Spaghetti with crab, cherry tomatoes & basil

Punchy fresh flavours in a good-for-you-dish are often what you need for a midweek boost. This pasta dish has it all

Preparation Time

10 Mins

Cooking Time

15 mins

Serves

Serves 3

Ingredients

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves , chopped
pinch chilli flakes
200g cherry tomatoes , halved
zest and juice 1 lemon
350g fresh white crab meat
200g spaghetti
1 tsp capers , drained and rinsed
handful basil leaves , roughly chopped

Method

In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic and chilli flakes. Cook until just pale golden, then add the tomatoes. Cook 3 mins more on a high heat until the tomatoes start to break down a little. Add the lemon juice and cook for 1-2 mins. Remove from the heat and stir in the crab to warm through – not too much or it will break up.
Boil the pasta in a large pan of salted water following pack instructions then drain. Mix the pasta in the warm pot with the sauce, lemon zest and capers, and toss the basil through.

Recipe Tips

Low in fat, canned crabmeat is a good source of protein and also supplies calcium, iron and zinc. Tomatoes are packed with vitamins A and C as well as protective lycopene, which this recipe makes the most of – cooking increases its potency and combining with oil improves absorption.