This is a really simple main course which I served as part of a crab lovers crab dinner. The pasta takes 3 minutes to cook, during which time you can make the sauce. I don't know why I haven't ever thought to put sage with crab before - the woodsiness of the sage is the perfect foil for the sweetness of the crab.
This is the kind of dish where everyone exclaims at how much there is and how they will never be able to eat it all because of the richness of the first course (pan fried soft shell crabs with avocado tartare) and yet, within mere minutes it seems, there is nothing left for the lunch you had secretly planned for yourself from the leftovers...
Fresh linguine (enough for 4 people, pasta serving sizes are very subjective)
8 oz cleaned crab meat
4 Tbsps butter
2 Tbsps chopped fresh sage leaves
1/2 cup purslane leaves (optional, I used it because I had some)
1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp chopped celery leaves
1/4 cup chopped scallion
1 tsp Old Bay
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
Salt to taste
Without turning on the heat, put the butter in a skillet and push the clove of garlic into its surface. Set aside.
Boil a pot of salted water for the pasta.
While it is coming to a boil, chop all of the ingredients as instructed above.
As soon as the pasta water comes to a boil, turn the heat on medium under the skillet containing the butter.
Add the pasta to the boiling water, add the rest of the ingredients to the skillet containing the melting butter, setting aside one tablespoon of the chopped celery leaves for garnish.
Cook the pasta as directed. While it is cooking, heat the crab mixture through and stir to combine well with the butter.
When the pasta is ready, scoop 1/3 of a cup of the pasta water into the crab mixture. Stir to combine and let it cook while you drain the pasta.
Add the pasta to the skillet containing the crab and stir well (tongs work best) so that the pasta is coated with the sauce.
Check to see if you need salt. I did't add any because I find Old Bay quite salty to begin with but adjust to your taste.
Transfer to a serving platter and garnish with the remaining chopped celery leaves.
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