For a dish as simple as this, fresh Scottish crab is unbeatable, though you could use frozen or pasteurized crabmeat. If you go to the trouble of cooking your own crab, make sure it's as big and firm as possible. Brown crabs are best, preferably ones that have big claws and feel heavy when you pick them up. The bigger they are, the easier it is to ferret out the delicious sweet flesh. I cook crabs in a court-bouillon, or flavoured cooking liquid, as I think it improves the taste. I also cook them for a much shorter time than most people, who recommend 30 minutes or more of boiling.

Serves 4

• 1 crab, weighing about 1 kg (2 Ib 4 oz) or 200 g (8 oz) crabmeat

• 1 celery stick, roughly chopped
• 1 small onion, roughly chopped
• 1 carrot, roughly chopped
• 1 garlic clove, lightly crushed
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 small bunch of fresh parsley

• 100 ml (SVzfIoz) olive oil
• 1 or 2 small red chillies, seeded and very finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• Juice and grated zest of 1 lemon
• 200 g (8 oz) spaghetti or linguine
• Freshly ground sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

The first thing is to cook the crab. Make sure it's alive when you buy it, then ask your fishmonger to kill it for you. If you cook it alive, the legs will fall off and overcook. Place the crab in a large pan with all the court-bouillon ingredients. Cover with cold water and bring to the boil over a high heat. Once boiling, simmer for 10 minutes and then turn off the heat. Leave the crab to cool completely in the cooking water. It will be just cooked, and the meat nice and moist.

Now comes the fiddly bit. Fish out the crab and reserve the cooking liquid. Place the crab face down on a chopping board and give its back a good bash with the heel of your hand. This should open it up. Pull off the claws and give them a good bash with the back of a heavy knife or an old rolling pin. Pick out all the meat from the claws, legs and body including the brown meat (the handle of a small teaspoon is useful for this), taking care to leave behind the feathery- looking gills or 'dead man's fingers'. You should have approximately 200 g (8 oz) of crabmeat.

The rest of the dish is straightforward. Place the olive oil, chilli, garlic and lemon zest in a large saucepan and warm through until just simmering. Then remove from the heat and leave to stand for 10 minutes (or you can let it cool completely and reheat it when you're ready to serve). Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti or linguine in a large pan of boiling, salted water until al dente and then drain. Add the lemon juice to the olive oil and chilli mixture and season well, then add the pasta and warm through for 1-2 minutes. Add the crabmeat and mix well, then add the chopped parsley, mixing again.

Divide between four warm serving bowls. I love it with a salad of herbs on top and a glass of chilled Sancerre on the side.