Oct 21 2010
Crab Garlic Noodles
I suppose you can say that we’ve had “a lot on our plate” recently – so as much as we want to frequently blog and showcase our dishes, many times it’s proved to be nearly impossible. We are still cooking a lot together, but obviously it’s much easier to do that without the camera, lighting, plating, etc! I’m sure our fellow bloggers can agree! Cooking alone is hard enough, but to document it is a whole new level of work! But don’t worry, we hope to be back to regular consistency soon with a lot of fun ideas and recipes that will get us all through the fall and winter season!
This post is sort of inspired by a dish we had many years ago when we had dinner at Crustacean in Beverly Hillls. It’s a fancy Vietnamese-French restaurant that specializes in Dungeness Crab and Garlic Noodles, and yes, it’s definitely over-priced and over-hyped! However, the meal and ambiance is still memorable to this day, so we thought it would be interesting to make an attempt at our own quick version with what we had on hand. This meal wasn’t meant to be special or well-planned, but about incorporating the ingredients we have in our kitchen to whip up a weekday dinner without the expensive price tag from the restaurant. For example, instead of egg noodles, we used thin spaghetti pasta; instead of Dungeness crab, we used blue lump crab meat from a can. Along with some other fresh ingredients, this dish came together in no time at all!
Expect to have some stinky breath after preparing this dish because we used a lot of garlic! Thank goodness we have a garlic press because it definitely saved us a lot of time from mincing a ton of cloves. Using the press, we got 2 tbsp of minced garlic. (Tip: While you are taking out and prepping your ingredients, be sure to cook 8 oz. of pasta so it's ready to be tossed in the sauce).
In a large sauté pan, melt 4 tbsp of butter and add the minced garlic until aromatic but not browned. Be careful to not burn the butter or garlic! This process will go very fast.
Next, add 1 tbsp brown sugar and 2 tbsp light soy sauce. This gives it the sweet and salty flavors that will bind to the pasta. Taste until desired flavor - either more sweet or more salty.
As soon as the brown sugar melts, add the drained pasta and 1.5 cups of crab meat and mix together to get all the ingredients combined.
For the finishing touches on this quick supper, we added chopped basil and parsley (substitute cilantro), and a nice shaving of Parmesan cheese. If you want to kick it up a notch, sprinkle some red pepper flakes for some spiciness. We kept this recipe short, simple, and fast - just like how it should be when you are pressed for time or tired from a long day at work. Bon appetit, my lovely readers!
To view or print-out this recipe, click here: Crab Garlic Noodles
This looks like a very easy recipe to follow, AND it looks like I already have all the ingredients too! How was the taste? Was it very similar Crustaceans?
Good idea to re-create the dish at home, and using lump crab meat from a can is ingenious too! You just need a few good ingredients and viola!
simple and nice !! and for me i will like to add some chives and bean sprout as wel…l
Absolutely picture perfect! Looks simply marvellous. I am salivating. haha…. Hope you’re having a great weekend ahead.
Cheers, Kristy
.-= kristy´s last blog ..Crispy Pizza With Homemade Ricotta Cheese & Pesto =-.
Fantastic flavors! I’ve had something like this with wide rice noodles. Either way, I bet the noodles sop up that flavor so well. Thanks for sharing how to actually make it!
.-= Belinda @zomppa´s last blog ..Photo of the Day- Peachy Keen =-.
Ooohh – love the addition of soy sauce and brown sugar! I wouldn’t have thought of that! Although I love crab, my husband does not. Perhaps I’ll try with chicken or pork.
.-= Suzee´s last blog ..Suzees Cheesy Chicken Casserole =-.
That seriously looks awesome! Crab is one of my favorite things, and honestly I am not sure I have ever had it in pasta…I will now though!
I like how easy this is to make! Even someone as incompotent as me in the kitchen can whip this one out. Thanks!
I tried this recipe without the crab meat because I’m Vegan, so I used soy chicken, shredded and it turned out great!! This is also excellent without the meat substitutes or crabmeat according to my family!! Thanks
Thanks for sharing this! I’ve heard rave reviews about Crustacean’s garlic noodles but haven’t wanted to pay the price for them.
LOVE your blog!
This looks AMAZING! Can’t wait to try it out! Keep em comin!
.-= Tara´s last blog ..for my mama =-.
One of my favorite recipes involves pasta and garlic. It’s a heavenly combination! Perfect for World Pasta Day on Monday.
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I can totally relate about the lapses in posting. Something it becomes so difficult, we all get bloggers block at some point. Great comeback and keep it up.
Absolutely fantastic looking pasta. Nice recipe AND photography.
.-= Chris´s last blog ..Flank Steak & Black Bean Tostada =-.
How did it live up to Crustaceans? I’ve only ever been to Thanh Long in the Outer Sunset in SF. The crab, while good, was something easily made at home, but I really wanted the recipe for their garlic noodles!
And yes, sometimes you just want to cook and eat and not blog. I totally get it.
.-= Baking Barrister´s last blog ..Pumpkin Zucchini Muffins =-.
I used to make a very similar version of this recipe, and I can attest that this is a classic that everyone should try!
.-= Christine @ Fresh Local and Best´s last blog ..New Amsterdam Market & Apple Season in New York =-.
Really enjoying your blog…so much so that I have a little somethin’ for ya in my blog. Pop by when you get a chance
!
So simple, but looks terribly moreish. I’ve had a few amazing angel hair pasta crab dishes at various restaurants over the years, all pretty expensive, so I really should use your recipe to make a cheaper home version! I also like the use of soy in here, great idea.
.-= Conor @ HoldtheBeef´s last blog ..An Old Friend and a New Addiction =-.
Oh, come on. How could this be good with that much butter and garlic? Really!
And crab? That’s the end of me. When I saw the butter and garlic in the pan and then the swirl of pasta soaking it all up – I was actually salivating and it is before breakfast time here – but I could have snorfled it up in a second …. then that huge mound of crab going in… You are killing me.
YUMMERS.
I put garlic in everything. Love it.
And, we all knwo that everything’s better with butter.
Valerie
.-= A Canadian Foodie´s last blog ..Homemade Turkey Soup =-.
This is wonderful!! Keep Up the good work guys.;)
I just made this from stuff I had in the kitchen…but with brown rice noodles and threw in some extra bok choy I had for some green. SO delicious!! My first recipe from a blog…true story. Thanks for making it easy!
Bon appetit indeed! This recipe looks like an adaption of a classic Italian recipe I cook just about every week Spaghetti Aglio e Olio. Simple yet delicious!
.-= Daisy ´s last blog ..Top 15 Christmas Toys 2010 =-.
Kaitlyn – TWO THUMBS UP!! Thank you for leaving us a comment and for trying out the recipe. Glad it was a success
We made this last night and it’s every bit as fantastic as it sounds!!!!!!!!!! It’ll be on my blog sometime in the next 2-3 weeks – I hope
Thanks for this great recipe – Kate@kateiscooking
So I tried this recipe tonight, and it was pretty good! My dad enjoyed it too- which says a lot since he’s such a picky eater! I think next time I make this, I’m only going to use (at MOST) 3 tbsp of butter since pasta is already heavy by itself. I was only able to eat a few spoonfuls of this yummy deliciousness since it was so fulfilling!
Interesting blog and thoughts you got going on there!! Check out my blog sometimes when you get a chance. If you like my writing and what’s on there become my follower!
http://lifemadness-linhy.blogspot.com
Great use of the crab meat!
looks good!