Crab Pasta With Snap Peas and Mint
Published May 16, 2017
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
- Total Time
- 25 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
Fine sea salt, as needed
8 ounces linguine or spaghetti
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, to taste
1 cup sliced sugar snap peas
2 scallions, whites and greens (both light and dark) thinly sliced
⅛ teaspoon red chile flakes, more to taste
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
8 ounces crab meat, preferably lump
⅔ cup torn mint leaves
Juice of ½ lemon, more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil, for serving
Flaky sea salt, for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 to 3 servings)
66 grams carbs; 114 milligrams cholesterol; 560 calories; 8 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 22 grams fat; 6 grams fiber; 651 milligrams sodium; 26 grams protein; 5 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add pasta and boil until al dente according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain.
- Step 2
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk in ½ cup pasta water, then stir in snap peas, scallions, chile flakes and a large pinch of salt. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until peas are tender. Stir in lemon zest and mix well.
- Step 3
Add drained pasta to the pan along with crab, ⅓ cup mint, the lemon juice and black pepper. Toss, adding more pasta water if the mixture looks dry, until warmed through. Remove from heat and serve topped with remaining mint, a drizzle of oil, more lemon if you'd like, and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
Private Notes
Comments
The grocery store only had canned crab, which was expensive and didn't look appealing, so instead I made this tonight with bay scallops. Patted the scallops with paper towels, sprinkled with salt and pepper, then sauteed in olive oil. The scallops released a lot of liquid, which I added into the final sauce before tossing the entire dish together. It tasted great! A delicious combination of fresh flavors. I think shrimp or cubed swordfish would also work well as subs for the crab.
Canned crab, in addition to being pasteurized, is often Asian "blue swimmer" crab, a totally different species than North American blue crab. The Asian crabmeat is definitely inferior in taste. Skipping it was a good idea.
What is Sam Sifton's 'no recipe' scallops?
We loved mint, and the recipe, but found the mint overpowered the crab to the extent that we were all left with tingling mouths! Next time (and there will be a next time, because the recipe is otherwise lovely), we will halve or even quarter the amount of mint.
Prefer less pasta, perhaps 6 oz vs 8oz.
We used canned Indonesian crab on sale. This dish, made according to the recipe as written, was fantastic. I can't imagine how good it would be with fresh crab. We will serve this to guests for a spring first course or a spring lunch. Spectacular!!!