There’s a holy trinity of flavours I’ve loved for a very long time but, for some reason, I just can’t quite remember the first time I tried this amazing combo. And that’s literally kept me up at night.
I actually did spend part of last night absolutely racking my brain as to where I may have first had a crab, saffron and chilli linguine. And for the life of me, I could not remember.
At first, I thought the reason why might be because I didn’t necessarily have this dish on a lovely holiday in Italy, as one might have imagined. It’s easy to remember those standout dishes, that you have whilst traveling, especially when they are eaten in their actual place of origin. I think there’s something really romantic and cinematic about being in a dish’s home environment, that just tattoos the first time you try it, right on your brain.
There’s my first ever spaghetti alle vongole, eaten during a visit to the Amalfi coast. A real, proper Sicilian pasta con le sarde, in Sicily, that I remember like it was yesterday. My first risotto Milanese, first devoured in 2008 when I’d moved to Milan with my best friend to study for a year. A thick and rare and totally out-of-this-world Fiorentina steak, eaten in Florence, in 2014. Oh, and my first Cacio e Pepe, tried in Rome. An anchovy and onion Bigoli in Venice. A roadside arancino in Catania. Proper pizza in Napoli. The list goes on and on, and I think I can remember every one of these meals with total clarity!!
These really are memories that stick out like a sore thumb for me. (If a sore thumb were to be a positive thing, that is.) These dishes are etched, hard, on my mind, hopefully never to leave - because food memories are up there with the best memories I have, maybe barring my wedding day, or meeting Navy for the first time.
Funnily enough, I can very easily remember what I ate on both of those occasions too, though: our wedding night, on a hot July night in Spain, featured an incredible meal, including gazpacho, and sea bass with golden potatoes and black garlic alioli. Navy’s birthday was a Roman style slice of square pizza, in my hospital bed. Both meals felt otherworldly! Food truly does always feature in the greatest moments of my life!
Anyway, I’ve digressed enough, let’s come back to this amazing crab pasta. I stopped tossing and turning last night in bed because I finally realised that the reason I can’t fully associate this dish with the place I first had it, is because it doesn’t have a place. This particular combo of flavours is actually not a super authentic Italian pairing. Therefore, it does not belong to any one particular city or region. (Which is why I have no recall of the first time I had it.)
This dish and flavour combo has actually come to life in bistros and restaurants across cities like London, New York and Sydney. Though it is Mediterranean inspired, and saffron is used a lot in Sicilian cooking, and while, yes, you can eat crab and white wine pasta variations all along the Italian coast, this specific recipe doesn’t come from anywhere.
The ultimate, and much more important, point of this story is that, in my humble opinion, there ain’t much better than crab, saffron, white wine, chilli, garlic and fresh baby tomatoes. Even if it doesn’t have a hometown.
This pasta is truly a dream. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Serves: 4
Prep and cook time: 25 min
Small saucepan
Tongs
Large pot (for boiling pasta)
Deep, wide frying pan
Wooden spatula
Sharp, small Victorinox serrated knife (for halving the larger cherry tomatoes - I maintain that, dollar for dollar, these knives are the absolute best value way to level up any kitchen/cooking experience)
Chopping board (this one is certainly an investment, but also amazing)
A generous pinch of saffron thread
s
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.