Fusilli Bucati with Soft Shell Crabs
Submitted by BahamaMama
Fusilli bucati pasta with sauteed soft shell crabs, Anaheim and jalapeno peppers, white wine, tomato sauce, and wilted escarole. A bold Italian seafood pasta.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
20 minREADY
30 minThis pasta dish has serious restaurant energy. Soft shell crabs get halved and sautéed until deep red and firm in smoking-hot olive oil alongside Anaheim and jalapeño peppers and red onion. White wine and tomato sauce deglaze the pan, reduce by half, and chopped escarole wilts into the sauce right at the end.
Soft shell crabs are whole crabs eaten shell and all, harvested right after molting when their new shell is still paper-thin. Sautéing them in very hot oil crisps that delicate shell while keeping the sweet crab meat inside juicy. Handle them gently in the pan because aggressive stirring breaks them apart.
The pepper combination is well-balanced. Anaheims bring mild, sweet heat and jalapeños add sharper spice. Together they give the sauce a layered warmth that sits behind the briny sweetness of the crab rather than overwhelming it.
Toss the drained fusilli directly into the crab pan for a final minute on heat. The ridged, spiral pasta grabs the chunky sauce and holds it.
Chef Tips
- Clean the crabs right before cooking. Snip off the face, remove the skirt (apron), and pull out the gills. Your fishmonger will do this too if you ask.
- Get the olive oil smoking hot before adding the crabs. A hot pan means crispy shells. A cool pan means steamed, rubbery crabs.
- Reduce the wine and tomato sauce by half. That concentration is what gives the sauce body and intensity.
- Serve immediately on a warmed platter. This dish doesn’t hold well because the crabs lose their crispness as they sit.
Variations
- No-spice version: Replace the jalapeños with sweet bell peppers if you prefer less heat.
- Linguine swap: Use linguine instead of fusilli for a more traditional Italian seafood pasta presentation.
Ingredients
Directions
Bring 6 quarts water to boil in a large spaghetti pot and add 2 tablespoons salt.
Clean soft shell crabs by snipping off their faces with a pair of scissors and removing the skirt.
Cut in half and set aside.
In a 12 to 14-inch sauté pan, heat olive oil until smoking, add onions, Anaheim, jalapenos and cook until softened, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Add the crab pieces and continue cooking until crabs are deep red and firm.
Be careful not to break up the crabs with aggressive stirring.
Add the white wine and the tomato sauce and reduce by half.
Add escarole and cook another 1 minute until escarole has wilted and remove from heat.
Drop fusilli into boiling water and cook according to package instructions until al dente (about 7 to 9 minutes).
Drain pasta well in colander and pour hot pasta in pan with crabs.
Return to medium heat and toss to coat well, about 1 minute.
Pour into heated serving platter and serve immediately.
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