The 5-Ingredient Dinner I’ve Made Every New Year’s Eve for 20 Years

My husband is a pescatarian, so celebrating New Year’s Eve with prime rib or filet mignon is definitely out. On New Year’s Eve about 20 years ago, I whipped up fresh tagliatelle pasta tossed with crab meat, tarragon, lemon, and crème fraîche for my then-fiancé. It was so special that he’s insisted upon it every year since. 

While it truly is the Cadillac of pasta, it’s also a snap to throw together, taking about 15 minutes start to finish. I can wear something fancy, sip a French 75 cocktail, and still get dinner on the table in no time flat.

Quality Is Key

With so few ingredients, it’s important to use the best stuff you can find. Especially for a special occasion like the new year! We are lucky to live in Oregon, where Dungeness crabs are at their sweet, meaty best (and most affordable) in winter. Normally, I crack and pick the crab meat myself from cooked crabs I get at the grocery store. A two-pound crab will yield eight ounces of meat, the perfect amount for the two of us, or four people as a smaller portion served with garlic bread and a citrusy salad. 

If I’m feeling rushed, I’ll splurge on already-picked crab meat in the seafood section of shops like Costco or Whole Foods. The crucial thing for this dish is to use juicy, fresh crab meat, never shelf-stable canned crab, which is always bone-dry and tinny tasting.  

I worked at a small fresh pasta company for a spell, so I can whip up pasta dough in my sleep. My gadget-loving husband loves to roll the dough out with our KitchenAid attachment, so we almost always make fresh tagliatelle. I’ve also made this recipe with packaged fresh pasta, and as long as I pay close attention to the cooking time, I’ve had great results. Just don’t overcook it (some brands take as little as two minutes). 

Crafting A No-Cook Cream Sauce

Crème fraîche is tangy like sour cream, but at about 30% milk fat, it has a more buttery flavor and velvety texture. It also melts into a smooth, rich sauce that won’t curdle like sour cream tends to. It makes the ideal pairing for delicate crab because while it’s rich, it melts into a thin, light, and tangy sauce that doesn’t steal the spotlight like other pasta sauces might. Look for crème fraîche in the dairy aisle.

The only other ingredients in this dish are fresh tarragon (a tender green herb that adds a fennel/anise hint to the pasta), lemon zest, just enough lemon juice to brighten the dish, and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Everything is tossed together in the pot you use to cook the pasta, so there’s minimal cleanup. That means more time for celebrating and less time doing dishes. 

Crab Pasta Tips

• Let the crab and crème fraîche stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before boiling the pasta so they’re not fridge-cold when they get tossed with the hot pasta. 
• Serve the dish in warmed bowls to help keep the pasta warm and creamy as you’re eating. 
• If you’re not a fan of tarragon, substitute freshly torn basil leaves. 
• You can substitute hot smoked salmon for the crab; reduce the amount to six ounces. 
• Add a pinch of red chile flakes if you like things a little spicy.