Bucatini With Crab, Pepperoncini and Crème Fraiche

Once your Dungeness crab is picked, this bucatini pasta dish comes together in about 10 minutes. The pepperoncini may sound a bit out of place, but the pickled pepper flavor is delicious contrast to the sweetness of the crab. We prefer bucatini over spaghetti or angel hair for this dish because it’s a toothier and thicker noodle, plus it’s hollow middle fills with sauce when cooking too!

Bucatini With Crab, Pepperoncini and Crème Fraiche

Print Recipe

• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins
• Total Time: 25 mins
• Yield: serves 4 1x
• Category: Pasta
• Cuisine: Californian

Ingredients

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• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 shallots, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 tablespoon fresh Meyer lemon juice
• Zest of 1 Meyer lemon
• ¼ cup sliced pepperoncini
• 12 ounces fresh bucatini
• 1 reserved cup pasta water
• 2 tablespoons crème fraiche
• 8–10 ounces crabmeat (yield from a 2-pound crab), cracked and cleaned.
• ¼ cup parsley

Instructions

1. Boil and salt a large pot of water to cook the fresh pasta.
2. In a sauté pan large enough to hold the finished pasta, heat the olive oil and butter over medium-high heat.
3. Add the shallots and cook for a few minutes until soft, but not brown. Add the garlic and cook until soft. Add the lemon juice, zest and pepperoncini.
4. Cook the bucatini according to package directions, just a few minutes for fresh pasta. Using tongs, transfer the pasta directly from the pot into the sauté pan. Add ½ cup of the pasta water and 2 tablespoons crème fraiche.
5. Coat pasta with sauce, adding more pasta water if needed. Fold in crabmeat and parsley.
6. Adjust seasoning, adding more pepperoncini, lemon or salt if desired