Linguine with Crab, Lemon, Mint & Chile

Citrus fruit is another of my winter favorites – it brings a little sunshine to the dark, dreary days we often have. I was happy to see the great collection of citrus recipes in the January issue of Bon Appetit magazine . Doubling my delight, I noticed a pasta recipe that featured both crab and lemon!

Yes, crab with lemon is a classic combination but this recipe adds a couple of nice twists: mint and chile.

Pasta, dried chile and lemon are nearly always in my pantry. And I still have some usable mint in my garden, which is unusual for this time of year but probably due to the dry winter weather we’ve had. As you may have guessed from my last post I had crab in my refrigerator, too. With this ingredient convergence I was meant to make this recipe. And so I did.

It all comes together in a few minutes. You have to allow time for the pasta to cook, but that gives you plenty of time to get the sauce ingredients ready to go. I sautéed the onions and garlic, then pulled the pan off the heat until the pasta had about 5 minutes remaining. At that point I continued on with the sauce and added the pasta as soon as it finished cooking.

This is a light and delicious meal. It’s extremely satisfying yet a nice break from all the rich foods from the holidays. The mint and lemon keep the dish fresh, while the butter and crab add a silky plushness to each bite.

I pretty much followed the recipe as is. At least as much as I follow any recipe…. When you add the crab at the end of the recipe make sure you just warm it and don’t over cook it. You don’t want it to dry out or become tough.

You can find the pasta recipe here.