I like to eat locally and, for me, this Crab Linguine with Meyer Lemon Sauce is about as local as you can get.
Today, as I do most days, I went for a walk in the hills near my house. I did it for exercise, sure. But I also did it because I was hungry. It’s citrus season where I live. Which doesn’t really matter all that much if I were hungry for, say, an orange – oranges are easy to find in the grocery store all year long. They also hang ripe on the tree here pretty much year-round. No, not oranges. I can have an orange pretty much any time I like.
Not so with Meyer lemons. Meyer lemons are very seasonal. Where I live Meyer lemons seem to ripen all at once and then fall from the branches. Also, Meyer lemons aren’t easy to find in the grocery store, even when they’re in season. Their thin, soft skins make them difficult to transport.
Meyer Lemon Sauce
Meaning Meyer lemons are special ingredients and I try to use them in as many recipes as I can while they’re around.
I’ll tell you why. The next time you have one handy scratch the skin of a Meyer lemon and inhale its citrus aroma. I did and was inspired to make Dungeness crab linguine tossed with a special prosecco and Meyer lemon sauce. I say special because if you take another sniff of that Meyer lemon in your hand I think you’ll also notice fragrant floral notes and even some pine. Meyer lemons are perhaps the most complexly scented citrus fruit I know. Just the whiff of a Meyer lemon evokes sunny California in the wintertime.
We in California are blessed with what’s known as a Mediterranean climate. Which has a great many advantages besides mild temperatures and year-round sunshine. One of the greatest pleasures in my life is the simple act of pulling a ripe Meyer lemon off a tree branch hanging over the walkways of the streets where I live. Of course “pulling” isn’t quite the right word. The best way to harvest a thin-skinned Meyer lemon is to gently twist it off the branch. I’ve had practice, so I know.
I call this practice urban foraging. The Meyer lemon sauce in today’s crab linguine is the product of one of my foraging adventures right here in my own neighborhood.
Local Meyer lemons pair beautifully with West Coast Dungeness crab, both are in season right now, and they come together fragrantly in this simple to prepare special-occasion pasta. GREG
Linguine in White Crab-Meyer Lemon Sauce
Print This Recipe Yield 4–6Source Adapted from Rocky MaselliPublished
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large shallot (peeled and thinly sliced)
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
- 1 ½ cup dry prosecco (or other sparkling dry white wine)
- 1 cup creme fraiche
- 2–3 tablespoon Meyer lemon juice
- 2–3 teaspoon Meyer lemon zest
- ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 1 pound cooked, shelled Dungeness crab (or other type crab locally available)
- 1 pound fresh linguine
Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saucepan set over medium heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3–4 minutes. Season with red pepper flakes and salt. Cook an additional minute until fragrant, then add the prosecco and creme fraiche; stirring to combine.
Lower the heat and continue to cook until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
While the sauce thickens, boil the fresh linguine until just tender 2 to 4 minutes.
When ready to serve stir lemon juice, lemon zest, parsley, and crab into the sauce. Drain the pasta and gently toss it with the sauce. Taste for seasoning and serve immediately.
Greetings from the cold, wet East Coast. How I wish I could be walking among lemon trees at the moment. Or enjoying that lovely plate of pasta!
I had a lemon sauce on a pasta years ago in Rome and this looks like it could be similar. I can’t wait to try it. Perfect combo with crab.
Greg — this pasta sounds fantastic and, as soon as we are back, this will be on our table! (We have a lot of Meyer lemons in our neighborhood, too!) You, by the way, are the only other person I know who smells pine in a Meyer lemon. It makes for wonderful, savory-scented sweets, not to mention fantastic pastas like yours. Happy New Year to you and Ken!
It is citrus season here where I am in Florida…I see huge trucks full of oranges and grapefruits heading to the packers. Now I only wish Meyer lemons were grown here but I can find them occasionally in our market. Your crab linguine with that lemon sauce sounds terrific…worth seeking out those evasive Meyer lemons. Happy New Year.
This sounds like an amazingly fresh and fragrant dish, Greg! Such beautiful colors on that plate 🙂
Lucky you with local crab and citrus at your disposal. You don’t see any of that in the landlocked Midwest, darn it. Gorgeous pasta—worthy of a holiday weekend. Happy New Year!!
I happen to have several bottles of Prosecco looking for some crab and recently did some urban foraging in Palm Desert — came home with a load of Meyer Lemons — the tree near the golf course was loaded with them!
omg Greg can you come to my house and make this for me?? I’ll pay 😉
I know that walk. Nice memory. And, who doesn’t love crab, meyer lemons and pasta. (although sometimes meyer lemons are a bit too floral), they are divine.
I love my Meyer lemon tree and don’t mind sharing the lemons if only a few are taken. Lately, the squirrels have taken more than their share. We are so lucky to have Dungeness crab and Meyer lemon . Love your pasta.Happy New Year!
Love this! And love memories of foraging in yr neighborhood!
That’s a gorgeous-looking dish, Greg. You’re so luckt to live in such a food-rich place.
For some reason Dungeness crab to me feels like New Year’s Eve. With prosecco in the sauce plus Meyer lemons you kept from going to waste–all the more festive!