Blue Crab Lemon Garlic Pasta
Blue crab lemon garlic spaghetti starts by slowly warming thinly sliced garlic in olive oil over low heat until fragrant, then tossing in crab meat with a splash of rice wine to cook off any raw ocean smell before stirring in butter. Pasta water emulsifies the oil and butter into a thin, glossy sauce that coats each strand of spaghetti without heaviness, carrying a clean marine flavor throughout. Lemon zest and juice are added only after the heat is turned off, preserving the sharp citrus aroma that would otherwise evaporate. Keeping the garlic just short of golden - pale and softened, not browned - is the key to a nutty depth without bitterness.
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Instructions
- 1
Zest the lemon, juice half of it, and thinly slice the garlic.
- 2
Cook spaghetti in salted boiling water until al dente, reserving 1 cup pasta water.
- 3
Warm olive oil and gently saute garlic over low heat until fragrant.
- 4
Add crab meat and rice wine, cook 1 minute, then stir in butter.
- 5
Add pasta with 4-5 tbsp pasta water, emulsify, then season with salt and pepper.
- 6
Turn off heat, add lemon juice, zest, and parsley, then toss and serve immediately.
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