Crab Fettuccini

 
I know this has been mentioned before, and I am sure it will be mentioned again, but I LOVE creamy pasta sauce.  Sometimes known as alfredo.

Oh, and I adore sweet crab.  So I HAD to make something combining the two.  We had company coming for dinner and this felt like a company dinner so I hatched a plan.

I began by searching.  For a light alfredo recipe, and for a seafood pasta recipe.  If I could both, I could make it work.  Of course the first place I looked was my Giada cookbooks.  I found a seafood pasta in Everyday Pasta that I thought would work, mainly to know how much crab to buy and how much pasta to cook.  After that is was easy.

Above is the finished product, below is the recipe.

Creamy Crab Pasta

1/2 lb crab meat, picked over for shells
1/2 lb angel hair or other long pasta
2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup half and half
1 T butter
1 T flour
1/2 cup chopped chives

Cook the pasta in boiling water for 4-6 minutes, or until al dente.  Drain and keep warm.

In the meantime, melt the butter and add the garlic, cooking gently for 1 minute.  Whisk in the flour until smooth, then cook for another 30 seconds to 1 minute, taking care not to burn.

Slowly add the half and half, whisking to remove any lumps.  Bring to a slow boil on medium then turn down to a low simmer.  (NOTE: do not rush this by turning the heat to high.  It will cause the cream to scorch)  Add the crab and bring back to a simmer.  Cook until the sauce becomes slightly thick.  Remove from heat.

Toss the warm pasta with the tomatoes in a large serving bowl.  Add the cream sauce and mix gently.  Sprinkle the chives on top.  Serve warm.