This pasta dish originally appeared on the weekly menu as a squid ink pasta with cream and tarragon. As the week went by, however, I felt less and less inclined to calm cream sauces with grassy notes and started to crave the flavors of Singaporean crab more and more, hence this last minute substitution.
Singaporean crab, if you have never had it, is one of Singaporean national dishes and certainly packs a punch. Since my budget didn't extend to whole crab from which I could then suck the juices, sauce and spices, I amended the proper recipe to accommodate crab meat and home made squid ink pasta.
This crab is so delicious that I am surprised any was left by the time the water for the pasta boiled; I kept on dipping into it. Even if you decide against homemade pasta and plump for store-bought, please try this delectable crab. I think it would also make the most delicious filling for a decadent tasting omelet.
The Pasta:
3 cups all-purpose flour
4 egg yolks + 2 egg whites
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsps squid ink
1/4 tsp salt
I measure everything together directly into the bowl of my stand mixer and, using the bread hook, pulse it together until it comes together into a cohesive ball. You can also make it by hand, by measuring the flour out onto a clean counter top, making a well in the flour, adding the liquid ingredients to that and mixing them together gingerly with a fork until they form a dough.
In both cases I have several recommendations: whisk the eggs and the squid ink together first so that the color of your dough will be uniform rather than streaky and, if like me you keep your flour in the freezer, add a tablespoon of water to the dough as well or it will not come together into a proper dough.
Once you have a cohesive ball of dough, wrap it in cling wrap and set aside to rest for 30 minutes to several hours.
When ready to use, flour the dough well and either cut into noodles using a pasta maker, a pasta pin (as illustrated above) or by simply rolling it up lengthwise and cutting it into noodles with a sharp knife. Make sure that everything is very well floured or you will have noodles that stick together in a gloopy mess.
To cook, bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil and cook for 2-3 minutes before draining and mixing with the crab mixture.
The Crab:
8 oz crab meat
3 scallions, finely chopped
1 Tbsp grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 tsps white wine
3 Tbsps olive oil
1/4 tsp crushed Aleppo pepper or red pepper flakes
Salt to taste
Heat the olive oil and the garlic cloves in a skillet over medium heat. As soon as you can smell the garlic fragrance, add the ginger and the scallions and cook for a minute or so until the scallion has softened.
Add the rest of the ingredients and heat through while the pasta is cooking. Add a ladleful of the pasta water to the crab and stir to combine. Let bubble away for one minute before mixing with the cooked pasta, making sure to remove the 2 cloves of garlic first.
Simple but truly moreish.
Pasta inspiration recipe, here.