Bucatini
Crab, Lemon, Chili
Bucatini is believed to have been invented in Southern Italy where long strands of dough were rolled around a thin metal rod known as a ferreto. Since then the popularity of bucatini has shifted to primarily the Lazio region of Italy, and more specifically Rome. The Romans believe these “hollow straws” are lighter than other long pasta shapes, and so they usually pair it with heavier cream and butter sauces like carbonara.
This recipe takes some of those Roman traditions and cooking techniques and puts a New Jersey beach town spin on it. By using a one-to-one ratio (by weight) of crab to pasta, this dish is unapologetically rich and creamy - and while the lemon and chili help to cut through some of the decadence, it won’t trick you into thinking this is some hippie health food. This is a wear some pants with elastic in them and breath through your mouth when you are done type pasta.
Servings: 4 - Time: ~20 mins. - Difficulty: 1 - Itsa Easy
Ingredients & Mise en Place
16 oz. bucatini
16 oz. lump crab meat - checked for shells
1 lemon - zested and then quartered
2 tsp. crushed red chili
4 garlic cloves - finely minced
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ cup white wine - any Italian white wine will work
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
Note:
This sauce elements of this recipe take roughly the same amount of time to cook as the pasta. If your pasta is done before the rest of the components, that’s ok, just strain it and set aside - just make sure you save a cup of pasta water - you might need it if the sauce thickens too much.
Directions
Bring a pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Once boiling, add pasta, give it a stir and cook according to the package for al dente. Roughly 7 minutes for dry bucatini.
Place a deep sauté pan on medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Once hot add the garlic and chili flakes and cook until fragrant - about 1-2 minutes. Stir in the crab meat, heavy cream, most of the zest, half the lemon juice, and white wine. Season with sea salt to taste and bring to an aggressive simmer while the pasta finishes. This will burn off the alcohol and thicken the cream.
Once the pasta is al dente, add it to the sauce and stir to combine for about a minute and then immediately remove from the heat.
Finish each serving of the pasta with a few drizzles of extra virgin olive oil, extra chili flakes and lemon zest or juice to taste.
