Crab Leg Linguine with Cajun Boil Sauce

The seafood boil is a time-honored traditional in many coastal regions of the country and our inspiration behind this savory pasta recipe. We’ve pulled together some of the iconic ingredients known for making a good boil; corn, andouille sausage, Cajun seasoning, and, of course, excellent seafood. We wanted to provide a little crab leg customization for this recipe, opening up the option to pick your favorite leggy crustacean.  

Snow Crabs 

Snow crabs are found in the bitter cold waters from the Pacific North West and North West Atlantic, Alaska to Siberia and Greenland to Newfoundland, often crab season begins when the ice breaks (around mid April running til early November). Snow crabs are mostly legs, with their bodies being short and round and averaging from about 2-4lbs. Males tend to be double the size of the females and are most likely to land on our plates (sorry fellas). You’ll probably only see snow crabs sold in clusters, this being an already spilt and cleaned crab.

King Crabs 

King crabs are the most commercially important shellfish species in Alaska, being not only a way of life for many watermen and crabbers but a valuable revenue stream for the state. King crabs are divided by region and species, being 3 different types of crabs- red, blue and brown, and whether they’re caught in the Bering Sea or other Atlantic Alaskan waters. They’re called ‘king’ for a good reason, they weigh between 6-8lbs. (some getting as large as 20lbs.), their bodies are, on average, 11 inches with a leg span of almost 5ft.!! King crab meat is mild in flavor with a nice sweetness and their legs are things made of legend.

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Crab Leg Linguine with Cajun Boil Sauce 

Serves 2-4

Ingredients

• 1 lb linguine pasta
• Salt
• 2-3 clusters of either Snow Crab or King Crab Legs
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 andouille sausage links casing removed
• 1/2 cup 1 stick butter
• 2 garlic cloves peeled and minced
• 1/4 cup yellow onion peeled and minced
• 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/2 cup corn kernels fresh (if frozen, thawed)
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped

Instructions

1. Fill a large pot 3/4-full with water, add a hearty sprinkle of salt, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the linguine, and cook according to the instructions on the packaging for ‘al dente’ (typically al dente is represented by the lowest number on the cook time range).
2. Right before draining, reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water from the pot and set aside. Drain and rinse your cooked pasta noodles, and set aside.
3. Crack and pick the crab legs, portioning the crab meat into bite-sized pieces, and set aside.
4. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, crumble the sausage into the skillet, and cook until browned and slightly crisp, about 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally to break up any large pieces. Once cooked, using a slotted spoon, remove the sausage from the skillet, and set aside on a paper towel-lined plate. Return the skillet to the heat, reducing the temperature to medium. Add the butter and melt. Once melted, add the garlic, onion, Cajun seasoning, and celery salt, sauté for 2-3 minutes or until the veggies are fragrant and the onions are translucent. Add the corn, cooked sausage, and crab meat to the skillet and stir to combine. Cook for another 2-3 minutes just until the corn, sausage, and crab have reheated. Add the noodles and 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water to the skillet and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, allowing the butter to coat the noodles completely, adding additional pasta water if the pan-sauce has become too thick. Divide pasta between plates and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

For our Crab Leg Loving Community

Hello fellow fans of the crab cluster, you’re in good company! We have oodles of options for you from our Alaskan Crab Leg catalog; Alaskan Snow Crab Legs, Colossal Alaskan King Crab Legs, and (our personal favorite) the Alaskan Crab Leg Sampler. These meaty crabs are caught in the cool crisp waters of the North Pacific & Atlantic (where all the best big crabs are found). They are caught, cooked and shipped to preserve their freshness and flavor~these crab legs are a fan favorite. 

Do you have a favorite crab leg recipe? If so, feel free to share it with us! We’re always looking for new and innovative ways to cook our seafood. Post your images or recipes on any of our social pages. We can be found @cameronsseafoodonline on Instagram or @CameronsSeafood on Facebook.

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