The pasta will also pick up a little salt from the cooking water.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
All right, you’ve really done it this time. Three of my all-time favorites (pasta, crab, pesto) all together. I wouldn’t have thought of this. I didn’t imagine pesto could be any better than just on its own, over the best linguini. I’m feeling a bit faint. {goes to market to find real lump crab}
MusEditions´s last blog ..Mooning on Moonday
We must have been separated at birth, Muse. I get a little weak at the knees over those too.
If I could make a suggestion: with this dish, canned lump is fine. You can see from the photo it’s lumpy and flaky. More important is the pesto, and if you’ve never made it from scratch, I hope you’ll consider it. It just takes a few minutes (I’m assuming you have a processor or blender) and there’s no comparison with anything you’ll buy.
Let me know how it works out for you. I just love the colors – like the flag of Italy!
This recipe looks delicious! I will definately be trying this one out this week!!
Hi, there. I hope you like it. It’s so simple and tastes like a million bucks on a realistic budget.