Ingredients
- 1 live Dungeness crab (preferably 2-2 1/2 lbs.)
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 2 cups crab stock (see recipe below)
- 2 tbsp + 2 T. olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp + 2 T. flat leaf parsley (chopped)
- 1 head romanesco broccoli (broken into florets)
- 1 lb spaghetti
- ½ tsp Calabrian chile paste
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter (room temperature)
- lemon juice
Directions
Step 1
To cook the crab, bring 2 gallons of water to a boil in a large pot with the salt. Place the crab in the water and bring back to a boil. Cook for 12 minutes. Remove from the water and cover with ice to stop the cooking. When cool enough to handle, pick the meat from the shells and reserve. Save the shells for making the crab stock.
Step 2
To make the garlic breadcrumbs, sauté half the garlic in 2 T. of olive oil over medium heat until soft. Add the breadcrumbs and half the chopped parsley. Stir to toast the breadcrumbs. Season with a pinch of salt and reserve.
Step 3
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Toss the broccoli romanesco with a 2 T. of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread the broccoli on a sheet pan and place in the center of the oven. Roast for 12-15 minutes until broccoli is tender and starting to brown.
Step 4
Cook the spaghetti according to the manufacturer’s instructions. While the pasta is cooking, heat a wide bottom pan over medium heat. Sauté the garlic and chili paste in the remaining 2 T. olive oil. Remove the pasta from the cooking water a minute before it’s done and place in the sauté pan with the crab stock. Continue cooking and stirring until the pasta is tender and the crab stock is absorbed by the pasta. Stir in the remaining 2 T. parsley, lemon zest, crab meat, romanesco broccoli and butter. Toss to coat. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and a squeeze of lemon. Serve in warm bowls.
Step 5
Enjoy with a glass of Cakebread Cellars Chardonnay Reserve.
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