Recette du jour

Gulf seafood and pasta are undeniably two of my favorite perks in life.  That's why this crab carbonara recipe featuring jumbo lump gulf crab would probably be my last meal. This recipe serves 2 and can easily be doubled to serve 4.  (It's also delicious without the pancetta, because it gives the crab even more prominence in the dish).  

Crab Carbonara  
Ingredients 
Linguini (about half of a box)
Olive oil 
5 slices of pancetta, diced (or bacon if you can't find pancetta) 
1 egg, slightly beaten 
1 garlic clove, minced 
Jumbo lump crab meat -8 oz. 
Red pepper flakes (and cayenne if you like spice)
Salt & pepper
1/2 cup Parmesan reggiano (with extra for serving)
Optional:  Fresh parsley (chopped)
Serves 2

First, beat egg in large mixing bowl.  Add cheese.  Boil water to cook pasta (make sure to add salt to the water).  Cook pasta until al dente.  In the mean time, put pancetta in large skillet with olive oil on medium high heat.  Cook until it starts to brown and add garlic.  Cook for a minute or so. (Remember, garlic burns easily!)  Turn off the heat and add the crab.  Let that all sit together and get to know each other.  In the meantime, the pasta should be finished cooking.  Use tongs to take pasta out of the water and add directly to the egg mixture (Do not drain the pasta in a collandar.  The hot starchy noodles are important to make the sauce and help cook the egg).  Toss around until evenly coated.  Add the pancetta and crab.  Season with red pepper flakes, cayenne, salt and pepper to taste.  Add some freshly chopped parsley and more cheese.  It is dynamite.  

Jumbo lump crab is easy to find in Nola, but probably not in other places.  Use what you can find, but make sure to pick through for shells.  This means using your fingers to go over every piece of crab to make sure no shell or remanent is attached.  Time consuming, but worth it.  

Enjoy!