Spaghetti Carbonara with Crab

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Joe and I have recently rediscovered our love for all things crab. For the first 5 years we dated, we visited Clearwater, FL with his family every spring. We would go to a couple of spring training games for the Philadelphia Phillies, and we would visit the beach and eat a ton of food. One of the best things we had during our first visit together was the crab-topped fries from Frenchy’s South Beach Cafe. One bite and we were hooked on all things crab. It’s taken us 5 years to finally feel comfortable enough to try cooking it ourselves at home, but I think it was worth the wait! After hunting around for some crab pasta recipes, I found one from Rachael Ray for something she called “Crabonara,” and so the idea for this Spaghetti Carbonara with Crab recipe was born.

The cooking method in hers seemed a little convoluted (and had so many eggs!), so I combined her basic ingredient list with Tyler Florence’s recipe for spaghetti carbonara. I also swapped the pancetta in RR’s recipe to bacon since I rarely can find it reasonably priced at my grocery store, and I also swapped the King crab meat for lump crab meat. If you want to serve this for a special occasion, feel free to swap the lump crab meat for something like a King crab or Dungeness crab. I bet it would be delicious!

If you’re looking for something to serve alongside this recipe, I suggest my End of Summer Salad (leave out the chicken) or Ultimate Summer Panzanella (leave out the bread for a lighter side).

Spaghetti Carbonara with Crab Recipe

Servings: 2
Active Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

6 ounces spaghetti
2 slices bacon
1/2 shallot, minced
1 small rib of celery, minced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. seafood seasoning (I used Old Bay)
1/2 cup (4 ounces) white wine 
Zest and juice from ½ lemon
4 ounces lump crab meat, picked over to remove any shell
1 large egg
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving
Freshly ground black pepper
A small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook for 8 minutes. The pasta should not be al dente, it should be a few minutes short of al dente. Drain the pasta well, and reserve 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking water to use in the sauce if you wish.

Meanwhile, heat a deep skillet over a medium flame. Add the bacon and saute for about 3 minutes per side, until the bacon is crisp and the fat is rendered. Remove bacon to a plate, or a paper towel, to drain and continue crisping. 

In a medium mixing bowl, beat the eggs and Parmesan together; stir well to work out any lumps. 

To the rendered bacon fat in the skillet, add the shallots, celery, garlic, seafood seasoning, and ground pepper. Cook for 2 minutes to soften the vegetables, then add the white wine and crab. Toss the mixture to warm through and allow the wine to reduce by half (should only take 2 minutes or so). Add the juice and zest of 1/2 lemon. Turn off the heat and allow to sit until the pasta is finished.

When the pasta is ready, add it to the bowl with the egg and Parmesan mixture and stir around until the pasta is completely coated. Turn the pan with the crab mixture back onto a low heat.

Add the pasta/egg/Parmesan mixture back into the skillet with the crab and wine mixture. Toss everything consistently until the eggs thicken but do not scramble, and a sauce begins to form a coating on the pasta. Keep the pasta mixture moving constantly or the eggs will start to scramble. This should take 2-4 minutes on medium heat. If your sauce is getting too thick, thin it out with a bit of the reserved pasta water, until it reaches the desired consistency. However, do not be tempted to add too much water, though, or the sauce won’t be as thick and as luxurious. 

Mound the spaghetti carbonara into bowls and garnish with chopped parsley and an additional sprinkle of seafood seasoning. Crumble the cooked bacon over the top of each bowl and add additional grated cheese, if desired, and serve.

Cooking Notes

You will notice that I did not add any salt to either the crab/wine mixture or the eggs/cheese mixture. Since I used Old Bay seafood seasoning, which is quite salty by itself, as well as used an aged cheese and bacon in this recipe, I don’t think it needs any additional salt during the cooking process.

If you make and enjoy any of my recipes, please leave a comment below, and don’t forget to tag me in your pictures on Instagram (@bookishkitchen #thebookishkitchen)! I love seeing my followers recreating my recipes.