CRAB SPAGHETTI

Crabs from Lyme Bay

Another busy week.  Exchange friends staying, lots of extra teens for supper, I finally finished my radio play and really great news- my blog has been taken up by Mums Net..so THANK YOU to everyone who has followed and been reading  ... and welcome to anyone who is clicking on for the first time..   

I started this blog after one of my teens became a vegetarian and I found I was doing twice as much cooking and wasn’t happy!

Don't get me wrong. I love food and cooking.  I’m interested in different flavours, where things come from, what’s in season. I hate bland food. I just don’t have the time pander to, or cook individual suppers for everyone!

This also seemed a great way to get Teen Veggie more interested in food, be more proactive in what is eaten and how it is cooked!!  It is working slowly and Teen V is threatening to post soon..Won’t hold my breath!

As a bonus I have rediscovered my love of photography. My husband is a photographer, so for the last however many years I just let him to take pics, he does it so well, but I have adored getting creative again with the camera...as you can see!

Enough of that, back to this week. With my leg better, (see earlier post about over enthusiastic dancing!) I walked up to the weekly fish stall.

Crabs- From Sea To Me.

There is a very small market that comes to The University of Southampton campus every Monday. Us locals can pop along too.

For me one of the highlights is - CARLIN SEAFOOD -FROM THE SEA TO ME - a great fresh fish stall that sells locally caught fish. They have a stall at different markets in the South of England. See below for their contact details.

There is also a New Forest Butcher who sell local venison ...I am trying to think of a good combination for vege and meat eaters so more on that later...(if anyone has any ideas I'd be keen to hear?)

I love their displays of crabs, caught in Lyme Bay, and so rather than resort to  Fish and chips this Friday, always a good default when I’m very busy,  I bought some crab and chillies for chilli crab spaghetti.

Red Chillies!

 It is quicker than fish and chips- the time it takes for spaghetti to cook, and is really tasty. It also works out much cheaper!!

 Here’s the recipe. It really is SO simple that even friends who can’t cook can do this.

Spaghetti with crab

Preparation time- 5 minutes

Cooking time: 10 mins

Serves 4

Pots and pans: frying pan and large saucepan

                                                 

INGREDIENTS:

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 red pepper

½ fresh red chilli

2 handfuls of flat leaf parsley

Juice of half a lemon   

Olive oil good slug for frying

Spaghetti 

1 crab already cooked

Lemons

  

HOW TO MAKE IT:

1.     Put the saucepan of water on to boil for the spaghetti. Read the instructions for the spaghetti and cook for the required time.

2.     Chop the pepper and fry in olive oil until soft. Literally a few minutes. Take off the heat

3.      Put the crab meat in a bowl. Chop the chilli and garlic.

4.     Add the chilli, garlic and onions to the crab.

5.     Then squeeze  half the juice of the lemon into the bowl

6.     Chop the parsley and add into the mixture.

7.     Drain the spaghetti. Mix into the sauce and squeeze the other half of the lemon over. Put in a bowl, season with salt and pepper.

Crab and chilli spaghetti

This is also delicious if served with a little fresh rocket salad.

CARLIN SEAFOOD

Can be found in:

Southampton University on Mondays,

Winchester Market on Wednesday,

Royal Holloway and Uckfield on alternate Tuesdays.