Gemelli with Lump Crab, Mushrooms and Asparagus in a Lemon Butter Sauce

I bought some lump crab from Costco and couldn't decide what to make with it. I was craving pasta so I looked through my refrigerator to see what I could use in a pasta dish. I found mushrooms, asparagus, crab, lemons, shallots, Parmesan and garlic. I thought all of those ingredients would be tasty together and I was right. I used a bit of pasta water and butter to make the sauce a bit thicker and richer - it was so lemony good. It was fairly simple to make and tasted really, really delicious. My son thought it was awesome and my daughter liked it but thought it was a bit too lemony. My husband and I thought it was wonderful.

Gemelli with Lump Crab, Mushrooms and Asparagus in a Lemon Butter Sauce:

Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

• 1/2 lb of gemelli pasta, cooked per instructions (retain 1/4 cup of pasta water)
• 1-2 tsp of olive oil
• 8 oz button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup of lump crab meat
• 7 spears of asparagus, ends removed, cut into thirds
• 2 tbsp shallots, chopped
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
• Zest and juice of 2 lemons
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 tbsp butter
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Cook the gemelli per instructions, making sure to season the water with sea salt.

Add the asparagus to a pot of boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking and to retain the bright green color. Set aside.

While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and let them cook (without stirring) for 3-4 minutes; stir and add the shallots to the skillet. Cook the shallots and mushrooms for 2 minutes before adding the minced garlic and asparagus. Add the lemon juice, zest and butter to the pan. Add the drained pasta to the pan along with the crab, asparagus, Parmesan cheese, reserved pasta water and parsley. Mix the ingredients until evenly coated and season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Taste the pasta and add more lemon juice, Parmesan cheese, sea salt, cracked pepper or butter if desired. Enjoy.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net