If you ask me, summer cooking is all about not cooking—at least, not more than you need to. When it’s hot out, I’m always looking for recipes that are quick, light, and still packed with flavor. This Chili Crab Spaghetti is exactly that: a no-cook pasta sauce that lets summer’s best produce do all the work. It’s fresh, bright, and comes together with just a little chopping and a lot of olive oil.
The only cooking required is boiling the pasta, and honestly, that’s worth it for what you get: sweet cherry tomatoes, herby basil, rich lump crab, and spicy Calabrian chilies all soaking together into a sauce that practically makes itself. Give it time to marinate and the flavors deepen into something even better than the sum of their parts.
Whether you serve it warm or cold, this pasta is summer on a plate. It feels elegant enough for a dinner party but easy enough for a weeknight—and best of all, it keeps beautifully for leftovers.
Why you’ll love this no-cook chili crab pasta sauce
- It’s truly no-cook (besides the pasta): The sauce comes together with entirely no heat and gets better the longer it sits.
- Ideal for summer: You don’t have to turn on the stove for more than 15 minutes, and the dish is just as delicious cold as it is warm.
- Flavor-packed and balanced: Sweet tomatoes, spicy chilies, lemon, and olive oil make this bright and rich, but the mild, sweet crab carries it all together.
- Flexible and forgiving: You can scale the heat, swap the pasta shape, or even use another tinned fish or cooked shrimp in place of the crab if needed.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Everything in this recipe is easy to source and celebrates fresh summer flavors:
- Cherry tomatoes – Their sweetness and acidity are the backbone of the sauce. However, if you only have access to other tomato varieties, those will work well, too.
- Fresh basil – Brings a sweet, herbal freshness that plays beautifully with the crab.
- Garlic & Calabrian chilies – For depth, heat, and big flavor. Thinly sliced chilies bring a steady but balanced spice. Grated garlic helps the marinade build in flavor.
- Olive oil – Use a good one here—it’s a major ingredient!
- Lump crab meat – Delicate, rich, and full of texture. Choose high-quality crab if you can. It’s expensive, but no need to splurge on the jumbo lump, we don’t need that here.
- Lemon juice & red pepper flakes – For brightness and extra heat. Be wary though, only use the red pepper flakes if you like heat!
- Kosher salt – Diamond Crystal preferred; halve the amount of salt if you use any other kind.
- Spaghetti – Or bucatini, angel hair, or whatever you love. This sauce works with it all. I just like a long, twirly pasta for how it works with the sauce.
How to prepare this Chili Crab Spaghetti
1. Make the no-cook sauce
Start by quartering your cherry tomatoes and adding them to a large mixing bowl. Tear in basil leaves, grate in garlic, and add sliced Calabrian chilies. Drizzle in olive oil and stir.
Fold in the lump crab meat, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, and salt. Give it a taste—it should be punchy, bright, and just a little spicy. Adjust to your preference.
Cover the bowl and let it marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes to 2 hours. The longer it rests, the more vibrant and flavorful it becomes.
Tip: This is a great make-ahead moment—prep the sauce in the afternoon, and dinner’s basically ready by evening.
2. Cook the pasta
When you’re ready to eat, boil a pot of salted water and cook your pasta until just al dente. Use tongs to transfer the hot pasta directly into the bowl with your crab and tomato mixture.
Toss it all together, adding a splash of reserved pasta water to help loosen the sauce.
3. Serve!
Scoop the pasta into bowls and top with extra spoonfuls of tomatoes and crab from the bottom of the bowl. Spoon over any remaining oil and juices—it’s gold and oh-so delicious.
Serve warm or cold, depending on your vibe (and the weather). The leftovers the next day are also fabulous.
Tips, tricks, and how to make this Chili Crab Spaghetti ahead of time
- Don’t skip the marinating time. It’s essential for building depth and letting the tomatoes release their juices. You’ll see the juices build in the bottom of the bowl, and it truly is something delicious.
- Use high-quality olive oil. It’s the main source of richness and brings everything together. I like a peppery, herbaceous olive oil. Good ingredients build good flavor!
- Want it spicier? Add more Calabrian chilies or leave in the seeds. Prefer it milder? Skip the red pepper flakes.
- Make it ahead. The sauce can be made up to 24 hours in advance, but don’t push it longer—just keep it covered and chilled until ready to use.
FAQs
While you can, the fresh, sweeter flavor of crab works particularly well with this recipe. Another substitute I love is tinned mackerel. Or if you are feeling extra fancy, you can grab cooked and chilled shrimp or lobster for a variation on this recipe!
The good news about this recipe is it is also delicious without the crab. While the crab lends some much-loved protein, you can also double the herbs and have a wonderfully bright tomato sauce all on its own! For some extra depth of flavor, add some raw sweet white onion to the marinating mix.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. It’s delicious cold the next day—just give it a stir and maybe a drizzle of extra olive oil.
It can be! Just swap in your favorite gluten-free pasta. Or even use rice, although that will lead to a slightly different recipe.
This Chili Crab Spaghetti is one of those dishes that tastes like it took a lot more effort than it did—which is kind of the dream, right? It’s elegant but unfussy, spicy but fresh, and so perfect for hot nights when you want something satisfying but light.
If you make them, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see — I love seeing what you make 💛
Equipment
- 1 large bowl
Ingredients
- 4 cups cherry tomatoes, 24 ounces / 680 grams
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, 0.7 ounces / 20 grams
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced
- 4 large Calabrian chilies, thinly sliced
- 7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 3.5 ounces / 100 grams
- 1 tin of lump crab meat, 16 ounces / 454 grams
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, (omit if you don't like heat)
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 8 ounces spaghetti, bucatini or angel hair pasta
Instructions
- Quarter the 24 ounces of cherry tomatoes (the smaller the pieces, the better) and add them to a large bowl. Tear in 1 cup of basil leaves, then grate in 4 cloves of garlic. Thinly slice 4 Calabrian chilies and add them in.
- Drizzle 7 tablespoons of olive oil into the bowl and mix.
- Add in the 1-pound tin of lump crab meat. Mix to combine.
- Squeeze in just a tablespoon of lemon juice, add 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes and 1 teaspoon of Diamond Crystal kosher salt (use half if using Morton's). Mix together and taste. Add more salt and lemon juice as preferred.
- Cover this with cling wrap and let it marinate for 30 minutes up to 2 hours in the fridge. The longer it sits, the more the flavor will build in the marinating process.
- Fifteen minutes before you are ready to serve, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water with 1 tablespoon of kosher salt.
- Boil the pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Then use tongs to scoop it directly into the bowl with the tomatoes and crab. Give a few big mixes, adding a small splash of pasta water to help marry the pasta and sauce together.
- To serve, pile the pasta into bowls. Use a spoon to scoop a generous helping of both crab and tomatoes on top, and scoop up any excess sauce in the bottom of the bowl to spoon over the pasta. Enjoy warm or cold.
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