Crab Fra Diavolo Recipes

CRAB FRA DIAVOLO

Steps:

• Place a large pot of water on to boil for pasta.
• Place crab in bowl and pick through with fingertips for cartilage and shells. Top with juice of 1 lemon.
• Peel and finely chop shallots and chop or grate garlic.
• Heat a large skillet over medium heat with EVOO. Melt butter into oil, then add shallots and bay leaf. Stir a minute, then add garlic and season with salt and fennel pollen. Stir 2 minutes, then add chili paste and stir another minute. Add sherry and reduce by half. Add cherry tomatoes and passata, stir and reduce heat to low.
• Salt water liberally for pasta and drop pasta; have a cup near stove to reserve starchy water and place strainer or colander in sink. Cook pasta 4 to 5 minutes, a minute less than package directions.
• Pile together the chives, parsley and dill and chop.
• Add basil to sauce. Add crab to sauce to heat through. Remove bay leaf from sauce.
• Reserve 3/4 cup pasta water. Drain pasta, add to sauce with half of the herbs, toss gently to combine and adjust seasonings. Add water as necessary to loosen the sauce. Drizzle with EVOO and top pasta with reserved herbs.

RACH'S CRAB FRA DIAVOLO + SPAGHETTI CAN BE MADE WITH CHICKEN TOO

Steps:

• Run your hands through the crabmeat and pick through it carefully for bits of shell or cartilage and toss with lemon juice and Old Bay
• Heat a pot of water for pasta and bring to a boil
• Heat a large skillet over medium heat with EVOO, add butter and melt to bubble, add shallots, celery, garlic, bay, chili paste or flakes, and fennel pollen or fennel seed, and stir 2 to 3 minutes, add sherry, vermouth or wine, and add tomatoes and passata, crush tomatoes if using cherry tomatoes
• Salt water and cook pasta 1 minute less than package directions
• Add crab to sauce (or seared scallops or seared shrimp or mussels or a mixture of seafood rather than crab)
• (If using mussels, place the mussels in the bubbling sauce and cover
• Steam until the mussels open and toss any that do not)
• Reserve ½ cup of salty cooking water from pasta, drain pasta and toss with sauce and crab or seafood, add a little starchy water if necessary to keep loose, adjust seasoning and top with herbs and chopped pickled chilies

SHRIMP FRA DIAVOLO

Steps:

• Toss the shrimp in a medium bowl with 1 teaspoon of salt and red pepper flakes. Heat the 3 tablespoons oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and saute for about a minute, toss, and continue cooking until just cooked through, about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a large plate; set aside. Add the onion to the same skillet, adding 1 to 2 teaspoons of olive oil to the pan, if necessary, and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices, wine, garlic, and oregano. Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Return the shrimp and any accumulated juices to the tomato mixture; toss to coat, and cook for about a minute so the flavors meld together. Stir in the parsley and basil. Season with more salt, to taste, and serve.