Crab Pasta

This creamy crab pasta with chilli and basil is one of the most flavour-packed recipes I have EVER cooked in just TWENTY MINUTES!!! Sorry, I will stop shouting now.

It is true though! This creamy crab pasta is a combination of tomato, basil, lemon, chilli & garlic added to sweet crab meat together in a creamy sauce served with angel hair pasta - divine! And fast! Winner!

If you aren't a fan of chilli just leave it out and this creamy crab pasta still tastes great, but the cream actually cuts down the heat of the chilli quite a lot. Feel free to add more chilli if you like more heat as well! 

How to make crab sauce for pasta

• Fry some chopped cherry tomatoes for 1-2 minutes, until they start to break down a little.
• Add chopped chilli and garlic to the pan and fry for about another minute.
• Then add white wine to the pan to deglaze, and allow it to simmer for 1-2 minutes until it has reduced by about half.
• Add crab (I used blue swimmer), cream & basil to the pan, allowing the cream to bubble and thicken slightly.
• Add lemon juice to the pan (this will thicken the cream) along with the crab and some cooked angel hair pasta.
• Once the crab is heated through, serve.

The night I finished developing this crab pasta recipe, I sat down to it for dinner and ate it so quickly that I kept burning my tongue (only a few times!) because I couldn't eat the first few mouthfuls fast enough! (I'm sure you think that I am exaggerating, but I'm actually not!) A sure sign to me that I had the recipe right!

Creamy pasta recipes in general are a bit of a favourite of mine, but now I can say that I have narrowed the field a bit and crab pasta recipes are now on the top of my list.

This creamy blue swimmer crab pasta is lovely and delicate, it would also make a perfect date night dinner!

I use angel hair pasta in this creamy crab pasta recipe because it cooks so quickly. You could use another type of pasta and make crab linguine or spaghetti if you wish but it may add some cooking time.

If you are a fan of creamy seafood pasta you will love my Lemon Parsley Salmon Pasta - plus it's also a super quick 20 minute dinner!

Lee-Ann ♥

Suggested Sides:

Quick Garlic Rolls (No Yeast)

Crunchy Garlic Bread Bites

Creamy Crab Pasta with Chilli and Basil

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Creamy Crab Pasta - a fresh combination of tomato, basil, chilli, garlic & lemon added to sweet crab meat, all together in a creamy sauce served with angel hair pasta.

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Total Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 584kcal

Author: Lee-Ann Grace

Ingredients

• 420 g blue swimmer crab meat (drained & picked for shell)
• 250 g dry angel hair pasta
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 250 g cherry tomatoes (cut into quarters or eighths if large)
• 2 large garlic cloves (crushed/minced)
• 1 long red chilli ( very finely chopped (see notes))
• ⅓ cup dry white wine
• 300 ml pure cream
• 1 cup firmly packed fresh basil leaves
• juice of 1 lemon
• salt & pepper to taste
• grated fresh parmesan to serve

Instructions

• Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.
• Add tomatoes and cook, stirring for 1-2 mins or until tomatoes have started to break down.
• Add garlic and chilli and cook, stirring for 1 min.
• Add white wine to pan to deglaze (it might sizzle a bit) and bring to boil. Allow wine to simmer for 1-2 minutes or until it has reduced by about half.
• Add cream, crab & basil to pan and leave on medium heat until cream starts to bubble and thicken just slightly.
• Meanwhile cook pasta according to packet directions and drain.
• Add lemon juice and drained pasta to cream & crab mixture, stirring to combine.
• Top with parmesan if desired & serve immediately.

Notes

I have used 1 long red chilli in this recipe - if you aren't a fan of chilli you could leave it out all together and the dish will still taste great. Keep in mind that the heat of the chilli is cut down a bit by the addition of the cream - so it really is only a mild chilli flavour if you only put in 1. Feel free to add more if you wish!

You only need to add the crab at the end to heat through as it is already cooked.

You could also use another type of pasta if you wish, but the cooking time may vary.

***UPDATE*** I have changed the amount of crab meat from 280g to 420g - to better reflect an adult size portion.

*Please note that the amount of calories per serve is provided as a guide only, as ingredients and cooking methods can vary greatly*