Crab & Corn Angel Hair
Angel hair in a light cream sauce with sweet corn, peas, and a pound of crab folded in off the heat.
| 2 Tbsp | butter for the vegetables | sauté corn ~3 min until set, then tomatoes 1-2 min until blistered; set aside | fold vegetables into sauce, simmer 1 min; off heat melt in parm, then fold in crab gently | add drained pasta, toss, loosen with pasta water to consistency | stir in lemon zest, juice, and black pepper | taste, add salt only if it needs it; plate and serve immediately |
| 2 ears | corn husked, kernels cut from the cob | |||||
| 2 cups | cherry tomatoes halved, optional | |||||
| 2 Tbsp | butter for the roux | sweat garlic 30 sec, whisk in flour 1 min without browning, whisk in milk gradually, simmer to a light nappe 3-4 min | ||||
| 2 clove | garlic minced | |||||
| 2 Tbsp | flour | |||||
| 2 cups | whole milk warmed | |||||
| 1 cup | frozen peas no need to thaw | |||||
| 1 cup | parmesan finely grated | |||||
| 16 oz | crab meat picked over for shell, kept chilled | |||||
| 12 oz | angel hair | cook 2-3 min in lightly salted boiling water; reserve water, then drain | ||||
| 1 ½ cups | reserved pasta water reserve before draining | |||||
| 1 | lemon zested, then juiced | |||||
| black pepper freshly ground, to taste | ||||||
| kosher salt to taste, only after tasting | ||||||
Every detail, step by step:
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided (2 for the vegetables, 2 for the roux)
- 2 ears corn, husked, kernels cut from the cob
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved (optional)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups whole milk, warmed
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup finely grated parmesan
- 16 ounces crab meat, picked over for shell fragments
- 12 ounces angel hair
- 1 1/2 cups reserved pasta water
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Kosher salt, to taste
Instructions
- Bring 4 to 5 quarts of water to a boil and salt it lightly. Husk the corn and cut the kernels from the cob, pick the crab over for shell fragments and keep it chilled, and finely grate the parmesan.
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet. Sauté the corn about 3 minutes until set, then add the tomatoes (if using) and cook 1 to 2 minutes until they blister. Set aside.
- In a wide saucepan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Sweat the garlic 30 seconds, whisk in the flour and cook 1 minute without letting it brown. Whisk in the warm milk gradually and simmer to a light nappe, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Fold the sautéed corn and tomatoes and the frozen peas into the sauce and simmer 1 minute. Off the heat, melt in the parmesan, then fold in the crab gently.
- Cook the angel hair 2 to 3 minutes in the boiling water. Reserve 1 1/2 cups pasta water, then drain.
- Add the drained pasta to the sauce, toss, and loosen with the reserved pasta water to consistency.
- Stir in the lemon zest, juice, and black pepper. Taste, and add salt only if it needs it. Between the crab and the parmesan, it usually doesn’t. Plate and serve immediately.
Notes
Keep the pasta water close. The sauce tightens fast once the parmesan and crab go in, and angel hair keeps drinking as it sits. Reserve the full 1 1/2 cups and add it in splashes until the sauce coats the strands and slides. It should look slightly looser in the pan than you want it on the plate.
Fold the crab in off the heat. Any direct heat after that point turns it rubbery and shreds the nice lumps. Gentle folds, then serve.
Go easy on the salt until the very end. Salted pasta water, parmesan, and crab (usually salted when it’s packed) stack up quickly. Salt the water lightly, skip seasoning the sauce on its own, and taste the finished dish before deciding it needs anything at all. Often it doesn’t.
The tomatoes are optional. They add a little brightness and color, but the dish is just as good without them if you’d rather let the corn and crab carry it.