Crab, Fennel and Courgette Bucatini with Anchovy, Caper and Lemon Parsley Breadcrumbs

Crab and fennel is a classic combination. Teamed with lemon, parsley, chilli, anchovies and capers, the flavours just come alive. This is the recipe for my crab bucatini which is healthy, full of flavour and so versatile. It is both a perfect quick midweek meal and a dish to impress for a dinner party. For me it’s the breadcrumbs which make this recipe so don’t miss out on those.

Serves 4
1. Boil 300g bucatini pasta in plenty of salted water until al dente.
2. Fry a couple of chopped courgettes in a little olive oil with some seasoning until golden brown and set aside on kitchen paper until needed. Using the same frying pan, fry a finely chopped fennel bulb with a handful of finely chopped shallots until soft. Add a chopped chilli and 4 cloves of crushed garlic. Stir until sizzling and add 1 tbsp fennel seeds and the finely chopped stalks from a bunch of parsley.
3. Next add 200ml of dry white wine and bubble it away until almost no liquid remains. Add 250g of halved cherry tomatoes and 1/2 tsp caster sugar. Stir well, add the juice of a lemon and season to taste. Then add the most important ingredient! I used 100g of brown crab meat and 200g of white crab meat.
4. Add the fried courgettes and cooked pasta with a couple of ladlefuls of the pasta water. Use tongs to incorporate everything well.
5. To make the breadcrumbs, simply fry a couple of handfuls of panko breadcrumbs in 1tsp of olive oil from the anchovy can. Add the zest of a lemon, some chopped parsley, 30g grated parmesan and 1tbsp of chopped capers and 3 chopped anchovies. Season with lots of pepper. Fry until golden brown then set aside.
6. Serve the bucatini piled high and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs.