Crab rigatoni

Ingredients

-olive oil
-2 large fennel bulbs
-4 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
-1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley, stalks finely chopped
-1 tsp dried chilli flakes
-½ teaspoon fennel seeds
-2 lemons
-2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
-250 g cherry tomatoes, on the vine
-500 g rigatoni, dried or fresh
-250 g undressed brown crabmeat, from sustainable sources
-250 g white crabmeat, from sustainable sources

Directions

This recipe celebrates all that is delicious about crab, and if you use picked crabmeat then making it will be super speedy. The combined sweetness of the crab and tomatoes is a great flavour match for the fresh, aniseedy kick of the fennel.
Place a frying pan over a medium heat and add a good glug of olive oil. Peel and finely chop the outer layers of the fennel. Set the leafy tops and inner hearts aside to make a salad later. Add the chopped fennel and garlic to the pan and cook for 2–3 minutes, or until soft.
Add the parsley stalks, chilli flakes, cinnamon and fennel seeds to the pan and fry for 2–3 minutes. Finely grate in the zest from your 2 lemons (reserve the lemons) and add the tinned tomatoes. Sit the cherry tomatoes, vines and all, on top to poach. Cover, reduce the heat to low and leave to simmer for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to packet instructions.
While the pasta and sauce are cooking away, crack on with the salad. Push the reserved fennel hearts and one of the zested lemons through the thinnest slicing attachment on your food processor – or use a mandolin (or a knife). Tip into a bowl and season with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Add the reserved fennel tops and gently toss with your fingers. Put aside until you're ready to serve.
Check the tomato sauce – it should look rich and glossy and the tomatoes should be soft and squashy. Carefully pick out and discard the vine, leaving the tomatoes in the pan. Gently stir in the brown crabmeat and let it heat up.
Drain the pasta, reserving a cupful of cooking water, then gently fold it through the ragù with the white crabmeat, adding a little of the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce if needed. Serve the pasta on a lovely big platter with the fennel salad bang on top so you can mix and toss the two together as you serve. Chop the remaining lemon into wedges and serve on the side for squeezing over. The mix of flavours is a knockout!