Spaghetti With Fresh Crab, Chili + Marjoram
From Sicilia: A Love Letter To The Food Of Sicily by Ben Tish
serves 4
INGREDIENTS
1 cup blanched almonds
1 1/4 cups full fat milk
1 lb dried spaghetti
2 fresh red chilies, seeded and finely chopped
about 2 oz fresh brown crab meat
about 4 oz fresh white crab meat
juice of one lemon
a handful of marjoram leaves
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
DIRECTIONS
Put the almonds and milk in a saucepan and set aside to soak for thirty minutes. Then bring to the boil and cook for five minutes. Pour into a blender and blitz to a smooth sauce consistency. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to the packet instructions. Meanwhile, add a lug of olive oil to a large sauté pan and gently heat, then add the chilies and fry lightly to soften. Now pour in the almond sauce and stir in the brown and white crab meat. Squeeze in some lemon juice and check the seasoning. When the pasta is cooked, transfer it to the almond sauce using tongs. Drizzle in some olive oil and add a ladle of the pasta water. Stir the pasta through with the tongs, ensuring the strands are all coated. If the sauce is too thick, add more pasta water and continue to stir or toss through. Transfer the pasta to warm bowls (doing this with tongs gives a neat presentation) and sprinkle over the marjoram, then serve immediately.
