Spicy Crab Spaghetti Recipe

Spicy Crab Spaghetti

1 Review

At Bellegarde Bakery in New Orleans, baker Graison Gill is part of a generation of renegade bakers who are eschewing industrially ground white flour in favor of grinding their own flours from crops like red Ruby Lee wheat and heirloom corn. "White flour is a corpse," says Gill. "It's a dead, shelf-stable product. Freshly stone-milled flour is a living ingredient, full of flavor, texture, aroma, nutrition, and nuance." Buy Bellegarde Bakery's stone-ground flour online to make your own fresh pasta, or you can use store-bought whole wheat spaghetti. At Pêche in New Orleans, chef Ryan Prewitt uses a light sauce to dress his housemade whole-wheat pasta recipe. Look for fresh crabmeat, not pasteurized, as well as fresh basil.

By Ryan Prewitt

Updated on August 2, 2023

Tested by

Food & Wine Test Kitchen

Spicy Crab Spaghetti — Photo: Victor Protasio

Active Time:

15 mins

Total Time:

1 hr 25 mins

Yield:

4 servings

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Ingredients

Whole-Wheat Spaghetti

2 cups all-purpose flour (about 8 1/2 ounces), plus more for work surface
2/3 cup (about 2 3/4 ounces) durum wheat flour (such as Bellegarde Durum Flour)
2/3 cup (about 2 1/2 ounces) freshly milled red whole-wheat flour (such as Bellegarde Organic Wheat)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
4 large egg yolks
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon olive oil
Water, as needed

Crab Spaghetti

4 quarts water
1/4 cup plus 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
3/4 pound fresh spaghetti (see Note)
1/4 cup (2 ounces) unsalted butter, sliced into 4 (1-tablespoon) pieces, divided
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
1/2 medium jalapeño, unseeded and thinly sliced, divided
1/2 pound fresh jumbo lump crabmeat, drained and picked over
2 tablespoons dry white wine
1/2 cup packed torn fresh basil
1/4 cup sliced scallions
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions

Make the Fresh Spaghetti

Whisk together all-purpose flour, durum flour, whole-wheat flour, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together egg yolks, eggs, and oil in a medium bowl. Using 2 forks, gradually incorporate egg mixture into flour mixture until roughly combined. Turn dough out onto a floured work surface; knead until dough is very smooth, about 10 minutes. If dough is too dry and does not come together, add water, 1 teaspoon at a time, as needed. If dough is too sticky, lightly flour hands and work surface as needed. Wrap smooth dough tightly in plastic wrap; let rest at room temperature at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
Unwrap dough, and divide evenly into 4 portions. Set rollers of a pasta machine on widest setting. Working with 1 dough portion at a time (keeping other portions covered with a towel), flatten dough to 1/3-inch thickness. Roll dough through pasta machine. Fold dough in half crosswise, and reroll through pasta machine. Continue folding and rerolling dough until it is as wide as the pasta machine (about 5 inches), 1 or 2 times. Once appropriate width is reached, continue rerolling dough through pasta machine, reducing width of rollers 1 setting at a time, until dough has been rolled through Setting 4 (spaghetti thickness), flouring dough as needed to prevent sticking. Cover rolled dough sheet with a towel. Repeat process with remaining 3 dough portions.
Attach spaghetti cutter to pasta machine. Pass each rolled dough sheet through cutter, flouring dough as needed to prevent sticking. Sprinkle cut spaghetti with flour; place on a lightly floured rimmed baking sheet. Use immediately, or cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill up to 3 days.

Make the Crab Spaghetti

Bring 4 quarts water and 1/4 cup salt to a boil in a large pot over high.
Add fresh spaghetti to boiling water; cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Lift pasta from water using a fine wire-mesh strainer, reserving pasta cooking liquid in pot. Drain pasta in strainer; set aside.
While pasta cooks, melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium. Add shallot and 1 tablespoon jalapeño slices; cook, stirring often, until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add crabmeat and wine; cook, stirring constantly, until reduced, about 10 seconds.
Add cooked pasta and 1/2 cup reserved pasta cooking liquid to crabmeat mixture; let mixture come to a boil over medium heat. Add remaining 3 tablespoons butter; cook, tossing mixture constantly, until sauce thickens and coats pasta, 1 to 2 minutes, adding an additional 1/4 cup cooking liquid if needed to reach desired consistency.
Stir in basil, scallions, remaining jalapeño slices, lemon zest and juice, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Toss to combine. Divide spaghetti evenly among 4 plates, and serve with lemon wedges.