Spaghetti with Crab Sauce Recipe - Hunter Angler Gardener Cook (2024)

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4.93 from 13 votes

By Hank Shaw

May 17, 2012 | Updated June 12, 2020

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Spaghetti with Crab Sauce Recipe - Hunter Angler Gardener Cook (2)

Crab and tomato go together like cats and random things tossed onto the floor. That is to say that crab and any form of tomato play well together, from a simple salad with freshly chopped tomatoes to this spaghetti with crab sauce.

I first had a version of this dish several years ago; my brother-in-law Mark made it with lobster while I was visiting them in Massachusetts.

It is a sauce of two parents: Italians and thrifty Yankees. Mark being both, he made the sauce using just the legs and bodies of the lobsters, parts many people throw away. But Mark knows that plenty of meat lurks within lobster bodies, and he’d patiently pick it out before making this sauce.

As he did so, it occurred to me that there would be no reason why it would not work with crabs, too. After all, crabs and lobsters are cousins.

(I also have a recipe for lobster fra diavolo, which is similar and an Italian American classic.)

So when I returned home to California all those years ago, the first time I brought back some crabs from Bodega Bay I made my own rendition of Mark’s lobster sauce. I’ve made it many times since then, and a version of it appears in my book.

But as with any recipe you do over and over and over again, I’ve tinkered with the original, and, I think, have managed to streamline the recipe even more. In the old version, I had trouble getting all the shell out of the sauce. I’ve fixed that here.

This sauce is insanely good. Good in the way only years of tinkering can do. Sharp, sweet, garlicky, just a little spicy with a strong hit of anise flavor from fennel and ouzo.

It may look like just a regular tomato sauce with bits of crab in it, but it’s not. I assure you. Do yourself a favor and make some shrimp or scallop scampi as an appetizer for this. You won’t be sad you did.

4.93 from 13 votes

Spaghetti with Crab Sauce

This recipe is a two-step process: Making the sauce base and then the sauce itself. You can make the base a day ahead if you'd like. Any crab will do here, but I use a combination of red crabs, rock crabs and Dungeness crabs. The only tricky ingredient here is ouzo, which is a Greek anise-flavored liquor. Most liquor stores have it, but you can sub in sambuca, raki, Pastis, Pernod or any other anise-flavored liqueur. Still can't find it? Go with brandy; that's what my brother-in-law does.

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Course: Main Course, Pasta

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 6 people

Author: Hank Shaw

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours hours

Total Time: 2 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Ingredients

SAUCE BASE

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • Shells from 2 or 3 Dungeness crabs or 4 to 6 large rock crabs, or 8 blue crabs
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • Tops from 1 fennel bulb, chopped
  • 3-4 bay leaves
  • 1/2 cup ouzo

FINISHED SAUCE

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped fennel bulb
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1/4 cup ouzo
  • A 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
  • 2 cups of the crab sauce base
  • Tabasco garlic-pepper sauce to taste, or other hot sauce
  • 1 cup cooked crabmeat
  • 1-2 pounds dried spaghetti
  • Chives, green onions or parsley to garnish

Instructions

  • To make the sauce base, put the onions and olive oil in a stockpot and cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent, about 6-8 minutes. Add the crab shells and the garlic and stir to combine. Use a potato masher to smash the crab shells into small pieces. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes.

  • Add the bay leaves, the tops from the fennel bulb, ouzo and a healthy pinch of salt. Add enough water to cover everything by 1 inch. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 hour. Turn off the heat and pick out as much of the solids as possible, making sure you save the liquid. Strain the liquid through a paper towel set in a colander. Reserve.

  • To finish the sauce, heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or other large, wide pot over medium-high heat. Saute the onions and chopped fennel until they are soft and translucent, about 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute.

  • Mix in the tomato paste and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring often, until it darkens and turns the color of brick. Add the ouzo, the tomatoes and 2 cups of the crab sauce base. Stir well and bring to a simmer. Taste for salt and add the Tabasco to taste. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring from time to time.

  • Boil your pasta. Once the pasta is ready, add the crabmeat to the sauce and stir gently. Mix the pasta with a little of the sauce, then portion it out. Top with more sauce, and garnish with chives or parsley.

Notes

Once you make this sauce, it will last up to 3 days in the fridge before it starts to get funky.

Nutrition

Calories: 494kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 101mg | Potassium: 321mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 10IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe? Tag me today!Mention @huntgathercook or tag #hankshaw!

Categorized as:
Fish, Italian, Pasta, Risotto, Gnocchi, Recipe

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About Hank Shaw

Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet’s largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.

Read More About Me

Spaghetti with Crab Sauce Recipe - Hunter Angler Gardener Cook (2024)

FAQs

How do you make Hunt's spaghetti sauce better? ›

Heating the sauce on the stovetop, even for a few minutes, will bring all of the ingredients together, which makes it taste and smell so much better. If you have time, allow the sauce to reduce on low heat for 15 to 30 minutes. This will concentrate the sugar and ingredients for a more robust flavor.

How to make spaghetti sauce more tasty? ›

7 Ways to Improve the Taste of Jar Pasta Sauce
  1. Sautee Some Veggies. The first step to making your jar sauce better is to sautee some garlic in olive oil on your stovetop. ...
  2. Mix in Some Meat. ...
  3. Add a Splash of Red Wine. ...
  4. Spice It Up. ...
  5. Get Cheesy. ...
  6. Stir in More Dairy. ...
  7. Pop It in the Oven.

How long does it take to cook a crab? ›

1: Bring a large pot of water to the boil and approximately 2 tablespoons of salt and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Once water is at the boil place crabs in the pot upside down. 2: Cook for approximately 5-8 mins. Once they start floating & are a very vibrant orange colour it is a good indicator to tell they are cooked.

How long does it take to boil live crabs? ›

How long do you boil live crab? Start by bringing water to a boil, and add salt and any other seasoning you'd like. Then, add the crab to the water quickly bringing the water back up to a boil, and cook until the crab floats for 10 to 15 minutes. Then, remove the crab from the water and let them cool before serving.

How do you thicken Hunt's pasta sauce? ›

Cornstarch: Make a slurry of half water, half cornstarch and whisk until smooth. Cornstarch is a powerful thickener, so start by whisking in no more than 1 tablespoon of the mixture per 2 cups of simmering sauce; stir and simmer for 2 minutes, check the thickness, and repeat with more slurry as needed.

What is the secret to good spaghetti? ›

IF YOU COOK spaghetti in a big pot of water, drain it, then toss it with sauce, you are pouring a lot of flavor down the drain, says Vendemmia chef Brian Clevenger. “The trick to good pasta is cooking it in the sauce,” he says. It was while working at Delfina in San Francisco that he really started to understand why.

What brings out spaghetti flavor? ›

Infuse your sauce with a rich, savory depth. Oregano, basil, rosemary, thyme, sage. The quintessential herbs that bring the authentic Italian essence.

What should I add to my spaghetti to make it better? ›

13 Ways to Make Any Jarred Pasta Sauce Better
  1. Start with the right pasta and sauce. ...
  2. Season with dried herbs. ...
  3. Or flavor with fresh herb sprigs. ...
  4. Double up on tomato goodness. ...
  5. Add more garlic and/or onions. ...
  6. Sweeten and thicken with squash purée. ...
  7. Punch things up with a pinch of chili flakes. ...
  8. Try this secret ingredient.
Dec 9, 2022

How do you know when crab is fully cooked? ›

You can determine this by simply inspecting the shell. A fully cooked crab claw will look bright red or orange—the color most people think of on crabs. An undercooked or uncooked crab shell will be green or brown in color.

How do you know crab is done cooking? ›

If you're curious whether your stone crabs have been cooked, you simply check the outside of the shell. Luckily, you won't need to crack it to examine the meat inside. Fully cooked stone crabs have shells that are bright red or orange. If yours is green or brown, you can assume it has not been cooked.

Which cooking method is best for crab? ›

Steaming crabs is a great way to preserve the natural juices and flavors of the crabs. You'll still need a large pot, but you'll need to bring about an inch of salted water to a boil. Use a steamer basket or insert to steam the crabs.

What happens if you boil crab too long? ›

Frozen crab legs are often precooked, so you're just reheating them in the boiling water. If that's the case, be careful not to overcook them, as the meat will toughen and lose its delicate flavor.

Is it OK to boil dead crabs? ›

Before cooking, however, they are usually put into freezers to number them and make them sleep. That being said, its is okay to cook a crab which has been dead for only an hour or two but not more than that.

Can you boil crab too long? ›

However, frozen crab legs only need to be boiled for about six to eight minutes per pound. Frozen crab legs from the grocery store are typically pre-cooked, so you're essentially reheating the crab legs. Be careful not to overcook them -- any longer than the allotted time and you risk rubbery, hard crab meat.

How do you make canned marinara sauce taste better? ›

A little onion, a dash of Calabrian chili pepper- here are Giada's tips to take marinara from good to great!
  1. Build flavor with garlic and onion. ...
  2. Break out the parm rinds. ...
  3. Don't forget the basil. ...
  4. Kick it up with Calabrian chili paste. ...
  5. It's better with butter!
Aug 27, 2020

Should I add sugar to jar spaghetti sauce? ›

Sweeten things up with a little sugar.

If your jarred tomato sauce is too acidic, consider adding a pinch or two of sugar (after all, it makes the medicine go down!).

Why should you put sugar in spaghetti sauce? ›

"A pinch of sugar is a Southern Italian trick that was used when the sauce was made with end-of-season tomatoes that did not get ripe, or the tomatoes were so tart they needed to be balanced," Chiarello explained to Epicurious.

How do you adjust spaghetti sauce? ›

5. Add an Acid. Flat or bland sauce likely needs a hit of something acidic to lift and enhance its flavors, such as a small splash of high-quality, flavorful vinegar, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, or a few drops of not-too-fiery hot sauce.

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