Spicy Crab Bucatini

This post is sponsored by Garofalo® Pasta. All comments and opinions are my own.

If you’re looking for an elevated yet easy dinner that’s ready in under thirty minutes, this recipe is for you! Nothing compares to an occasional bowl of gorgeous pasta and when we crave it, I use the best possible quality for delicious and consistent results. I’ve always believed (obvious from the kind of work that I do) that creating a meal is about more than cooking, it’s about celebrating family and making sure that everything I put on our table is something I’m always proud to serve.  

Garofalo® was established in 1789 in Gragnano, Italy, the homeland of pasta! They are more than 200 years old and produce gourmet pasta for everyday meals like my grandma’s mezze rigatoni and meat sauce recipe from a few weeks ago, and this spicy crab pasta! You can find a nice selection in the pasta aisle at your local The Fresh Market (one of my favorite stores to spend hours in!) or order online via Instacart if that option is available near you. What makes them different? Garofalo uses a traditional bronze-dye to give their pasta a coarse and porous texture so your sauce will cling to it better, all their pasta is crafted from 100% highest-quality durum wheat semolina, and to be honest, I just think the quality and variety is superior to other brands I’ve tried. Using their bucatini for my spicy crab sauce turned out to be an excellent choice in terms of texture, but please feel free to substitute your favorite shape. Garofalo spaghetti, linguine and calamarata are other shapes that we always have on hand. 

How do I make Spicy Crab Bucatini?

You only need a few high quality ingredients to make this recipe. Crab is in season so if you can find fresh crab, that’s wonderful, however, there are so many frozen and already prepared products these days that are relatively easy to source. I recommend using lump or jumbo lump crab which is mostly white meat in chunks that will hold its own in the sauce. If you’re unable to find crab, a good quality jarred tuna or even scallops could work. 

Start by sautéing sliced sweet yellow onion in olive oil with garlic. Add your favorite chopped tomato sauce, seasoning, fresh parsley and wait for it….chili garlic paste! I find that this Vietnamese condiment brought an incredible depth of flavor to this recipe, and just the right amount of heat to complement the sweetness of the crab. Most of us already have it in our refrigerators so now is the time to get creative and use up those condiments! I hope you give it a try! Other alternatives to chili garlic paste would be Calabrian chili paste, fresh red chili, or dried red pepper flakes but stay away from chili pastes that are too distinctive in flavor like gochujang or sriracha. We want clean heat, not earthy. Once the sauce is cooked down, a bit of pasta water is added and then the cooked crab is folded in. Lastly, we add our Garofalo bucatini to create a next level dinner that everyone will love. Finish off with some lemon juice and zest, and serve with a chilled glass of wine. I hope you love it as much as we do!

Spicy Crab Bucatini
Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Serves: 4

Ingredients

½ lb package Garofalo bucatini pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
½ yellow onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, finely minced 
14-16 oz can chopped Italian tomatoes 
1 tablespoon Vietnamese chili garlic sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon fresh black pepper
½ cup chopped flat leaf parsley plus more for serving
1 ½ cups cooked lump crab meat
Optional: fresh lemon juice and zest

Method

Cook bucatini pasta in boiling salted water according to the Garofalo instructions. This shape will cook perfectly in 14 minutes while you prepare the sauce.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes until onions are translucent, then add tomatoes, chili garlic sauce, salt and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes until sauce is reduced. Taste to see whether the sauce needs some sugar to balance the acidity. 

Add a few tablespoons of pasta water to the skillet to thin the sauce slightly, followed by crab and parsley. Cook until heated through then toss in strained bucatini. Adjust seasonings, add fresh herbs and lemon then plate and serve immediately.