Cajun crab and shrimp pasta

Pasta and macaroni Italian cuisine

One of my favorite holiday foods -- while unorthodox to most of the country, but a substitute for turkey, roast beef or ham in San Francisco -- is the Dungeness crab. When winter roles around and I can't wait to get my hands on a few of these beauties. During the winter, I find many different applications for these sweet meaty crustaceans, but this dish is one of my favorites. This pasta is an homage to a classic New Orleans style dish - Shrimp Creole. The rich tomato sauce is flavored with Cajun-style spices and andouille sausage, adding heat to the dish and complementing the sweetness of the seafood. This dish can be made with or without the crab, depending on the season and the availability of crab. If you are substituting the crab, double the amount of shrimp in order to serve four people.