Crab Gravy
By Bryan RoofPublished on December 6, 2025
Time
50 minutes
Yield
Serves 8 to 12
Ingredients
Before You Begin
This crab gravy is traditionally made with East Coast hard-shell blue crabs, which are in season from late spring through the fall, when they peak in size and flavor. In season, live blue crabs are sold in grocery stores, fish markets, and online. You’ll need to clean them yourself (see sidebar, “How to Clean Fresh Crabs”). This recipe makes enough gravy to sauce 2 pounds of bucatini and serve 8 to 12 people; use 1 pound of pasta and half of gravy to serve 4 to 6.
Instructions
- Place 4 live hard-shell blue crabs in freezer or on ice for 20 minutes. Holding crab with your 1 hand, remove apron by lifting up on pointed flap on underside of crab; discard. Flip crab and firmly lift pointed edge on 1 side of top shell to remove from body; discard shell. Rinse body under cold running water to remove innards. Pluck and discard gills. Split crabs crosswise with chef’s knife. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Process 1 coarsely chopped large onion, 1 peeled and coarsely chopped small carrot, and 8 smashed and peeled garlic cloves in food processor until finely chopped, 10 to 15 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Melt 8 tablespoons unsalted butter in large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion mixture, 1 can anchovies and their oil, 1½ teaspoons table salt, 1½ teaspoons dried oregano, 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, and ½ teaspoon dried thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in 2 cans crushed tomatoes. Pour ½ cup water between now-empty tomato cans and add to pot. Stir in ½ cup basil leaves and 1 tablespoon sugar. Nestle crabs into tomato mixture and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Cover pot, reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes
- Meanwhile, for each pound of bucatini, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt and 1–2 pounds bucatini to boiling water and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve 1 to 2 cups cooking water. Drain pasta in colander and return to pot.
- Using tongs or slotted spoon, remove crabs from gravy and transfer to bowl; cover to keep warm. Stir 8 ounces lump crabmeat into gravy, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add gravy to pot with pasta (for 1 pound of pasta, add half of gravy, or about 3½ cups) and toss to combine, adjusting consistency with reserved cooking water as needed. (Any remaining gravy can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month.) Transfer pasta to platter and top with reserved crabs. Serve.
Time
50 minutesYield
Serves 8 to 12Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Inspired by Iannelli’s Brick Oven Bakery in Philadelphia, we set off to make a crab gravy worthy of Sunday dinner. Their crab gravy recipe relies on hard-shell blue crabs, so we started by cleaning four blue crabs and simmered them in tomato sauce to infuse the sauce with flavor. We added more seafood depth with a full can of anchovies. And just before the crab gravy was done simmering, we stirred in lump crabmeat; this ensured the meat stayed tender and each bite of gravy was packed with plenty of crab. Following the lead of Iannelli’s, we used bucatini pasta, which is ideal for catching and holding the rich sauce.
Before You Begin
This crab gravy is traditionally made with East Coast hard-shell blue crabs, which are in season from late spring through the fall, when they peak in size and flavor. In season, live blue crabs are sold in grocery stores, fish markets, and online. You’ll need to clean them yourself (see sidebar, “How to Clean Fresh Crabs”). This recipe makes enough gravy to sauce 2 pounds of bucatini and serve 8 to 12 people; use 1 pound of pasta and half of gravy to serve 4 to 6.
Instructions
- Place 4 live hard-shell blue crabs in freezer or on ice for 20 minutes. Holding crab with your 1 hand, remove apron by lifting up on pointed flap on underside of crab; discard. Flip crab and firmly lift pointed edge on 1 side of top shell to remove from body; discard shell. Rinse body under cold running water to remove innards. Pluck and discard gills. Split crabs crosswise with chef’s knife. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Process 1 coarsely chopped large onion, 1 peeled and coarsely chopped small carrot, and 8 smashed and peeled garlic cloves in food processor until finely chopped, 10 to 15 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Melt 8 tablespoons unsalted butter in large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion mixture, 1 can anchovies and their oil, 1½ teaspoons table salt, 1½ teaspoons dried oregano, 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, and ½ teaspoon dried thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in 2 cans crushed tomatoes. Pour ½ cup water between now-empty tomato cans and add to pot. Stir in ½ cup basil leaves and 1 tablespoon sugar. Nestle crabs into tomato mixture and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Cover pot, reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes
- Meanwhile, for each pound of bucatini, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt and 1–2 pounds bucatini to boiling water and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve 1 to 2 cups cooking water. Drain pasta in colander and return to pot.
- Using tongs or slotted spoon, remove crabs from gravy and transfer to bowl; cover to keep warm. Stir 8 ounces lump crabmeat into gravy, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add gravy to pot with pasta (for 1 pound of pasta, add half of gravy, or about 3½ cups) and toss to combine, adjusting consistency with reserved cooking water as needed. (Any remaining gravy can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month.) Transfer pasta to platter and top with reserved crabs. Serve.
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