Creamy Shellfish Sauce for Fettuccine

Name: Creamy Shellfish Sauce for Fettuccine
Yield: Serves 6 as an entrée
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped and with any green shoots removed; finely grated zest of 1 lemon; 2-3 tablespoons dry white wine or dry vermouth; a little lemon juice; 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil; 480 g dried fettucine; a few sprigs of thyme and parsley; ¼ teaspoon ground fennel seeds, freshly ground if possible; ½ teaspoon chopped fresh chilli; 3 tablespoons finely shredded flat-leaf parsley; 200 ml crème fraîche; 1.5 kg small black mussels; 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives; freshly ground black pepper; 150-180 g cooked crabmeat; 1 clove garlic, unpeeled but smashed with the flat of a knife; 1 bay leaf

Preparation info

Serves
6
as an entrée

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

French

By Damien Pignolet

Published 2005

About

Fettuccine is the most suitable pasta for this dish because the creamy sauce clings to it more readily. If you are using homemade pasta, do not roll it too thinly and cook it on the firm side of al dente to provide a contrast to the richness of the sauce.

Ingredients

1.5 kg small black mussels
1 clove garlic, unpeeled but smashed with the flat of a knife
a few

Oceania
Europe
France
Australia
Italy
Fish course
Starter
Pescatarian
Mediterranean
Pasta
Provence

Method

Scrub and debeard the mussels, rinse in plenty of cold water then drain. Select a wide, shallow pan with a tight-fitting lid and put a single layer of mussels in the pan, along with the garlic, herbs and wine or vermouth. Cover and place over high heat. When you see the first sign of steam coming from the pan [about a minute or two], remove the lid and, using tongs, tran