Maitre d’Butter Recipe: Crab Bucatini

Crab pasta deserves a sauce that can keep up with it — and this one does. Inspired by the recipe from @isdinner_ready, this Crab Bucatini starts with Maitre d’Butter doing double duty: first toasting panko breadcrumbs until golden, then melting into olive oil with fresh garlic and shallots as the base of a cream sauce that comes together with white wine, lemon, and parmesan. Lump crab goes in at the end, folded gently into the thickened cream. The bucatini goes in next, tossed until every strand is coated. Finished with crispy breadcrumbs and fresh parsley — this is the kind of bowl that makes a weeknight feel like an occasion.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Ingredients

• 2–3 cups cooked bucatini pasta, plus ¼ cup reserved pasta water
• 1 8 oz can lump crab meat
• 3 tbsp Maitre d’Butter, divided
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• Sergio's Seasoning, to taste
  
• ½ cup dry white wine (Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, or Pinot Grigio)
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped, plus more to finish
• 1½ cups heavy cream
• 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
• ½ cup panko breadcrumbs

Directions

1. Prep: Chop the shallots and garlic and set aside. Cook the bucatini according to package directions. Reserve ¼ cup of pasta water before draining.
2. Toast the breadcrumbs: In a small pan over low-medium heat, melt 1 tbsp Maitre d’Butter. Add the panko breadcrumbs and cook, stirring frequently, for 1–2 minutes until lightly golden. Watch carefully — they can burn quickly. Set aside.
3. Build the sauce base: In a large pan over medium heat, melt the remaining 2 tbsp Maitre d’Butter with the olive oil. Add the garlic and shallots and cook, stirring, for 1–2 minutes until the shallots are soft.
4. Add wine and aromatics: Pour in the white wine and stir. Add the fresh lemon juice and parsley and stir well.
5. Add cream and season: Pour in the heavy cream and stir. Season with red pepper flakes, and Sergio's Seasoning to taste. Cook on medium heat for 5–7 minutes until the sauce thickens.
6. Add crab and parmesan: Once the sauce has thickened, stir in the grated Parmesan and lump crab meat.
7. Toss the pasta: Add the cooked bucatini to the sauce and toss well. Add the reserved pasta water a splash at a time to reach your desired consistency.
8. Serve: Plate and top with the toasted breadcrumbs and fresh parsley. Enjoy!