Spaghetti with Crab (Greek Island Crab Pasta)

Method

1. 1Rinse the crabs and boil them for 20 minutes in water with a little salt and the parsley.
2. TipChoose female crabs, because they have more meat than the males. Ask your fishmonger, or see the difference in the photo: the females are on the right.
3. 2Skim off the foam with a slotted spoon and, once boiled, drain them, keeping their stock.
4. 3For the sauce, finely chop the onion and sauté it in a pot with a little olive oil until soft. After a few minutes, add the crushed garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes.
5. 4Then grate the tomatoes and add them to the sauce with a little salt, pepper, [1/2] tsp sugar and the hot sauce. Add half a cup of the stock and simmer for 10 minutes.
6. 5Finally, add the boiled crabs to the tomato sauce, cook for another 5 minutes and remove them again to a platter.
7. 6Meanwhile, heat 2 cups of the crab stock with plenty of water and a little salt, and cook the spaghetti 2 minutes less than the package says.
8. 7Drain the pasta and add it to the simmering tomato sauce, stirring constantly. Cook for 2 minutes and, if it needs more moisture, add a little more crab stock to keep the sauce juicy.
9. 8Serve the spaghetti with crab right away, hot, garnished with chopped chives.
10. 9You can pick the meat out of all the crabs and add it to the pasta, or serve the pasta with the crabs. To make it easier, cut the crabs in half with a large knife.