Lump Crab White Wine Fettuccine with Garlic Chives

Have you ever made something that was almost too good? Like, I just might eat my portion and my husband's portion too before he comes home type of good? Yeah well, this is one such meal, I advise you proceed with caution...

In all honesty though, with ingredients like cream, wine, and cheese, it's pretty much impossible for this to go wrong. It is rare that we make a creamy based pasta dish, just because they're so darn delicious, it should almost be illegal for something to taste this good! I decided to use canned lump crab which I feel kinda gets a bad rep, at first I was hesitant to try this, for some reason if it's fish and it's in a can I always associate that with tuna. The first time I used in was actually in culinary school, we were making a crab salad to feed 100 people and buying fresh crab would have been wayyy out of our budget and I was pleasantly surprised at the results. Don't get me wrong, it won't be as good as fresh and you have to doctor it up a little but for less than half the price of fresh it's pretty satisfying!

Lump Crab White Wine Fettuccine with Garlic Chives

serves 3-4

Recipe adapted from Pinch of Yum

2 TBS butter
2 cloves garlic, minced, divided
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup water
1 lb. whole wheat linguine (or you can use Smart Taste, I couldn't find any fettuccine noodles)
1 (6oz.) can lump crab meat
1 TBS lemon oil (or vegetable oil)
1/4 cup Riesling
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 heaping cup grated Parmesan cheese
bunch of garlic chives, cut small with scissors
1 lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.For the pasta, heat two tablespoons butter in a large pot over high heat. Add one cloves of garlic and sauté, stirring constantly, for one minute. Add the broth and water; bring to a boil. Add the pasta and boil until the pasta is cooked. Lower the heat and simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed. Do not drain - there should be some liquid left in the pan to help coat the noodles.

2.While the pasta is cooking, heat one tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the crab and saute for 2-3 minutes until lightly browned on the outside. Add the white wine (you don’t necessarily have to measure - just eyeball a few good glugs) and remaining garlic, cook until most of the wine has evaporated (about 1-2 min.) remove from heat and set aside. Cover the crab so it stays warm.

4.To finish, add the whipping cream, Parmesan, and chives to the cooked pasta. Toss everything together and finish with a squeeze of lemon juice, salt, and pepper (Note: the pasta might look watery at first but keep stirring and it should thicken up). Top with crab and more chives if desired.