Crab Linguine With Chili And Cilantro

 

Crab Linguine With Chili And Cilantro

A minimal pasta dish like this demands the best ingredients to make it 
shine, so stint on the quality of pasta, olive oil or crab at your peril.
Ingredients:
12 oz (375 g) linguine
⅓ cup (80 mL) olive oil
1 to 2 Thai bird’s-eye chilies, seeded and minced
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
8 oz (250 g) flaked, cooked, shelled crab meat, about 1½ cups (375 mL)
2 tsp (10 mL) finely grated lemon zest
¼ cup (60 mL) fresh lemon juice
⅓ cup (80 mL) finely chopped cilantro
2 tbsp (30 mL) unsalted butter, softened
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook linguine until al dente, about 9 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat oil over medium-low heat. Add chilies and garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 7 minutes. Don’t let the garlic colour (reduce heat if it looks like it might). Stir in crab meat, lemon zest and juice. Increase heat to medium-high and bubble for 1 minute.

Drain pasta well, reserving ½ cup (125 mL) pasta water. Return pasta to pot. Add crab mixture and cilantro to pasta and toss well, adding enough reserved pasta water, if necessary, to moisten pasta. Stir in butter until it melts. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4