Crab & Lemon Spaghetti
I am a big believer in the idea that kids can be pretty adventurous with food if we let them. If we model it and encourage it, it can be really surprising how many kids are willing to keep an open mind and try new foods or cuisines. So it was a little surprising to me how shocked I was when I discovered that both of my kids love crab. Like, really love it.
It’s not a food I really ate growing up, and is not something I ever particularly enjoyed when I did get opportunities to try it. Only recently have I come to appreciate its subtle saltiness and soft flakiness. And as I’ve come to enjoy it more, I have looked for new ways to cook it. So when springtime hit here in England (and promptly disappeared again, as it does here), I started pinning recipes I thought might be fun ways to try crab. And that is when the unexpected happened.
I made a frittata for lunch one day packed with spring vegetables, fresh mint and tinned crab and put it on the table in front of my family. Now, you have to understand that my son is only very very slowly coming round to eggs. He is still often unsure about them scrambled and often leaves the whites if they are prepared any other way. I keep making them and offering them, and he is slowly starting to enjoy them, but it is very slow progress, so I didn’t have particularly high hopes for this meal.
But both children wolfed it down. And asked for more. And more.
I am constantly amazed at how much easier it has been to get my kids to eat fish and seafood than meat. So far they have sampled (and mostly enjoyed) prawns, mussels, cockles, scallops, octopus, squid, sardines, mackerel, trout, salmon, plaice, sprats, anchovies and several types of white fish. But crab was a new one to me.
You might wonder why I am keen to get seafood into my children’s (and my) diet? Well, there are few reasons behind this. You’ve heard me bang on about the importance of omega-3 fats before. But my desire to include some more seafood into our family’s diet is more to do with another important nutrient: zinc. Now, I am a big believer that it is better to not worry too much about specific nutrients and more about the whole plate and getting enough variety on it. Most of the time, you will be getting enough nutrients if you eat a balanced, varied diet. But there are a few types of food that I am not great at including in that variety, and fish & seafood is the main one.
So what’s so important about zinc? Well, it is estimated that many of us are deficient in zinc due to our modern diet, and it is a particularly important mineral to include in your diet if you are giving up sugar, have given it up or are planning on it. Why? Because it is known to curb sugar cravings, and so help avoid sugar addiction. It is also involved in the production of enzymes that boost the immune system, and is thought to prevent heart disease, boost fertility, and even curb the common cold! It is also a natural painkiller (take note ladies who suffer from strong period pains!). But if you want zinc to have the best effect, it is recommended you pair it with a lack of sugar in the diet, as sugar is thought to impair the absorption of zinc into the body.
The best dietary source of zinc is seafood, especially shellfish such as oysters, lobster and crab. You can also find it in lesser amounts in free range/organic meat & poultry, potatoes, legumes, leafy greens, mushrooms, nuts & seeds, wholegrains, organic milk & dairy and cacao.
So, in honour of my children’s love of crab, I decided to create a healthy, pantry-based meal that I could throw together in minutes with cheap ingredients, and this is the result.
A cheap, easy, one-pot dish that is yummy and healthy. This pasta dinner is a great one to rustle up from pantry ingredients and a great way to introduce seafood to kids (or skeptical adults!).
- enough spaghetti for 4 people (about 300-400g), ideally wholegrain (gluten free is fine)
- 1 cup frozen peas and/or broad beans (fava beans)
- 1 tin crabmeat
- 1 lemon
- 1 red chilli, sliced (de-seeded if you are not a fan of heat)
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 bunch fresh parsley
- salt & pepper, to taste
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Cook the spaghetti to packet instructions, adding in the peas and/or beans for the last 4 mins. Drain (reserving a little of the cooking water), then return (along with 2 tbsp water) to the pan to keep warm.
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Pour over the olive oil and add the other ingredients, then mix well and serve straightaway (warm slightly over a low heat if it's not hot enough).
