Tagliolini al nero di seppia con granchio – Venetian squid ink tagliolini with crab

Sitting on the edge of one of the most beautiful canals in Venice is the most quintessential place to be to enjoy a chilled glass of prosecco and enjoy squid ink pasta with seafood. It’s busy on the canals, especially the Grand Canal, but it’s really relaxing watching the gondoliers gently kick off the bridges and using a remo (oar) glide their sleek gondolas by.
The gondola seems to have risen out of necessity due to the fact that there aren’t many bridges that cross the waters. Originally made from tree trunks with a flat bottom, shallow hull and pointed prow to easily navigate even the narrowest of Venetian canals.
I’ve brought back from Venice some lovely tagliolini al nero di sepia made from 100% durum wheat semolina, flavoured with squid ink and slow dried. It’s like tagliatelle but thinner and matches well with seafood. Huge spider crabs are eaten as crab salad or tossed with pasta and often served in their shells.
We have a native brown crab here in the waters surrounding the British Isles, Cancer Pagurus. For some reason it’s not very popular to eat crab here in Britain and so most are sold abroad. Their legs have a good quantity of white, sweet meat which is used at the end, the brown meat being used as a base for the sauce. It has a sublime taste and impressive nutritional credentials and perfect to accompany the squid ink pasta. #June2026 #CA2025
Cooking Instructions
- 1
Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and add the pasta. For dried pasta, boil for 9 – 11 minutes or according to the instructions on the pack.
- 2
Whilst the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a small pan and add the shallots and garlic and gently cook over low heat for a couple of minutes.
- 3
Add the chilli and brown crab meat, stir to combine then add the wine and allow it to cook gently for 2 minutes. Crush the peppercorns with the salt and add to the sauce. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- 4
When the pasta is cooked, add a cup of the pasta water to the brown crab and stir to combine. Drain the pasta and add this too. Stir through the white crab meat and parsley and check for seasoning. Divide between two plates and serve.
- 5
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