This easy and fresh Jamie Oliver asparagus and crab pasta is a quick, flavorful meal perfect for busy weeknights. With a creamy crab sauce, crisp asparagus, and a hint of chilli, it’s both light and satisfying. You can easily swap ingredients like the crab or greens to suit your taste.
Ingredients Needed
- 500g (1 lb 2 oz) dried linguine
- 1 fresh red chilli
- 1 large knob of butter
- Extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- 300g (10 oz) crabmeat, from sustainable sources
- 2 bunches of asparagus
- 1 lemon
- Pea shoots or rocket (arugula), to serve
How To Make Asparagus And Crab Pasta
- Cook the pasta: In a large pan of boiling salted water, cook the pasta according to the packet instructions.
- Prepare the chilli and fennel: Deseed and finely chop the chilli. Melt the butter with a little olive oil in a frying pan. Using a pestle and mortar, bash the fennel seeds until ground.
- Fry the fennel and crab: Add the ground fennel and chopped chilli to the pan and fry for 1 minute. Add the crabmeat and cook through. Once done, remove from the heat.
- Shred the asparagus: Use a peeler to shred the asparagus into long thin strips and set aside.
- Combine pasta and crab mixture: Once the pasta is cooked, drain, reserving a cup of pasta water. Add the drained pasta to the frying pan with the crab mixture.
- Finish the dish: Place the pan back on medium heat, add the asparagus, lemon zest, and juice, and toss well. If necessary, add a little reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce.
- Serve: Season to taste, then serve with a drizzle of olive oil and top with pea shoots or rocket.
Recipe Tips
- Use fresh crabmeat for the best flavor. If fresh isn’t available, the canned crab can work, but drain it well to avoid excess liquid.
- Reserve some pasta water before draining. It helps make the sauce silky and ensures everything sticks together.
- Shred the asparagus thinly to ensure it cooks quickly and mixes well with the pasta.
- Don’t overcook the pasta. Keep it al dente, as it will finish cooking in the pan with the sauce.
- Taste and season at the end. Adjust with extra lemon juice, olive oil, or seasoning for a balanced, fresh flavor.
How To Store And Reheat Leftovers?
- Refrigerate: Let the leftover pasta cool to room temperature before storing it in an airtight container. It can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Reheat: Heat the pasta in a pan over medium heat for about 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a splash of pasta water or olive oil if the dish seems dry.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 serving (approximately 467g)
- Calories: 333
- Total Fat: 11.8g
- Saturated Fat: 3.7g
- Total Carbohydrate: 32.7g
- Sugars: 2.9g
- Protein: 24.1g
Try More Jamie Oliver Recipes:
- Jamie Oliver Prawn And Courgette Pasta
- Jamie Oliver Tomato And Caper Pasta
- Jamie Oliver Pea And Popeye Pesto Pasta
- Jamie Oliver Pasta And Green Olives
Jamie Oliver Asparagus And Crab Pasta
Description
This easy and fresh Jamie Oliver asparagus and crab pasta is a quick, flavorful meal perfect for busy weeknights. With a creamy crab sauce, crisp asparagus, and a hint of chilli, it’s both light and satisfying. You can easily swap ingredients like the crab or greens to suit your taste.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Cook the pasta: In a large pan of boiling salted water, cook the pasta according to the packet instructions.
- Prepare the chilli and fennel: Deseed and finely chop the chilli. Melt the butter with a little olive oil in a frying pan. Using a pestle and mortar, bash the fennel seeds until ground.
- Fry the fennel and crab: Add the ground fennel and chopped chilli to the pan and fry for 1 minute. Add the crabmeat and cook through. Once done, remove from the heat.
- Shred the asparagus: Use a peeler to shred the asparagus into long thin strips and set aside.
- Combine pasta and crab mixture: Once the pasta is cooked, drain, reserving a cup of pasta water. Add the drained pasta to the frying pan with the crab mixture.
- Finish the dish: Place the pan back on medium heat, add the asparagus, lemon zest, and juice, and toss well. If necessary, add a little reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce.
- Serve: Season to taste, then serve with a drizzle of olive oil and top with pea shoots or rocket.
Notes
- Use fresh crabmeat for the best flavor. If fresh isn’t available, the canned crab can work, but drain it well to avoid excess liquid.
- Reserve some pasta water before draining. It helps make the sauce silky and ensures everything sticks together.
- Shred the asparagus thinly to ensure it cooks quickly and mixes well with the pasta.
- Don’t overcook the pasta. Keep it al dente, as it will finish cooking in the pan with the sauce.
- Taste and season at the end. Adjust with extra lemon juice, olive oil, or seasoning for a balanced, fresh flavor.
Jamie Oliver Asparagus And Crab Pasta