Crab Linguine Recipe - Great British Chefs

Step 1

Start by making the pesto. Blitz a third of all the ingredients apart from the olive oil in a food processor until a paste forms. It is best to make the pesto in three batches, so only use a third of your ingredients at a time

Step 2

Slowly pour a third of the oil into the blender whilst it is blitzing, taking care not to pour in too much otherwise the pesto with split. Repeat these steps until all of your ingredients are used up then set aside until ready to serve

Step 3

For the emulsion, melt half the butter in a hot pan until it starts to foam. Add the carrots, onion, celery and leek, season the mixture and cook until golden brown. Fill the pan with cold water and bring to the boil

Step 4

Simmer this vegetable stock for 20 minutes, then strain off the vegetables. Return the liquid to the heat, whisking in the remaining butter until smooth and emulsified

Step 5

To cook your pasta, bring 5 litres of water to the boil in a large pan and add the salt. Separate the pasta as you drop it in and leave to cook for about 4–5 minutes. Strain off the pasta and add a little olive oil to stop it from sticking together

Step 6

Add a little vegetable oil to a hot sauté pan and add the red onion and spring onion. Once golden brown, add the pine nuts and sliced chilli. When the pine nuts have begun to colour, deglaze the pan with 50g of your vegetable emulsion

Step 7

Squeeze in the juice of half a lemon and bring to the boil. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of the red pesto with the crème fraîche and mix thoroughly. While the sauce is coming back to the boil, drop the linguini into a pan of boiling water to heat up

Step 8

Once the sauce starts to thicken, add the parsley along with the drained hot pasta. Toss in the pan to ensure the pasta is well coated

Step 9

Using tongs, twist the pasta to give it shape and place in a bowl. Sprinkle the picked crab over the top along with the cherry tomatoes and rocket, then finish with a final splash of olive oil and lemon juice