Big lumps of crab are the secret to this twist on pasta carbonara. Crab, celery, lemon and sherry create a bright flavor that mixes with rich, creamy yolks, fatty pancetta and sharp cheese.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 30 min |
| Active: | 30 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 pound lump Dungeness or King crab leg meat
- 1/3 pound meaty pancetta or guanciale
- 1 shallot
- 1 small rib of celery with leafy tops
- 4 cloves garlic
- A few sprigs of thyme
- 6 large eggs
- About 3/4 cup grated Pecorino-Romano, loosely packed
- About 3/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, loosely packed
- Salt and pepper
- 1 pound spaghetti
- EVOO
- 1/2 cup sherry or white wine
- 1 small lemon
- 2 scallions
- A small handful of celery tops
- Togarashi or Old Bay, for sprinkling
- Negroni, for serving, recipe follows
- 1 orange wedge
- 1 1/2 ounces gin
- 1 1/2 ounces Campari
- 3/4 ounces red vermouth
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- Ice
- Club soda, for topping, if desired
- 1 lemon twist
Instructions
- Gather your ingredients.
- Bring a pot of water to boil for pasta, 4 to 6 quarts.
- Place crab meat in bowl and run your fingers through it to check for connective tissue, sharp pieces and shell. Pull into long thin strands and small bite-size pieces.
- Chop the pancetta or guanciale into 1/8 to 1/4-inch dice.
- Peel and chop the shallot, finely chop the celery and pile with it. Peel the garlic cloves and chop or have a grater at hand. Stem the thyme and chop.
- Line a small bowl with a baggie if you wish to save the egg whites. Crack and separate the eggs, with yolks in medium glass mixing bowl. Whisk up eggs and whisk in cheeses, salt and pepper.
- Salt water for pasta and drop the pasta.
- Heat a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat with EVOO, 3 turns of the pan. Add pancetta or guanciale and render 2 to 3 minutes. Add shallots, celery, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Stir a minute or 2, then add sherry or white wine and crab. Toss to warm through and let sherry or wine absorb. Add juice of 1 lemon.
- Add 1 cup starchy boiling water to eggs to temper them. Drain pasta and add to crab. Toss with eggs and cheeses off heat for 1 full minute. Adjust salt and pepper, serve.
- Muddle orange at bottom of a rocks glass. Add remaining ingredients. Fill glass with ice and stir gently. Top with club soda if desired. Garnish with lemon twist.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 1202 |
| Total Fat | 49 g |
| Saturated Fat | 19 g |
| Carbohydrates | 96 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 6 g |
| Sugar | 6 g |
| Protein | 73 g |
| Cholesterol | 420 mg |
| Sodium | 1196 mg |
Reviews
This is extremely similar to a recipe I make. However I use lobster, no thyme, lemon zest and juice, more eggs, less cheese and ALOT more black pepper which is what carbonara is all about.
Delicious!! This is a great recipe that comes together really fast! We loved it!
The flavors were right on. Family felt there wasn’t enough protein vs amount of pasta. Maybe cut it to 1/2 pound if pasta or double the protein next time. Thanks Rachel
I will say that the Negroni recipe is way off a classic Negroni. No muddling! It’s a simple 3 ingredient cocktail. Usually equal parts gin, sweet vermouth & Campari. Stirred served on ice. Orange peel oils expressed at end.
I read the reviews and saw the salty comments, so I made sure not to add any extra salt when called for, backed off of cheese, and this was still an OVER salted meal just from the pancetta and the cheeses. I sit here with the meal still in my lap and I cannot believe the Food Network let this recipe be released. This is my first review in over 15 years of using Food Network recipes (which are always a hit). This one needs to be taken down/ corrected. #imsosorryrachelray #stillloveyour
We followed it exactly, except had to use imitation crab due to what was available around us. It turned out beyond delicious. We went back for seconds and are sitting here writing this, so happy and full! Will definitely make again. Quick, fairly easy, and pays off immensely.
This was seriously amazing. The only thing I changed was I used lobster instead of crab and holy cow it was soooooo good. Make this IMMEDIATELY.
It definitely comes together quickly, I substituted thick cut peppered bacon for the pancetta.Very good
It’s fantastic as is but I like it even better without the Old Bay.