Crab Delights a la Marinara

A pound of crab meat gets the full marinara treatment here: fresh tomatoes peeled and diced, simmered uncovered with oregano, basil, garlic, whole black peppercorns, and a pinch of cayenne until the sauce thickens into something rich and concentrated. The crab goes in at the very end for just 5 minutes, barely enough to heat through without toughening the delicate meat.

Using eight fresh tomatoes instead of canned gives this sauce a brighter, lighter flavor that lets the sweet crab shine rather than burying it under heavy tomato paste. The uncovered simmer is what builds the body, reducing and concentrating the sauce naturally.

Kitchen Tips

• Peel the tomatoes by scoring an X on the bottom and blanching in boiling water for 30 seconds. The skins slip right off.
• Don’t overcook the crab. Five minutes in the simmering sauce is enough. Longer and it turns rubbery and loses its sweet, briny flavor.
• The whole peppercorns add a subtle, slow-building heat that ground pepper can’t replicate. Fish them out before serving if you prefer.
• A quarter teaspoon of sugar balances the natural acidity of the fresh tomatoes without making the sauce taste sweet.

Variations

• Add ½ cup of dry white wine to the sauce before simmering for a more complex, restaurant-style marinara.
• Swap crab for shrimp or a mix of both for a seafood marinara.
• Serve over linguine or angel hair pasta instead of spaghetti for a more traditional Italian pairing.