1 dozen #2 blue claw male crabs
2 (28 oz) cans tomato purée
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Extra Virgin Olive oil
crushed red pepper
1 tbsp. sugar
1 lb spaghetti or linguine

One night prior to serving:

Clean 4 crabs. Pour olive oil into a large pot, enough to cover bottom. Add one clove of garlic.

On medium heat, heat olive oil and garlic. Add the 4 cleaned crabs to the pot and cover. Reduce heat to a simmer. Holding lid firmly closed, shake crabs to stir every minute or so until crabs claws and legs turn red (approximately 5 minutes). Keep on simmer.

Add 2 cans of tomato purée and 1 tablespoon of sugar to the pot with the crabs and stir. Cover and simmer for 2 hours, stirring every 15-30 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to stand for 1 hour until cool enough to transfer to refrigerator.

Four hours prior to serving:

Clean 8 remaining crabs. Pour olive oil into a new pot, enough to cover bottom. Add 1 clove garlic and heat. Add cleaned crabs to olive oil and garlic. Cover and cook crabs for approximately 5 minutes, stirring/shaking every minute or so as done the night before until crab legs and claws turn red. Reduce heat to a simmer and add crab-gravy mixture from the night before. Stir to combine. Cover and simmer for approximately 3 hours, stirring every 15-20 minutes.

30 minutes before dinner, shut off heat and keep covered. Boil water for pasta and cook according to package directions. While pasta cooks, remove crabs from gravy and place in a separate bowl. Cover with foil to retain heat.

Plate the pasta and add desired amount of gravy and crab. Enjoy!

Submitted by: Chris