Angel’s hair with crab is a quick pasta of capelli d’angelo, white crab meat and tomato sauce, ready in about 15 minutes. It feeds 4, and the sauce cooks in the time it takes the pasta to boil.
Why This Recipe Works
The sauce cooks for only 2 minutes. Crab meat is already cooked, so it just needs to warm through in the butter. Longer heat turns it dry and stringy.
Capelli d’angelo is a very thin pasta and cooks in 2 to 3 minutes. Drain it the moment it is al dente. It keeps softening in the hot sauce, so pulling it early leaves it with some bite when you serve.
Garlic goes in at half a clove on purpose. Crab tastes sweet and mild, and a full clove would cover it. Butter and passata carry the rest of the sauce, so the crab stays the main flavor.
Angel’s Hair with Crab Ingredients
- 2 ounces butter
- 1/2 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
- 12 ounces fresh cooked white crab meat
- 1 (1-pound) carton or bottle passata or chopped tomatoes
- 13 ounces dried capelli d’angelo or spaghetti
- 1 tablespoon torn basil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
How To Make Angel’s Hair with Crab
Make the crab sauce
- Melt the butter: Heat the 2 ounces of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped garlic and let it warm for a few seconds, so it softens without browning.
- Warm the crab: Stir in the 12 ounces of crab meat and keep stirring for 1 minute. The meat is already cooked, so it only needs to heat through.
- Add the tomatoes: Pour in the passata or chopped tomatoes and mix well. Cook for 1 more minute, then season with salt and plenty of pepper.
Cook the pasta and finish
- Boil the pasta: Cook the capelli d’angelo in boiling salted water for 2 to 3 minutes, until al dente. Drain it right away, since this thin pasta overcooks fast.
- Toss and serve: Add the drained pasta to the sauce and mix well, so every strand is coated. Sprinkle the torn basil over the top and serve at once.
Recipe Tips
- Check the pasta strands: Capelli d’angelo is very fragile. Look at the pack when you buy it and pick one with whole, unbroken strands.
- Use very fresh crab: The crab is the main flavor, so it has to taste clean and sweet. Buy it the day you cook, and keep it cold until the pan is ready.
- Boil the water first: Get the pot boiling before you start the sauce. The sauce takes about 3 minutes and the pasta about 3, so both finish together.
- Swap for spaghetti: Regular spaghetti works if you can’t find capelli d’angelo. It needs longer in the water, so follow the cooking time on the pack.
What To Serve With Angel’s Hair with Crab
Serve this pasta right away in warm bowls, while the strands are still loose. A green salad with lemon dressing and a glass of cold white wine fit the table well.
How To Store
- Fridge: Keep leftovers in a covered container for up to 1 day. Seafood pasta does not hold well, so eat it soon.
- Reheat: Warm it gently in a skillet over low heat with a splash of water, until hot all the way through. Stir often, so the crab does not turn tough.
FAQs
Can I use canned crab meat?
Yes, drain it well first. Canned crab has a stronger taste than fresh, so you may want a bit less pepper. Fresh crab gives a sweeter, cleaner sauce.
Can I use spaghetti instead of angel hair pasta?
Yes. Spaghetti is thicker and needs the cooking time on its pack, usually 8 to 10 minutes. Start the sauce only when the pasta is nearly done.
Is this crab pasta gluten free?
Not as written, because dried capelli d’angelo and spaghetti are made from wheat. Use a gluten-free thin pasta instead. Check your passata label too, since most are plain tomatoes.
Why did my crab turn tough?
Crab meat is already cooked, so too much heat dries it out. Stir it for just 1 minute and add the pasta right after the sauce is ready.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving (1 of 4), worked out from the ingredients.
- Calories: about 560 kcal
- Total Fat: 16g
- Total Carbohydrate: 72g
- Dietary Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 30g
Angel’s Hair with Crab
4
servings5
minutes10
minutes15
minutesThin capelli d’angelo tossed in a quick butter and tomato sauce with sweet white crab meat and fresh basil. A 15 minute seafood pasta for 4.
Ingredients
2 ounces butter
1/2 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
12 ounces fresh cooked white crab meat
1 (1-pound) carton or bottle passata or chopped tomatoes
13 ounces dried capelli d’angelo or spaghetti
1 tablespoon torn basil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Melt the butter: Heat the 2 ounces of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped garlic and let it warm for a few seconds, so it softens without browning.
- Warm the crab: Stir in the 12 ounces of crab meat and keep stirring for 1 minute. The meat is already cooked, so it only needs to heat through.
- Add the tomatoes: Pour in the passata or chopped tomatoes and mix well. Cook for 1 more minute, then season with salt and plenty of pepper.
- Boil the pasta: Cook the capelli d’angelo in boiling salted water for 2 to 3 minutes, until al dente. Drain it right away, since this thin pasta overcooks fast.
- Toss and serve: Add the drained pasta to the sauce and mix well, so every strand is coated. Sprinkle the torn basil over the top and serve at once.
