How to cook BLUE CRAB: Today Pasta with Blue Crab Sauce!
Today we talk about Blue Crab, also known as Blue King Crab, a species that has arrived in the Mediterranean from South American waters, particularly aggressive but also incredibly delicious.
This species is called “alien,” not because it comes from space but simply because it is not native to our seas, is spreading here as well, and feeding on everything it finds, it has proved a threat to biodiversity.
Despite the fact that the Blue Crab poses a threat to the Mediterranean marine ecosystem, it is definitely a gastronomic delicacy, so what to do… let’s help the environment and start eating this colorful and tasty crustacean!
Many chefs have praised its properties and delicacy, and now this ingredient has entered the menus of even starred restaurants. However, cooking it is within everyone’s reach, so why not prepare a great recipe.
Today I decided to try my hand at a pasta sauce with Blue Crab, an easy and quick recipe, in which the sauce is ready in the time it takes to cook the pasta and is also very economical: did you know that the price per kg of blue crab ranges from 3.5 to 5 euros maximum?? Read the article “Prepare a main course with crab sauce for less than 4 euros per person”.
In this blue crab tagliolini recipe, I will also explain how to clean it and obtain the meat we will use to prepare the sauce, and I will tell you some curiosities about this alien species!
Prepare this main dish to impress your guests at an important lunch or dinner; they will appreciate the taste and refinement, think you have been at the stove all day, and, not to forget, you’ll feed a regiment for very little!
If you want to know everything but everything about this colorful crustacean, read the article on BLUE CRAB
Crustaceans are wonderful, easy to cook, and versatile, look at these recipes, for example
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 422.80 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 32.79 (g) of which sugars 6.08 (g)
- Proteins 44.65 (g)
- Fat 11.69 (g) of which saturated 1.89 (g)of which unsaturated 1.27 (g)
- Fibers 2.80 (g)
- Sodium 1,765.42 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 150 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 14 oz pasta (tagliolini or spaghetti)
- 2 lbs crab (BLUE)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tbsps chopped parsley
- 3 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- 1 pinch black pepper (ground)
- crab (shell and claw scraps)
- to taste water
- carrot (1)
- celery (1 stalk)
- onion (1)
- to taste salt
Tools
- Pot
- Pan
Steps
First, bring plenty of water to a boil in a pot; you will need it to cook the pasta because this sauce is very quick! Meanwhile, clean the BLUE Crab: remove the “legs” and the claws, then take it by the tail and lift it with the tip of a knife, and remove the upper shell. Remove the internal viscera but keep the shell (you will need it to prepare the bisque). Remove the gills from the body of the Crab, and if there are other viscera in the abdomen, then rinse it under water. With a small knife or scissors, retrieve all the meat. Do not discard the shells
In a small saucepan, prepare the crab stock: put water, celery, carrot, and onion in a saucepan, then add all the shells. Bring to a boil, when foam forms remove all the foam on the surface, cook for about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, let cool, then pass the liquid through a strainer. Keep the crab stock aside; you will need it when you sauté the pasta in the pan.
Put a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil in a pan and as soon as it heats up, add a crushed garlic clove and a little chopped parsley. Let it flavor for a minute, then add the quartered cherry tomatoes. Continue cooking for a couple of minutes over medium heat. Add the crab meat, adjust salt, a pinch of pepper, and let it flavor for a minute. Pour in the white wine, let it evaporate, and continue cooking for a couple of minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside.
Meanwhile, the pasta water will have come to a boil, throw in the tagliolini and drain them slightly al dente. Pour them directly into the pan with the Blue Crab sauce, add half a ladle of fish stock, and finish cooking, stirring constantly (about 1-2 minutes). Finish the dish with a sprinkle of parsley and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil raw. The tagliolini with Blue Crab are ready, enjoy your meal!
NOTES
In today’s recipe, I used the BLUE CRAB to dress the pasta, but in reality, this crustacean lends itself to many other uses and is no different from its other similar ones, like the Spider Crab. Therefore: steaming, the most suitable method because the heat is indirect and more delicate; simple boiling as you would for cooking octopus, although the times are significantly reduced (just 10 minutes) to avoid ruining the meat too much; pan or grill cooking and finally, of course, frying! In this case, due to the size, it is not possible to cook it with the whole shell, so I recommend shelling the crab, seasoning it, forming a sort of meatball, and then once breaded, frying it.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
How to clean the Blue Crab?
The process of cleaning the Blue Crab is very similar to that of other crustaceans: it is cleaned by splitting it in half, the meat is extracted, and finally, the claws are detached and shelled with a nutcracker. All the steps for cleaning can also be found in THIS ARTICLE
What does blue crab taste like?
The Blue Crab has a very delicate taste, highly appreciated, vaguely reminiscent of lobster, and overseas, where it is fished, it is considered a real delicacy.
How much does blue crab cost per kg?
The Blue Crab is a truly economical food that ranges from 3.50 to 5 euros per kilo, truly a budget-saving ingredient if you then think that you are eating a crustacean with prized meat.
How much does a blue crab weigh on average?
Normally, the Blue Crab is not particularly large, although it can reach the weight of 1 Kilo for 6 inches in length and 10 inches in width.
