Crab meat reminds me of trips down the shore (that’s the beach, in New Jersey “slang”) with my family, sitting on the edge of my Uncle’s dock, waiting for my string to move, signaling that a crab had bit the bait.
It was so exciting to hook that crab and pull it up, screaming with my cousins and my brother and sister. We were afraid of the prickly looking crustacean, but so ecstatic that we caught one.
My mother would cook the crabs right away and we’d all use our fingers to eat them later that night.
I’ll never forget the one time that a crab got loose and crawled into some random crevice in the house. I couldn’t sleep that night.
I remember laying with my eyes open for the entire night, listening to every creak, jolting up and looking around to make sure that crab wasn’t coming for me.
It never got me, but it sure was a close call.
The simple smell of crab reminds me of these childhood memories. I try to incorporate crab into meals when I can, but unfortunately, crab meat can be on the pricey side.
If you are using crab meat for dinner, just make sure you have another use for that crab meat, so it doesn’t go to waste (especially if you typically only cook for yourself or one other person.) I love making English muffin crab melts and crab cakes and freezing them.
Other than that, every once in a while, I love to splurge on quality jumbo lump crab meat to make dishes like this zucchini pasta.
Another favorite way of mine to eat crab with zucchini pasta is to cook the noodles in a sauce with olive, garlic and red pepper flakes and then toss in the crab meat, stir for a minute and serve, garnished with parsley or even a little fresh basil.
This spicy avocado sauce is one of my go-tos in the summertime, when I don’t want to turn the stovetop on. Everything happens in a bowl, no heat required.
This avocado sauce is flavorful, spicy and packs a solid nutrient punch. The dish itself is light, so it’s ideal for those nights when you get home late and don’t want to eat a big meal before you go to bed – or, it’s great for lunch (it also packs well!)
Also, you’ll notice that the zucchini noodles look especially like “real” spaghetti today. That’s because I peeled the zucchini! I rarely peel zucchini (I like the crunch and the nutrients from the skin), but I did with this recipe, because it works well with the creaminess of the avocado sauce. The consistency is light and lets the crab speak more loudly.
Thanks for letting me reminisce with you today!
Nutritional Information & Recipe
Weight Watchers SmartPoints*: 6 points
Crab Zucchini Pasta with Spicy Avocado Sauce
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups jumbo lump crab meat
- 3 zucchinis peeled, Blade D, noodles trimmed
- For the sauce:
- 1 avocado peeled and pitted
- 1/4 teaspoon grinded sea salt
- pepper to taste
- 1 small jalapeno sliced (seeds included)
- 1 lime juiced
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1.5 tablespoons chopped cilantro + more to garnish
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Place all of the sauce ingredients into a food processor. Pulse until creamy. Taste and adjust if necessary.
- Place the zucchini noodles into a medium mixing bowl along with the avocado sauce and toss until combined. Add in the crab and toss again.
- Divide into bowls and garnish with cilantro.
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