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Baked crab and pea giant shells

Name: Baked crab and pea giant shells
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Ingredients: large pasta shells 300g; white crab meat 300g; brown crab meat 100g; lemon 1, zested and juiced; shallot 1, finely chopped; red wine vinegar 1 tbsp; caster sugar 1 tsp; crème fraîche 3 tbsp; Grana Padano 30g, finely grated; olive oil 1 tbsp; unsalted butter; onion 1, finely chopped; garlic 2 cloves, finely chopped; chicken stock 350ml; frozen petit pois 500g; crème fraîche 3 tbsp; mint a handful, leaves picked; basil a handful, leaves picked

1 hour 10 minutes
serves 6
Easy

Spoon zesty crab meat into pasta shells and serve in a creamy pea sauce for a vibrant family dinner

Published: August 2, 2019 at 10:01 am

Try this crab pasta bake then check out our vegetarian pasta bake and more comforting pasta bakes.

Ingredients

large pasta shells 300g
white crab meat 300g
brown crab meat 100g
lemon 1, zested and juiced
shallot 1, finely chopped
red wine vinegar 1 tbsp
caster sugar 1 tsp
crème fraîche 3 tbsp
Grana Padano 30g, finely grated

PEA SAUCE

olive oil 1 tbsp
unsalted butter
onion 1, finely chopped
garlic 2 cloves, finely chopped
chicken stock 350ml
frozen petit pois 500g
crème fraîche 3 tbsp
mint a handful, leaves picked
basil a handful, leaves picked

Method

Step 1

Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the pasta shells for 10 minutes or until al dente and not quite cooked through. Drain, then rinse under cold water and drain again.
Step 2

Heat the oil and a knob of butter in a large pan over a medium heat. Fry the onions for 5 minutes until starting to soften, then add the garlic, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 5 minutes. Season, then add the stock and 450g of the peas. Bring to the boil for 1 minute, then turn off the heat. Tip the mixture into a blender with the crème fraîche, mint and basil, and blitz to a smooth sauce.
Step 3

Pour the sauce into a large, shallow baking dish. Put the white and brown crab meat, lemon zest and juice, shallot, red wine vinegar, sugar and crème fraîche into a small bowl and mix together thoroughly. Spoon into the pasta shells, then sit them in the pea sauce. Sprinkle over the remaining peas and the Grana Padano and bake for 30 minutes until the cheese is golden and sauce piping hot.