So cool, my grandfather came over from Italy as a stowaway with his brother when he was 9! My grandfather passed about 37 years ago. He used to take me and my cousins fishing in Staten Island and New Jersey for fish and eels when we were kids ❤. We also went crabbing and caught many fresh crabs ❤❤ thank you for sharing. Highest and Best to you and your family always.😊
Great presentation! Being Sicilian and Toscano, I really connected with your presentation! Everything is "Mama" and "Papa". Italians love their ancestors!
Thank you from the bottom of my heart!! My noni used to make this and I never had the recipe. Everyone in my family is gone now but blessed you have provided me with your instructions. Grazie Mille!!!
Glad to see you make this. Most people think I'm nuts when I talk about spaghetti and crabs. My mom made them with the blue crab legs, for convenience. One of my favorite meals in the summer, and even better the next day!
when i was in my teens we went to our regular vacation spot on the coast of nc. we were swimming and having fun when we noticed people running around with nets and coolers.they were scooping up blue crabs out of the surf. the house we were staying in just happened to have a net.we started scooping them up,my mother being italian knew what to do.we went to the store and got what we needed. we went back to the beach house and my mother made "crab spaghetti" it was awesome.i am 67 years old.it remains one of my favorite dishes and one of my fondest memories.
That is such a wonderful story Bill. I'm so glad I could bring back such great memories. It also reminds me of my childhood. My grandfather was a fisherman from Palermo and we had seafood and fish all the time My grandfather gave me my first taste of wine too. I won't say how old I was. 🍝🍷
I tried making this and OMG... it is the best, I ate 2 large servings and enjoyed every bite... reminds me of mom's cooking because it tasted every bit as good..Thanks Hedy...
@@NannysItalianKitchen heeeyyyyy it was amazing! Thank you so much!! The crab flavor was delicious! I had to get my crabs from a bait shop tho nobody had fresh blue crab here in Florida can you believe that?! All the seafood markets had only frozen blue crab! So I had to clean them myself but it was still fun to do with my mom. Thanks for responding, I hope you have a wonderful life! Now I have a great place to get blue crab, and a new tradition I will be starting!
Sauce turned out great....i love your style. You're correct about the cheese...i learned 2 things in my travels to Italy....never ask for cheese on seafood and never ever ask for a cappuccino after 10am. You'll get a look like you have 2 heads. Ciao
My Grandparents were from a small village Santa Flavia in Palermo, all my Aunts & Uncles were great cooks learning from my grandparents. One thing I can't believe is in your recipe you keep the crabs in the gravy for 45 minutes or until the gravy is cooked. Anytime we left them in the gravy for more than 10 or 15 minutes the meat turns to mush & sticks to the crab shell making it impossible to eat. We saute the crabs, take them out of the pot, add the tomatoes, allow the gravy to simmer for 30-45 minutes then add the crabs in the last 5 minutes to prevent the crab meat from turning to mush. I enjoy your videos, your accent sounds like you're from Brooklyn NY, where I was born & grew up.
I could taste the sauce through my iPad😋😋😋 my family made this dish it the same way and we’re Calabrese. Love your story about your grandfather. The young kids today have no appreciation of family traditions or history. They will regret it someday. Happy New Year🎉🥂🥳
Great recipe i used it this xmas eve as it was my first time making a crab sauce. I felt as if watched your video i was cooking with my aunt. Thanks and merry xmas
My family makes the crab sauce very similar to yours I like to refrigerate the sauce with the crabs in it for a few days before serving. The flavor is even better! Enjoying all your videos
That looks amazing. Never made this one, but when I do I'll do it your way. Agree...parsley is for the seafood, and no cheese! Thanks for sharing with us.
We live in Maryland and make our crab sauce the same way that you do. My grandfathers family used to have a restaurant in Wilmington DE and between the spaghetti and crabs and the steamed crabs that they would take off the shell, clean them out and soak in a vinegar based sauce, the lines were around the block from what I am told.
What times dinner...I'm comin over! How I ended up here I'll never know. I grew up in New Jersey and as a kid would go out and crab all day. That was 35-40 years ago, saying that sounds crazy, but those were the days when parents could still let their kids go out and be kids. I'd bring the crabs home and my Mom or Nanna would make this sauce, Incredible flavor. We live in California now no blue claws here.....I musta been reminiscing ;-) Thanks for the video!
I bet I haven't had crab sauce in 25 years. Your sauce looks so good. I am from Baltimore but we live in Tennessee now. I don't know if I can find blue crab down here. I will remember this video if and when I can get my hands on some crabs. Love your stories.
Barbara Cossentino How do you like living in Tennessee? Does it snow there? You can order blue crabs on line but they have to be shipped overnight. www.google.com/search?q=best+blue+crabs+in+maryland&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari
Thank you Heddy. I will check that out this summer. We do like it here in Tennessee. I am just outside of Nashville. It can snow but it is unusual for it to amount to anything. It is very funny to me when they call school off for chance of flurries. We do have ice storms. They can be a problem.
Barbara Cossentino my brother is a Maryland transplant to Martin Georgia which isn't too far from Tennessee. He gets live crabs but they are sold by the pound.
Nanny do you make any squid or scungilli dishes? I always like to clean the crabs myself I call the roe the mustard . Have you ever heard of using a little bit of ink from the squid for flavor in the squid gravy ,Im not a cook but I thought I heard this before it is like leaving a little roe for flavor. It is very relaxing and entertaining watching you cook and telling stories of your family we are losing are culture today so I appreciate . Good old days when men were men and women were women ,you spent time together and no one was ever alone because you had Brothers ,Sisters, many cousins ,Grandparents , Aunts and Uncles and yes most Italians do have a crazy Uncle JR,LOL
Yes Jason I do. On Christmas Eve I make seafood salad, fried scungilli, baked clams, crab sauce, shrimp scampi, and lots of other dishes. I will video making the seafood salad and possibly the fried scungilli.
@@NannysItalianKitchen ok,thnku.regarding the amount of grabs i’m cooking ,they all won’t fit in the pot while i’m sautéing them with the garlic.Should i do as many as will fit and throw them in the pot of sauce until all the crabs are sautéed?
Sauté as many as will fit in the pot at one time. Take them out and do the next batch until they are all sautéed. Then put them all back in the pot and add the tomatoes. Cook for about an hour.
As a little girl I watched my Mother make Crab Sauce from scratch. She would always buy them alive, and dump them in the kitchen sink. I remember watching them crawling all around before my Mother did what needed to be done to clean them. Not pretty to watch. Maybe that's why I have NEVER made them. BUT the end result was so so delicious. I do like the idea of buying them already cleaned and ready to go. Mark my words, one of these days, I'm going to give this as try. I'll let you know how it turns out.
Judith Iorio I make it every Christmas Eve. It’s my favorite. I used to buy them live, but it was so much work. Just pick out the crabs and ask to have them cleaned while you’re there.
can you make some creamy pesto tortellini that's one of my favorites but I can never seem to get it just right :) I love watching your videos your too adorable
This remember my grandmother and I going to the fish monger in Union City by bus to get crabs for Friday meals. The only issue was going back home by bus with a paper bag of live crabs. Lol. But her meals were worth it.
Hedy Taranto , what I loved about these recipes is that it's not just food, its memories. I love your clogs because your cooking is so much like my grandparents used to make. My grandmother came here from Naples and my grandfather from Calabera. So they both had their dishes they excelled in. I had a great childhood to say the least. Thank you for making all these memories come to the forefront again.
Are you referring to rinsing the pasta? If so, when you rinse the pasta it removes some of the starch. The starch is important for the sauce to stick to the pasta.
I'm cooking your recipe as we speak! :-) i do have 2 questions.. if we choose to use red pepper flakes when should we add them? and 2nd question why can't we rinse the pasta? thank you
godblessdis mami put the red pepper flakes in with the garlic and parsley. Never rinse the pasta as it loses some of the starch . The sauce sticks to the pasta better with the extra starch. Enjoy!
My mom made her crab sauce just like you just did...This is so delish! And yes, NO cheese on any fish sauce! Most older Italians know this, but the younger gen today, put cheese on their fish dishes..Ooofa! Yup Nonna would be turning in her grave! lol
No cheese on the seafood pasta oh, well or half Sicilian half colour bread my cousin had a half German shepherd and something else that was a month and this dog would just sit there and whimper and look at his food I would only do this if there was no parmesan on his food oh, I'm not joking cuz he ate Pasta Too and he would just look at it and whimper come he would not eat it no matter what you did he would not eat it oh, he had to have his parmesan, and I'm the same way also. The sauce to be so rich and I can cook all day and you can put paste in it and make it thick mouth-watering I still got to have my cheese oh, it's not the end of the world as long as I have my pasta in the sauce game. But something's gone wrong with the wheat today you know it's causing a lot of problems a lot of people stick into the meat diet and they're feeling a lot better oh, so I think it's okay once every two weeks to go on a pasta binge it's very addictive. But something's up with the wheat it's just not like the old days. Do you know if you have problems sleeping and nothing works no medication in the world nothing oh, and you have to Last Resort I know if pasta turns to sugar if you don't use it but what the hell eat pasta and just lay down and see what happens lol better than taking psychotropic experimental crazy drugs. Anyway the old-timers were right about this world is in me to tin foil hat
So cool, my grandfather came over from Italy as a stowaway with his brother when he was 9! My grandfather passed about 37 years ago. He used to take me and my cousins fishing in Staten Island and New Jersey for fish and eels when we were kids ❤. We also went crabbing and caught many fresh crabs ❤❤ thank you for sharing. Highest and Best to you and your family always.😊
Great presentation!
Being Sicilian and Toscano, I really connected with your presentation!
Everything is "Mama" and "Papa".
Italians love their ancestors!
Thank you from the bottom of my heart!! My noni used to make this and I never had the recipe. Everyone in my family is gone now but blessed you have provided me with your instructions. Grazie Mille!!!
You’re so very welcome. I hope you enjoy it.
Growing up in Tampa in the 60’s my neighbor Mrs. Suarez made this and been trying to find the recipe & thanks to you I have! THANK YOU!
Glad to see you make this. Most people think I'm nuts when I talk about spaghetti and crabs. My mom made them with the blue crab legs, for convenience. One of my favorite meals in the summer, and even better the next day!
Deedee A Thanks for the support.
You cook exactly like my family and me. Never put t cheese on fish sauce. Love crab sauce. So sweet.
when i was in my teens we went to our regular vacation spot on the coast of nc. we were swimming and having fun when we noticed people running around with nets and coolers.they were scooping up blue crabs out of the surf. the house we were staying in just happened to have a net.we started scooping them up,my mother being italian knew what to do.we went to the store and got what we needed. we went back to the beach house and my mother made "crab spaghetti" it was awesome.i am 67 years old.it remains one of my favorite dishes and one of my fondest memories.
That is such a wonderful story Bill. I'm so glad I could bring back such great memories. It also reminds me of my childhood. My grandfather was a fisherman from Palermo and we had seafood and fish all the time My grandfather gave me my first taste of wine too. I won't say how old I was. 🍝🍷
Memories of the ocean never fade do they? I grew up on Revere Beach and the North Shore of Mass.Beautiful memories.
@@NannysItalianKitchen love seafood too xxoo
I tried making this and OMG... it is the best, I ate 2 large servings and enjoyed every bite... reminds me of mom's cooking because it tasted every bit as good..Thanks Hedy...
I'm so glad it turned out great for you. It's my favorite and I make it every Christmas Eve. Enjoy and have a great Thanksgiving.
I’m making this recipe tonight for my father! I hope it goes well!
Let me know.
@@NannysItalianKitchen heeeyyyyy it was amazing! Thank you so much!! The crab flavor was delicious! I had to get my crabs from a bait shop tho nobody had fresh blue crab here in Florida can you believe that?! All the seafood markets had only frozen blue crab! So I had to clean them myself but it was still fun to do with my mom. Thanks for responding, I hope you have a wonderful life!
Now I have a great place to get blue crab, and a new tradition I will be starting!
Making this tonight! Should it simmer on its own for 45 mins or continue to stir the whole time?
Sauce turned out great....i love your style. You're correct about the cheese...i learned 2 things in my travels to Italy....never ask for cheese on seafood and never ever ask for a cappuccino after 10am. You'll get a look like you have 2 heads. Ciao
Thomas Kerwick If I ever put cheese on my seafood my mother and grandfather would turn in their graves.
Some of us do and some don't. It's all a matter of taste.
Joe Colamanico from S.Carolina makes a seafood lasagna using 3 cheeses.That would blow your socks off.Its heavenly for the holidays.
My Grandparents were from a small village Santa Flavia in Palermo, all my Aunts & Uncles were great cooks learning from my grandparents. One thing I can't believe is in your recipe you keep the crabs in the gravy for 45 minutes or until the gravy is cooked. Anytime we left them in the gravy for more than 10 or 15 minutes the meat turns to mush & sticks to the crab shell making it impossible to eat. We saute the crabs, take them out of the pot, add the tomatoes, allow the gravy to simmer for 30-45 minutes then add the crabs in the last 5 minutes to prevent the crab meat from turning to mush. I enjoy your videos, your accent sounds like you're from Brooklyn NY, where I was born & grew up.
My mother did it like you. No one really eats the crabs so for us it doesn’t really matter. No one can be bothered taking the time.
Thanks for sharing this and love the story about your grandfather.part of DNA comes from Napoli Italy.Thanks again, Maureen Ramage
I could taste the sauce through my iPad😋😋😋 my family made this dish it the same way and we’re Calabrese. Love your story about your grandfather. The young kids today have no appreciation of family traditions or history. They will regret it someday. Happy New Year🎉🥂🥳
N F Thank you so much. Happy New Year.
All on that keto $&!t
Great recipe i used it this xmas eve as it was my first time making a crab sauce. I felt as if watched your video i was cooking with my aunt. Thanks and merry xmas
I might not make my sauce exactly like you but your Italian and you got great enthusiasm so I love it!
Paul LaTerra Happy your watching the video in any event.
GREAT video, thank you for sharing your family recipe :)
My family makes the crab sauce very similar to yours I like to refrigerate the sauce with the crabs in it for a few days before serving. The flavor is even better! Enjoying all your videos
Me to
Same and after it's been in the freezer also.
Nice job - pleasant to watch
Thank you.
That looks amazing. Never made this one, but when I do I'll do it your way. Agree...parsley is for the seafood, and no cheese! Thanks for sharing with us.
We live in Maryland and make our crab sauce the same way that you do. My grandfathers family used to have a restaurant in Wilmington DE and between the spaghetti and crabs and the steamed crabs that they would take off the shell, clean them out and soak in a vinegar based sauce, the lines were around the block from what I am told.
I love crab sauce. It's my favorite and linguine with white clam sauce is a close second.
Mike Davitt was that restaraunt called dinardo's ? If so my dad always talks about how good their crab sauce was.
Made your recipe tonight...was amazing
After seeing this amazing video, I'm really looking forward to learning how to catch blue crabs
How’s your aunt? I hope she is well, you and the family aswell. Happy new year 2022!
What times dinner...I'm comin over! How I ended up here I'll never know. I grew up in New Jersey and as a kid would go out and crab all day.
That was 35-40 years ago, saying that sounds crazy, but those were the days when parents could still let their kids go out and be kids. I'd bring the crabs home
and my Mom or Nanna would make this sauce, Incredible flavor. We live in California now no blue claws here.....I musta been reminiscing ;-)
Thanks for the video!
I'm glad you enjoyed the video. Crab sauce is one of my favorites. I make it every Christmas Eve...Linguine with clam sauce is my second favorite
@@NannysItalianKitchenI did ! Even sent it to My Mom, and agree on the Linguini and clam sauce. Good Appetite!
You speak really good English! I'm impressed
OMG, I COMMENTED JUST AFTER SEEING YOUR PICTURES!!! I WAS RIGHT!!!😃😉❤
I bet I haven't had crab sauce in 25 years. Your sauce looks so good. I am from Baltimore but we live in Tennessee now. I don't know if I can find blue crab down here. I will remember this video if and when I can get my hands on some crabs. Love your stories.
Barbara Cossentino How do you like living in Tennessee? Does it snow there? You can order blue crabs on line but they have to be shipped overnight. www.google.com/search?q=best+blue+crabs+in+maryland&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari
Thank you Heddy. I will check that out this summer. We do like it here in Tennessee. I am just outside of Nashville. It can snow but it is unusual for it to amount to anything. It is very funny to me when they call school off for chance of flurries. We do have ice storms. They can be a problem.
Barbara Cossentino my brother is a Maryland transplant to Martin Georgia which isn't too far from Tennessee. He gets live crabs but they are sold by the pound.
Nanny do you make any squid or scungilli dishes? I always like to clean the crabs myself I call the roe the mustard . Have you ever heard of using a little bit of ink from the squid for flavor in the squid gravy ,Im not a cook but I thought I heard this before it is like leaving a little roe for flavor. It is very relaxing and entertaining watching you cook and telling stories of your family we are losing are culture today so I appreciate . Good old days when men were men and women were women ,you spent time together and no one was ever alone because you had Brothers ,Sisters, many cousins ,Grandparents , Aunts and Uncles and yes most Italians do have a crazy Uncle JR,LOL
Yes Jason I do. On Christmas Eve I make seafood salad, fried scungilli, baked clams, crab sauce, shrimp scampi, and lots of other dishes. I will video making the seafood salad and possibly the fried scungilli.
The flavors come from the shells of the crabs, we like to leave the crabs in the gravy, we enjoy eating the crabs after the spaghetti, so good !
Looks delicious!
Love these intros
Great Video,Thank You! how do I go about this recipe if I’m making two dozen crabs for a family of 10?
You are going to need at least 4 large cans of tomatoes for two dozen crabs. Follow the instructions in the video. Lots of garlic and parsley.
@@NannysItalianKitchen ok,thnku.regarding the amount of grabs i’m cooking ,they all won’t fit in the pot while i’m sautéing them with the garlic.Should i do as many as will fit and throw them in the
pot of sauce until all the crabs are sautéed?
Sauté as many as will fit in the pot at one time. Take them out and do the next batch until they are all sautéed. Then put them all back in the pot and add the tomatoes. Cook for about an hour.
@@NannysItalianKitchen thanku !!!!
As a little girl I watched my Mother make Crab Sauce from scratch. She would always buy them alive, and dump them in the kitchen sink. I remember watching them crawling all around before my Mother did what needed to be done to clean them. Not pretty to watch. Maybe that's why I have NEVER made them. BUT the end result was so so delicious. I do like the idea of buying them already cleaned and ready to go. Mark my words, one of these days, I'm going to give this as try. I'll let you know how it turns out.
Judith Iorio I make it every Christmas Eve. It’s my favorite. I used to buy them live, but it was so much work. Just pick out the crabs and ask to have them cleaned while you’re there.
I see you're using Blue Crabs. Are they readily available ?
Judith Iorio Not always. I usually check a couple of weeks in advance and order them if I have to with the rest of my seafood.
We also add a ton of fresh Basil
Yummy
YOU GUYS LOOK SOUTHERN ITALIAN. MAYBE SICILIANO!!!💪🏽👏🏽👍🏽❤
My grandfather was from Palermo.
Such a sweet gal, thanks for sharing. Looks terrific
Nanny is a firecracker
Is this recipe printed anywhere so I can save it?
Yes, it’s under the video. Click on …more.
If I’m cooking for 10-12 people how many should I cook? And how much spaghetti? (I am also making sausage/peppers, salad & corn on the cob)
Depending on how many people actually eat the crabs, 10-12. Are they big eaters? At least two pounds but probably 2 1/2. Each pound is for 4 people.
@@NannysItalianKitchen thank you! I assume you are talking about the pasta. How many crabs should I make? 12? 14? More? Your opinion helps. Thanks.
Yes I am talking about the pasta 2 1/2 lbs. make one crab for each person.
@@NannysItalianKitchen ❤️
delicious
can you make some creamy pesto tortellini that's one of my favorites but I can never seem to get it just right :) I love watching your videos your too adorable
Sophia Barrera Thank you so much Sophia. I will put it on my "to do" list.
Listen fron 2:04 to 2:20 she watched them clean the crab but had someone else pick it up for her hahahahaha
This remember my grandmother and I going to the fish monger in Union City by bus to get crabs for Friday meals. The only issue was going back home by bus with a paper bag of live crabs. Lol. But her meals were worth it.
Denise Longoria I️ think about those days at grandma and grandpa’s on Sundays and it makes me feel so nostalgic. My grandfather was a fish monger.
Hedy Taranto , what I loved about these recipes is that it's not just food, its memories. I love your clogs because your cooking is so much like my grandparents used to make. My grandmother came here from Naples and my grandfather from Calabera. So they both had their dishes they excelled in. I had a great childhood to say the least. Thank you for making all these memories come to the forefront again.
Hi Hedy! I love your videos. Do you actually eat the crab meat, or is it just to flavor the sauce? Thanks!!
kowdah1 ...both...it's delicious.
kowdah1 b
Thank you for sharing! :) the out takes were fun at the end! I didnt know you weren't suppose to rinse it, why?
Are you referring to rinsing the pasta? If so, when you rinse the pasta it removes some of the starch. The starch is important for the sauce to stick to the pasta.
THANK YOU
Are the crabs there only for flavor? Does anyone eat them? Thanks.
Some people eat them but they are a lot of work. They are great for the flavor. Great sauce.
@@NannysItalianKitchen Thanks! Am thinking of making this for the weekend
I'm cooking your recipe as we speak! :-) i do have 2 questions.. if we choose to use red pepper flakes when should we add them? and 2nd question why can't we rinse the pasta? thank you
godblessdis mami put the red pepper flakes in with the garlic and parsley. Never rinse the pasta as it loses some of the starch . The sauce sticks to the pasta better with the extra starch. Enjoy!
Nanny's Italian Kitchen
oh okay awesome thanx! and just wanted to say omg it came out soooo good! thank u for sharing!
My mom made her crab sauce just like you just did...This is so delish! And yes, NO cheese on any fish sauce! Most older Italians know this, but the younger gen today, put cheese on their fish dishes..Ooofa! Yup Nonna would be turning in her grave! lol
yes cheese on fish sauce
Are they blue crabs?
Yes they are.
Would onions be okay ?
If you like, but it doesn't need them.
you can cook for me any time and share a cup of expresso
Okay Richard
👌
I would of believed she was traditional Italian till I saw her using ronzoni pasta 🤔🤔
My grandmother had all the grandchildren cut the coupons off the Ronzoni boxes to get rewards back in the day, usually dishes.
Weren't many options 40 years ago. That's what they all used.
The yellow stuff is actually the crabs Hepatopancreas
My apologies for
Doubting you
Joseph Mercado Not a problem. Thank you for your support.
No cheese on the seafood pasta oh, well or half Sicilian half colour bread my cousin had a half German shepherd and something else that was a month and this dog would just sit there and whimper and look at his food I would only do this if there was no parmesan on his food oh, I'm not joking cuz he ate Pasta Too and he would just look at it and whimper come he would not eat it no matter what you did he would not eat it oh, he had to have his parmesan, and I'm the same way also. The sauce to be so rich and I can cook all day and you can put paste in it and make it thick mouth-watering I still got to have my cheese oh, it's not the end of the world as long as I have my pasta in the sauce game. But something's gone wrong with the wheat today you know it's causing a lot of problems a lot of people stick into the meat diet and they're feeling a lot better oh, so I think it's okay once every two weeks to go on a pasta binge it's very addictive. But something's up with the wheat it's just not like the old days. Do you know if you have problems sleeping and nothing works no medication in the world nothing oh, and you have to Last Resort I know if pasta turns to sugar if you don't use it but what the hell eat pasta and just lay down and see what happens lol better than taking psychotropic experimental crazy drugs. Anyway the old-timers were right about this world is in me to tin foil hat
Have you ever heard of Crab Sauce on Eggs?
No I haven’t.
LOVE THE GRARED CHEESE!!! SORRY
Àndrea Goloff You do whatever you like, but the cheese kills the flavor of the fish.
@@NannysItalianKitchen in guess i grew up with it, but i used the parsley and the roe and pepper flakes outragious ty
merry christmas cooked in crock pot over nigh on low the best i ever made
It is illegal to catch female crabs with roe.
Nanny needs to stop drinking before she goes on camera. LOL 😆
Bobster986 Nanny does not need to stop drinking. One glass of wine a day does not constitute “drinking.”