Fancy Crab Mac and Cheese
Tags: Crab Dinner Pasta Seafood
- Kosher salt
- 1 lb. small shells
- ½ cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter
- 1 tsp Chesapeake Bay seasoning
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 lb lump crab meat
- 1 1/2 cups thinly shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
- 1/2 cup thinly shredded manchego cheese
- 1/2 cup thinly shredded gruyere cheese
- Salt a large pot of water and bring to a boil.
- Drop 1 lb. small shells into boiling water and give them a good stir to be sure nothing sticks. Set a timer according to package directions for al dente.
- Cut 1 stick chilled unsalted butter into 8 pieces.
- While pasta is cooking, heat 2 Tbsp. butter and seasoning in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium, stirring occasionally, until butter is melted and foaming, but not browned, and spices are fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add 1 cup whole milk to butter to stop it from browning and bring to a simmer. Add crab meat. Whisk remaining 6 Tbsp. butter into milk mixture 1 Tbsp. at a time, allowing each to fully melt before adding the next. (Doing this gradually is important—it helps to emulsify your sauce.) You may need to adjust your heat occasionally to maintain a simmer. If pasta still needs a few more minutes to cook, turn off heat under your sauce, cover pot, and keep warm.
- Scoop up 2 cups pasta cooking liquid with a large glass measuring cup. You're probably not going to use all of the pasta water in your sauce, but it's better to have more than you'll need.
- Drain pasta and add to pot with milk mixture. Return to medium heat and cook, tossing with a wooden spoon to evenly coat all shells, about 30 seconds.
- Add about one-third of the cheeses, stirring pasta vigorously with wooden spoon to melt. Add about ½ cup reserved pasta water and continue to stir until combined. Repeat this process 2 more times with remaining cheeses. You may not need all of the pasta water, so add ½ cup at a time until pasta is very creamy and well coated. It’s always good to err on the side of looser (with a little extra pasta water) because the sauce will thicken as it cools. Give it a taste and add more salt, if needed.
- Divide pasta between bowls and serve right away.
