Crab pasta is a seafood lover’s dream! The sweet, succulent flavor of crab meat pairs perfectly with pasta. While crab pasta may seem fancy it’s actually quite easy to make at home. With just a few simple ingredients and steps you can create a restaurant-quality crab pasta dish.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk through everything you need to know to make crab pasta, from start to finish
Choosing the Right Crab for Pasta
The first step is selecting high-quality crab to use in your pasta There are a few options
Fresh Crab Meat
Fresh crab meat provides the best flavor and texture. Look for containers of pasteurized lump or jumbo lump crab meat in the refrigerated seafood section of your grocery store.
Lump crab consists of large chunks from the body and claws. It has great crab flavor and a pleasantly chewy texture that holds up well when tossed with pasta.
Crab Legs
You can also use crab legs, steaming them yourself and removing the meat. Snow crab and king crab legs yield delicious meat.
Snow crab is more economical, while king crab has thicker chunks of tender meat. One downside is crab legs provide a lower yield of meat compared to fresh crab meat.
Whole Crab
The most authentic way is steaming a whole crab yourself. Blue and Dungeness yield sweet, tasty meat. However, this requires more work for a lower meat yield.
No matter what type you use, make sure the crab tastes fresh and clean, never fishy or ammonia-like.
Picking the Perfect Pasta
For crab pasta, you want a pasta shape that cradles the chunky crab meat and sauce. Good options include:
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Linguine – Long, flat strands are great for twirling around forkfuls of crab.
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Fettuccine – Slightly wider noodles also nicely cling to crab and sauce.
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Spaghetti – Thin, round strands are an Italian classic pairing with crab.
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Bucatini – Hollow strands allow sauce to fill the pasta tubes.
Aim for a high-quality dry pasta made from Durum wheat. And make sure to cook the pasta al dente, with a slight bite left in the center.
For 4 servings, 12-16 ounces of dry pasta is a good amount. Cook according to package directions.
Crafting a Simple Yet Flavorful Sauce
The sauce for crab pasta should enhance the sweet crab flavor, not overpower it. A rich, creamy sauce is ideal.
Ingredients to Include:
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Butter – 2-4 tablespoons, for richness
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Extra virgin olive oil – 1-2 tablespoons, for flavor
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White wine – 1/2-1 cup adds acidity
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Lemon – Juice and zest, for brightness
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Garlic – 2-3 cloves, minced, for flavor
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Onion or shallots – 1/2 cup, chopped, for aroma
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Herbs – Chopped parsley, basil, tarragon or chives
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Salt and pepper – To taste, for seasoning
Steps for the Sauce:
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Sauté onions and garlic in butter and oil over medium heat.
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Add wine, lemon juice and herbs. Simmer until reduced slightly.
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Turn heat to low and stir in lemon zest and cold butter chunks to thicken.
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Season sauce carefully with salt and pepper.
The sauce should coat the back of a spoon but not be overly thick. Add a splash of pasta water if needed to thin it out.
Putting It All Together for Perfect Crab Pasta
Once your crab is prepped and pasta is cooked al dente, follow these steps:
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Drain pasta and reserve 1 cup cooking water.
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Toss pasta with sauce over low heat until coated, adding pasta water to thin if needed.
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Stir in crab meat and gently heat 1-2 minutes until warmed through.
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Remove from heat and add fresh parsley, lemon zest, salt and pepper.
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Plate pasta and garnish with extra herbs and grated cheese if desired.
The key is not overcooking the crab, just gently warming it through to prevent it becoming rubbery.
Serve crab pasta immediately while hot. Provide lemon wedges for squeezing over the top.
Handy Tips for Perfect Crab Pasta Every Time
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Use high-quality ingredients, including dry pasta, real butter, and fresh herbs.
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Cook pasta al dente so it doesn’t get mushy when mixed with sauce.
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Time adding the crab at the end to prevent overcooking.
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Use a light hand when seasoning, as crab can easily get salty.
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Add starchy pasta water to thin out sauce if needed.
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Gently combine pasta and sauce rather than aggressively stirring.
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Sprinkle individual portions with parsley and lemon zest before serving.
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Accompany with crusty bread or garlic bread to soak up the delicious sauce.
Trying Fun Variations for Crab Pasta
Once you master the basics, play around with these tasty additions:
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Lobster – Replace some or all crab with lobster meat.
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Shrimp – Complement crab with plump cooked shrimp.
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Scallops – Their sweetness works well with crab.
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Bacon – Crisp chopped bacon adds a smoky twist.
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Sun-dried tomatoes – Intensifies flavor and color.
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Mushrooms – Sautéed mushrooms add an earthy touch.
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Asparagus – Blanched asparagus pairs nicely with crab.
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Peas – Fresh or frozen peas offer color and sweetness.
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Parsley – Flat-leaf Italian parsley has the best flavor.
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Tarragon – Its licorice note complements crab.
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Dill – Fresh dill gives a distinct flavor.
Don’t limit yourself – the possibilities for crab pasta are nearly endless!
10 Delicious Crab Pasta Recipes to Get You Started
Here are some amazing crab pasta recipes that offer inspiration:
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Linguine with Crab and Cherry Tomatoes
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Fettuccine Alfredo with Crab Meat
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Spaghetti with Crab, Basil, and Lemon
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Crab Pad Thai with Rice Noodles
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Gemelli with Crab, Asparagus, and Mushrooms
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Bowtie Pasta in Crab Vodka Cream Sauce
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Angel Hair Pasta with Crab and Bacon
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Penne with Crab, Artichokes, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
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Farfalle with Crab, Scallops, and White Wine
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Baked Ziti with Crab, Spinach, and Ricotta
With this handy guide, you have everything you need to start cooking incredible crab pasta tonight! Just remember – quality ingredients, gentle cooking, and bright flavors are key.
How to Make Crab Pasta Salad
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1-2 tablespoons of salt.
- Add the dry pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package directions (usually 10-12 minutes).
- Rinse with cold water, drain and set aside to completely cool.
- While the pasta is cooking, tear or cut the imitation crab meat into bite-size pieces.
- In a very large bowl, combine the crab meat, mayonnaise, buttermilk, garlic, lemon juice, and seasonings.
- Mix or whisk together until well combined.
- Add the cooled pasta and toss/mix with the creamy dressing until well-coated. See the tips below if your pasta is not cooled.
- Garnish with green onions (optional).
- Chill for at least an hour, up to overnight. Toss again before serving.
Note: This Imitation Crab Pasta Salad can be eaten immediately but it’s really better if you cover and chill it for a few hours or overnight. Be patient and you’ll have the best pasta salad with imitation crab ever!
Pro Tips for Imitation Crab Pasta Salad Recipe
- First, this is a big batch of imitation crab salad with pasta. Be sure to grab a very large bowl to mix it up! It’s usually enough for my family of 8 to have lunch (we usually add fruit or bread or both as side dishes).
- If you plan to eat this pasta immediately, I recommend draining the hot pasta, then immediately placing it in an ice bath for 2-3 minutes, then draining again to completely cool it down before adding it to the crab mixture.
- If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, use this substitution. I’ve done it many, many times and nobody ever comments about the pasta salad tasting different.
- I don’t eat raw onions. Ever. And I mean never EVER. Green or otherwise. Therefore, I never use them in this recipe. But if you like them, go ahead and ruin your pasta salad…I mean, add them to your pasta salad and enjoy. I was just kidding. About ruining it. Maybe. The bottom line is, the original recipe given to me did include them if that’s something you like. But I assure you it’s 1000% delicious sans onion.
Because we most often eat this cold pasta salad in the summertime, we love to eat it with other fresh and cool/cold foods. Sometimes we’ll have a green salad. Or freshly sliced cucumbers and/or tomatoes. Another option is a side of fresh fruit.
You might also add fresh sliced bread or crackers. My favorite bread is a croissant. I’ve also served it with saltine crackers but that’s not something most of my family enjoys.
Many times, we eat this pasta as a standalone meal. Sometimes for lunch, sometimes for supper. It’s filling and delicious! It’s also perfect for a holiday side dish, a potluck, or a picnic!
Store crab salad with pasta in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-5 days. This recipe cannot be frozen.
This totally a matter of opinion, but we’ve made this recipe with penne, rotini, bowtie (farfalle), shells, pipette, cellentani… and more! Our favorite is rotini!! Why? Because my tractor-loving child calls it “plows” instead of rotini and he requests it so often that it’s become a family favorite. That aside, I really feel like bowtie, medium shells, or rotini work best in crab salad recipe with pasta.
My recipe does not include boiled eggs but I’m a big believer in doing what works for you. If you love boiled eggs in a cold pasta salad, add them!
Yes, of course! I actually recommend it wholly for this crab salad pasta recipe. It’s inexpensive, easily found in most grocery stores and is what’s most common. However, if you have real crab meat and want to use it, go for it!
No, this is not a recipe that you can freeze. You can, however, make it up to 3 days ahead of time if you’d like to prep it and have it ready to go!
15 Minute Delicious Crab Linguine
FAQ
What type of crab meat is best for pasta?
To make this Italian crab pasta, we will be using the following: Crabmeat: While lump crabmeat is recommended for the best flavor and texture, almost any grade of crabmeat, such as claw, backfin or jumbo lump crab (or any combination thereof), can be used with great results.
What sauce goes with crab pasta?
The sauce for this pasta is a simple combination of butter, sliced garlic, lemon juice and a little of dry white wine or even rosé wine. I also add a grating of the Parmesan cheese at the end. Traditionally in Italy, cheese is never added to seafood pasta, but I think it works in this dish!
What is a traditional Italian crab pasta?
Crab linguine is an Italian Seafood pasta consisting of cooked linguine tossed in a delicious crab sauce often made from the meat of blue crabs and spider crabs, white wine, garlic, herbs (parsley or basil), grape tomatoes, shallots, sometimes lemon or lemon zest, and a little starchy pasta cooking water to make it …
What sauce goes with crab meat?