Sunday, July 25, 2010

Whole Wheat Pasta with Avocado and Crab!

This dinner was, in a word...YUM!! I love living in Maryland and having such fantastic access to crab meat...combined with the fresh vinaigrette and creamy avocado this was just too much :)

After E (the roomie) and I got done with our fun afternoon of shopping (we bought some super cute new decor for our living room and kitchen...pics to be posted soon once we're through with it all!) we stopped at grocery store heaven, a.k.a. Wegmans to stock up on the weekly groceries. Seeing as I'll be working 3 nights this week I wanted to make something that could last and that would be tasty left-over for a few meals. Now, I really am not always a huge fan of left-overs but I'm trying to love them more. There are certain things, like pasta, that are just SO great the next day...or 2...or 3 ;)

This dish was originally made for me by one of my friends last winter and I've been wanting to make it ever since but never really got around to it. The recipe is from Food&Wine so I really can't take the credit :) But really...if you like crab and avocado...you HAVE to check it out!
(Copyright Melanie Acevedo)
Ingredients:
  • 2 tsp fresh grated ginger
  • 2 tsp fresh lemon juice (I used approximately half a lemon)
  • 1 1/2 tbsp red or white vinegar
  • 2 scallions chopped, dark green parts saved for garnish
  • 1 tsp soy sauce
  • 1/3 cup cooking oil (I used good olive oil)
  • 1/4 tsp salt

  • Lemon zest from 1/2 lemon or about 1/2 tsp

  • 1 Avocado, ripened and chopped into 1/2 inch chunks 
  • 1/2 pound lump crab meat (make sure to pick out the shells!)
  • 3/4 pound linguini (I used WHOLE WHEAT angel hair...fettucini would work too. Come on...try it with the whole grain pasta, it's fantastic!)
  • 1/2 tsp salt 
Combine the first 7 ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree together. Once the vinaigrette is well blended, pour into a small bowl and fold in avocado and lemon zest to keep avocado from browning. Set aside.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in boiling salted water according to package directions (approximately 8-12 minutes depending on type and brand).

I wanted to eat this cold since the Baltimore summer has just been way too hot for me, so I cooled the pasta down by rinsing in cold water. Drain well.

Fold together cooled pasta (or keep it hot if you'd like!), vinaigrette/avocado, 1/2 tsp salt, and crab meat. Sprinkle with reserved scallions. Serve immediately or let chill for 30 minutes-1hr if you'd like it cold. 

*I loved the whole wheat pasta with this! It really made it more filling and adding a bit more flavor/texture. There was surprisingly no garlic in this and being the Italian that I am I might be tempted to add a few cloves to the dressing next time I do this along with some cracked black pepper. Using good quality olive oil really complimented the flavor of the rich avocado and crab. Now, if you have people that don't do seafood...I think this pasta would be excellent with grilled chicken! I might have to make that variation for MB next time ;) We served this chilled with a side of melon fruit salad for a healthy, quick and easy summer meal. Enjoy! 








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