Crab linguine with chilli & parsley

This is a simple to prepare dish which I cooked at the weekend when the sun was shining and the rain had stopped. Makes a change cooking a pasta dish without any cheese.

400g linguine I use Napolina Linguine from the super market but noticed tesco does its own brand Tripoline pasta which looks amazing with all its groves which would hold the sauce and meat wonderfully.

4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 whole cooked crab, picked, or about 100g/4oz brown crabmeat and 200g/7oz fresh white crabmeat If you really want to make this authentically super fresh you need to buy a live crab either in a coastal town when the boats come in or Chinese supermarkets in Glasgow have them. Killing them is a different matter (reversing the back wheels of the car over them does not work) you need to drive a spike to kill them humanly (you can learn from you-tube videos) small splash, about 5 tbsp, white wine small squeeze of lemon (optional) large handful flat-leaf parsley leaves, very finely chopped Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and add the linguine. Give it a good stir and boil for 1 min less than the pack says. Stir well occasionally so it doesn’t stick. While the pasta cooks, gently heat 3 tbsp of olive oil with the chilli and garlic in a pan large enough to hold all the pasta comfortably. Cook the chilli and garlic very gently until they start to sizzle, then turn up the heat and add the white wine. Simmer everything until the wine and olive oil come together. Then take off the heat and add the brown crabmeat, using a wooden spatula or spoon to mash it into the olive oil to make a thick sauce. When the pasta has had its cooking time, taste a strand – it should have a very slight bite. When it’s ready, turn off the heat. Place the sauce on a very low heat and use a pair of kitchen tongs to lift the pasta from the water into the sauce. Off the heat, add the white crabmeat and parsley to the pasta with a sprinkling of sea salt. Stir everything together really well, adding a drop of pasta water if it’s starting to get claggy. Taste for seasoning and, if it needs a slight lift, add a small squeeze of lemon. Serve immediately twirled into pasta bowls and drizzled with the remaining oil. I like to serve with the crab craws whole and one to each side for decoration, its nice to serve in the upturned crab shell if you can but the shell is usually too small for a giant helping