Crab is my favourite seafood but I don’t get to buy it fresh very often so I had to find ways to make tinned crab delicious. When I was a teenager we went on a family holiday to Cape Cod where there are seafood restaurants everywhere. I had my first ever macaroni cheese and it was loaded with crab. It was incredible. Crab is sweet and salty and goes brilliantly with pasta so this mac ‘n’ cheese is my go to recipe when I want a crab fix. You can freeze the leftovers for a seafood treat when you don’t want to cook.
INGREDIENTS
Serves 2 Adults & 2 Kids
300g macaroni pasta
200g tinned crab meat (2 tins)
100g cheddar
100g mozzarella
450ml milk
150ml cream
2 tbsp plain flour
30g butter
1 tbsp lemon juice (1/2 lemon)
1tbsp dried parsley
- Fill a large saucepan 3/4 with water and put on a medium high heat. While you’re waiting for the water to boil melt the butter in a milk pan on a medium high heat. Once it’s melted add the flour and whisk to combine. Cook this for 1 minute then gradually add the milk to make a roux (white sauce).
- Salt the pasta water once it’s boiling then add the macaroni and cook for 1 minute less than the package instructions. Add the cheese to the roux and stir regularly until it has melted (this will take about the same time as it takes for the pasta to cook). Once the cheese has melted, add the cream and stir to combine.
- Drain the cooked pasta and return to the saucepan then add the drained crab, parsley and the lemon juice. Grind over black pepper then stir to combine. Gradually stir in the cheese sauce then tip into a baking dish.
- Put the dish under a medium high grill for 15 minutes (I set my grill to 180°) until the top is golden. Serve with salad or as a side for grilled meats, surf and turf style.
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