Crab linguine with cucumber

Linguine

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 small red chilli (bird's-eye)
• 200g/8oz linguine
• 3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 5cm/2ins cucumber
• 1 lemon
• 25g/1oz coriander
• 100g white crab meat

Method

• Boil the kettle while you slice the chilli into skinny batons and then into tiny dice. Place the chilli in a mixing bowl and add 2 tbsp olive oil.
• Cook the linguine in salted boiling water from the kettle.
• Use a potato peeler to remove the skin from the cucumber. Halve lengthways and use a teaspoon to scrape out the seeds. Thinly slice the cucumber into half moons.
• Finely chop the coriander, discarding only the end stalks. Stir crab, coriander and juice from half the lemon into the chilli to make a thick but slack mixture. Drain the pasta and return to the pan with the cucumber, mixing thoroughly to encourage the cucumber to wilt slightly. Now add the crab mixture, adding more lemon juice or oil, salt and freshly grated black pepper, to taste. Delicious hot, warm or cold.

Please note the image above is for illustrative purposes only, and is not an original photograph of the dish described.

This recipe was first published in Saga Magazine

Lindsey Bareham's website is: www.lindseybareham.com