Information
Notes
You know, I’d eaten this a couple of times and made it myself (throwing in handfuls of peppery watercress as I did so) a few more before I realized it was, give or take, London’s River Cafe’s recipe—by which I mean to say that although the amounts and full list of ingredients vary, it is an English seaside version of their fabulous original. I suppose that’s how you know something’s become a classic: it just seeps its way into the culinary language.
Crab is, I think, hugely underrated—so much better than most lobster, and much cheaper. You can use frozen crabmeat for this, but it’s best to get a fishmonger to cook and pick out the meat for you.
Don’t let the fact that a pestle and mortar is indicated put you off: this is fabulously easy to make.
Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 scant tablespoon Maldon or other sea salt
- 1 large red chilli
- 2 pounds 11 ounces undressed crab, to give you 7 ounces white meat and 4 ounces darker meat
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Juice and zest of 1 lemon
- 1 pound linguine
- Handful fresh parsley, chopped
- Handful watercress leaves, roughly torn
Directions
Put a large pan of water on to boil for the pasta.
In a large pestle and mortar pulverize the peeled garlic cloves with the salt, so that it makes a smooth paste. Then add the chopped and seeded chilli and crush again until you have a gloriously red-tinged mixture. Tip in the crabmeat, breaking it up gently with a fork, and pour in the oil. Zest the lemon into the mortar and then add the juice.
Using a fork, beat well to mix, and then you are ready to cook your pasta. So do so, and then drain the pasta and tip into a warmed serving bowl. Immediately pour over the crab sauce and toss the pasta about in it, then throw in the parsley and watercress and toss again.
Nutritional Information
This recipe serves 6.