Spicy Seafood Pasta Serves 4
Blue crabs with Calabrian chili, and spaghetti with shrimp, red basil sauce, and accoutrements
This is the second recipe from Cooking Space.
Over the past 20 years living in Philadelphia, I’ve grown to love its diversity, culture, and food so much. Among my favorite local cuisines, the classic Italian dishes from South Philly are at the top of the list.
Tonight let’s pay homage to a rich tradition of South Philly red sauce dishes by making my spicy take on seafood pasta. The Calabrian chili mix is delicious and so easy to make, and is the source of the kick of spice you’ll get in this meal. Add in a touch more than the recipe calls for if you really want to feel the heat, or reduce your quantity to subdue the spiciness and bring the seafood flavors more to the forefront.
This is a perfect date night dish to utterly impress the seafood lover in your life, and best of all, it’s easy to prepare. If you have a wok, I’d recommend using it, as some of the ingredients will require a good amount of surface area on which to sauté, but a large pan will also do just fine for this recipe.
How you serve the crabs is up to you. This recipe calls for half of them cleaned ahead of time, and the other half left whole (other than the gills removed). If you’re feeling adventurous and want to disassemble the crabs at the dinner table, leave them whole. I always find that to be more fun, but for easier eating, feel free to gut them beforehand.
Preparation
Prepare your sauces
- Add the roasted red peppers and 1/2 cup of olive oil to the Calabrian chili paste to create a mixture that you will cook your crabs with.
- Place Rao's Tomato Basil sauce in a saucepan, and bring to a simmer to warm up.
Sauté the crabs
- This recipe calls for half of the crabs to be cleaned and gutted, and the other half left whole. You can follow these directions, or prepare the crabs to your liking.
- In a large wok or sauté pan, add 1/4 cup of olive oil and two heaping Tablespoons of the Calabrian chili mixture. Add in half of the sliced garlic cloves, and sauté for about a minute on high heat.
- Add the crabs, and sauté for two more minutes.
- Turn the heat down, and add half of the white wine. Allow the crabs to simmer and deglaze for a few minutes.
- The crabs will take up a significant amount of surface area, so use a large wok if you have one.
Cook the Pasta
- While the crabs are deglazing, place the pasta in boiling salted water, and cook for about six to eight minutes, until al dente.
- Pull and drain, then set aside.
- Remove the crabs from the wok or sauté pan, and set them aside in a large bowl.
Finalize your sauce
- In the wok or pan in which you cooked the crabs, with the chili mixture still in it, add two cups of the warm Rao's tomato basil sauce, along with 1 1/2 cups of shrimp stock.
- Allow the sauce to simmer, then pour over the sautéed crabs in the bowl.
Prepare the shrimp and accoutrements
- In the same pan in which you cooked the crabs and sauce, add your remaining olive oil (about 1/4 cup), onions, and the remaining garlic. Sauté for a few minutes.
- Season the shrimp with salt and pepper, and add to the pan. Cook until opaque.
- Add a teaspoon of the Calabrian chili mix and drained capers to the shrimp. Sauté for two to three more minutes.
- Add the halved cherry tomatoes and continue to cook for an additional three to four minutes, until the tomatoes achieve a nice color.
- Add the rest of white wine along with one cup of shrimp stock and one cup of Rao's Tomato Basil, forming a sauce in which the ingredients can simmer and reduce.
- Once the ingredients have combined and reduced for about two or three minutes, add in the cooked pasta and bring up to a boil.
- To finish, add the butter, parsley, and parmesan, and mix.
- Serve the shrimp pasta and the crabs alongside each other.
Ingredients
- 8-10 blue crabs (4 cleaned, 4 with gills removed but left whole)
- 1/2 cup olive oil, divided
- Shrimp (U20), 20 pieces
- 1/2 cup onion, julienned
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 cup Calabrian chili paste
- 3 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup roasted red pepper
- 3 cups shrimp stock
- 1 jar Rao's Arrabiata
- 1 lb. Rao's Spaghetti
- 1/4 cup capers, drained
- 1 cup parmesan, grated
- 3 tbsp. butter
- 1 cup white wine
- 1 package Rao's Homemade Fettuccini
- 2 cups Rao's Homemade Tomato Basil Sauce
- 1/4 cup parsley, chopped fine
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