This decadent weeknight pasta recipe is adapted from Stephanie Dietz, who runs the Pink Dinghy in Virginia Beach, Va. If Calabrian chile paste is a new ingredient in your kitchen, try using it anywhere you’d use sambal or hot sauce (mix with mayo for a great sandwich spread). While fresh crabmeat is the best thing you can use here, it’s a pricey ingredient, and in its place, you can sub in high-quality canned crab; or to make this dish vegetarian, simply leave out the crab.
Storage: Refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Where to buy: Fresh jumbo lump crab can be found at well-stocked supermarkets and seafood shops. Calabrian chile paste can be found at Italian markets, specialty stores, well-stocked supermarkets and online.
Ingredients
Servings: 6 (makes about 9 cups)
Directions
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Step 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the bucatini and cook for 3 minutes less than the package directions instruct. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the pasta cooking water (reserve an extra 1/2 cup if not using wine), then drain the pasta.
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Step 2
While the water comes to a boil and the pasta cooks, in a large (12-inch) skillet over medium heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the shallots and cook, stirring, until they start to soften, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, increase the heat to high, and season with the salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to burst and get a little saucy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, just until everything is very saucy and cohesive, about 1 minute more. Stir in the wine, butter, lemon zest, chile paste and tomato paste. Decrease the heat to low and simmer while you cook the pasta.
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Step 3
Once the pasta is cooked, stir the reserved pasta water into the sauce. Add the pasta to the skillet, increase the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring, until the pasta is cooked through and absorbs a lot of the sauce, about 3 minutes. Taste, and season with more salt and/or pepper, if needed. Just before serving, gently fold in the crabmeat, doing your best not to break up the lumps.
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Step 4
Divide among bowls, garnish with parsley and parmesan, and serve right away.
Substitutions
Bucatini >> any long pasta, such as spaghetti or linguine.
Gluten-free? >> Use gluten-free pasta.
Calabrian chile paste >> sambal oelek (start with 1 teaspoon).
Fresh jumbo lump crab >> high-quality canned crab or rock shrimp (stir in the latter at the end of cooking).
Vegetarian? >> Omit the crab.
Alcohol-free? >> Use extra pasta cooking water, plus a squeeze of lemon.
Variations
For a mixed seafood pasta, use crab, plus sautéed shrimp (rock shrimp work well here) and steamed mussels.
