This lemon crab scampi pasta is incredibly fresh, surprisingly light and is so easy to make! If you’re planning on a Valentine’s Day cooking at home, this is the perfect dish for you. The crab makes it a bit more special than any other weeknight pasta dish, but doesn’t require hours slaving away in the kitchen. Not to mention it pairs wonderfully with a glass of chilled white wine or bubbly. A little chocolate dessert and you are set.
Inspiration for the Dish
The inspiration for this dish comes from the Italian classic shrimp scampi. Marcelo essentially grew up on Italian food. Italian cooking is such a big part of the Argentinian diet, so it’s hard to talk about Argentinian food without mentioning Italian recipes. One of Marcelo’s favorites growing up was shrimp scampi. His family used to own a restaurant, Michaelangelo’s, here in DFW many years ago. He would hang out in the kitchen while the family was busily working and always beg for shrimp. I, on the other hand, did not grow up eating a lot of authentic Italian food. We had our spaghetti nights, but that’s about it. And you could not get me to go near fish or shrimp as a kid. Of course, things change and tastes change. Now, I don’t mind shrimp, but if I had to pick my favorite shellfish – I almost always would say crab! So we decided why not try out an Italian favorite but sub in crab for a delicious lemon crab scampi.
The Ingredients
The ingredients for this crab scampi are similar to a traditional scampi. Lots of fresh lemon, garlic, parsley, white wine, and butter. We add some red chili flakes for a little kick, but this is definitely optional and can be omitted. Now what takes this dish over the top, in my opinion, are the garlicky parmesan breadcrumbs. We made a similar topping for our Gnocchi au Gratin recipe and it’s a game changer. We prefer panko breadcrumbs as they have a bit more texture than regular breadcrumbs. Grate some garlic into olive oil first and saute gently. Grating the garlic prevents you from getting big chunks of garlic in your breadcrumbs. Then you add in your breadcrumbs and toast gently until nice and golden and crunchy! Add in some parmesan and lemon zest for some brightness and you’ve got a perfect topping for your crab scampi.
As for the crab, we prefer jumbo lump crab when possible. It’s definitely pricey, but all the more reason to hold onto this dish for a special occasion. We get our crab from TJ’s Seafood Market here in Dallas. It’s always fresh and reasonably priced, plus you can buy it by the pound so you can buy just what you need.
If you’re looking for other Valentine’s Day romantic meals, be sure to check out our round up of recipes! Happy cooking!
Ingredients
Method
- Add butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Cook grated garlic for 1-2 minutes or until slightly golden. Then add breadcrumbs, red chili flakes, salt, and dried parsley and let cook for about 3-4 minutes, gently tossing to get evenly toasted.
- Remove from heat, and let cool. Then add grated parmesan and lemon zest and set aside.
- Boil the water for the pasta, being sure to add 1-2 tablespoons of Kosher salt to salt the pasta water.
- While the water is boiling, melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat and cook the garlic for about 2 minutes until lightly golden.
- Next, add the white wine and lemon juice and simmer for several minutes until reduced and only about ¼ of the liquid remains.
- While the liquid is reducing, cook the pasta. Cook for 2 minutes under the suggested package cook time. Drain, but reserve about 1 cup of pasta water.
- Add the reserved pasta water directly to the pot along with black pepper, chili flakes, and ¾ teaspoon of salt.
- Next, add the spaghetti and let simmer until the sauce has reduced and the pasta has finished cooking, about 2-3 minutes.
- While the pasta is simmering, gently toss the crab with the olive oil, fresh parsley, and remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt. Once the sauce has reduced and the pasta is cooked through, fold in the crab and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Top with generous serving of garlic parmesan breadcrumbs and serve.