Ravioloni with Fish

Ravioloni with fish are big square ravioli filled with monkfish, salmon, shrimp and dill, finished with saffron butter, ready in about 1 hour 15 minutes. It serves 6 and makes an elegant dinner you can shape ahead of time.

Why This Recipe Works

Poaching the monkfish and salmon together in simmering water cooks them gently, so the fish stays moist and flakes into the filling. Boiling hard would make it tough and dry.

The egg yolks bind the chopped fish, shrimp and dill into one soft filling that holds its shape on the pasta sheet. Roughly chopped shrimp keeps some bite in every spoonful.

Pounding the saffron to a powder before it goes into the melted butter spreads its color and flavor through every drop. The butter then coats the ravioloni lightly without drowning the delicate fish.

Ravioloni with Fish Ingredients

For the filling

• 5 ounces monkfish
• 5 ounces fresh salmon
• 3 ounces fresh cooked and peeled shrimp, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped dill, plus 4 sprigs, to garnish
• 2 egg yolks
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the pasta and sauce

• 1 1/2 pounds fresh pasta dough
• 2 ounces butter
• 1 packet saffron powder or a pinch of saffron strands, pounded to a powder with a pestle and mortar

How To Make Ravioloni with Fish

Make the filling

1. Poach the fish: Put the monkfish and salmon in a pan of simmering water. Poach them together for 12 to 15 minutes, until cooked through, so the flesh turns tender and flakes easily.
2. Chop and mix: Drain the fish and chop it roughly, picking out any bones as you go. Stir in the shrimp, 2 tablespoons dill, the egg yolks, salt and pepper until the mixture holds together.

Shape the ravioloni

3. Roll the dough: On a lightly floured surface, roll the pasta dough into two sheets, each about 20 x 10 inches and about 1/8 inch thick. Thin sheets cook through quickly and stay tender.
4. Add the filling: Place 8 heaped teaspoonfuls of filling on one sheet, spaced 2 1/2 inches apart. Lay the second sheet over the top.
5. Seal and cut: Press gently with your fingers all around each mound, pushing out any air bubbles so the pasta stays closed in the water. Use a pastry wheel to trim the sheet into 3-inch squares, then set the ravioloni on a clean kitchen towel.

Cook and serve

6. Boil the pasta: Cook the ravioloni in boiling salted water for 5 to 6 minutes, then drain well.
7. Make the saffron butter: Melt the butter in a small pan and stir in the saffron powder or pounded strands. The butter turns a deep golden color.
8. Plate: Serve 2 ravioloni on each plate. Drizzle a little saffron butter over the top and garnish with the dill sprigs.

Recipe Tips

• Seal out the air: Trapped air makes ravioloni swell and split in the boiling water. Press from the filling outward, and keep the edges free of filling so they seal tightly.
• Keep the water gentle: Poach the fish at a simmer, not a rolling boil, so it stays tender. Cook the ravioloni at a steady boil, but lift them out with a slotted spoon instead of tipping them into a colander.
• Dry the pasta squares: Lay the cut ravioloni on a clean towel in a single layer without touching. Squares that touch can stick together.
• Check for bones: Run your fingers through the chopped fish before mixing it with the other filling ingredients. Small bones are easy to miss by eye.

What To Serve With Ravioloni with Fish

Serve two ravioloni per plate with the saffron butter spooned over them, as the recipe suggests. A simple green salad dressed with lemon and olive oil, plus a glass of chilled white wine, fits an Italian table well.

How To Store

• Fridge: Keep uncooked, shaped ravioloni in a single layer on a floured tray, covered, for up to 1 day. Leftover cooked ravioloni keep 1 to 2 days in a sealed container.
• Freezer: Freeze uncooked ravioloni on a tray until solid, then move them to a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Boil them straight from frozen, adding a minute or two to the cooking time.
• Reheat: Warm cooked ravioloni gently in a covered pan with a little butter until hot all the way through. Avoid high heat, which can dry the filling.

FAQs

What can I use instead of monkfish?

Any firm white fish works, such as cod, halibut or haddock. Monkfish has a firm, almost lobster-like texture, so choose a fish that holds together when poached.

Can I make ravioloni with fish ahead of time?

Yes. Shape and cut them up to a day ahead, lay them in a single layer on a floured tray, cover and refrigerate. You can also freeze them uncooked for up to 2 months.

Why did my ravioloni open while cooking?

Usually trapped air or filling on the sealing edges is the cause. Press out the air as you seal, keep the edges clean, and cook in gently boiling water rather than a violent boil.

Is this recipe gluten free or dairy free?

No. The fresh pasta dough contains wheat flour, the butter is dairy, and the filling uses eggs, fish and shrimp. A gluten-free dough would be needed for a gluten-free version, and olive oil could replace the butter.

Nutrition

Estimated per serving (1 of 6), worked out from the ingredients.

• Calories: about 430 kcal
• Total Fat: 16g
• Total Carbohydrate: 47g
• Dietary Fiber: 2g
• Protein: 24g

Ravioloni with Fish

Recipe by Paula

0.0 from 0 votes

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

45

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Total time

75

minutes

Large square ravioli filled with poached monkfish, salmon, shrimp and dill, served with saffron butter. An elegant fish pasta for 6 that you can shape ahead.

Ingredients

• For the filling

• 5 ounces monkfish

• 5 ounces fresh salmon

• 3 ounces fresh cooked and peeled shrimp, roughly chopped

• 2 tablespoons chopped dill, plus 4 sprigs, to garnish

• 2 egg yolks

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• For the pasta and sauce

• 1 1/2 pounds fresh pasta dough

• 2 ounces butter

• 1 packet saffron powder or a pinch of saffron strands, pounded to a powder with a pestle and mortar

Directions

• Poach the fish: Put the monkfish and salmon in a pan of simmering water. Poach them together for 12 to 15 minutes, until cooked through, so the flesh turns tender and flakes easily.
• Chop and mix: Drain the fish and chop it roughly, picking out any bones as you go. Stir in the shrimp, 2 tablespoons dill, the egg yolks, salt and pepper until the mixture holds together.
• Roll the dough: On a lightly floured surface, roll the pasta dough into two sheets, each about 20 x 10 inches and about 1/8 inch thick. Thin sheets cook through quickly and stay tender.
• Add the filling: Place 8 heaped teaspoonfuls of filling on one sheet, spaced 2 1/2 inches apart. Lay the second sheet over the top.
• Seal and cut: Press gently with your fingers all around each mound, pushing out any air bubbles so the pasta stays closed in the water. Use a pastry wheel to trim the sheet into 3-inch squares, then set the ravioloni on a clean kitchen towel.
• Boil the pasta: Cook the ravioloni in boiling salted water for 5 to 6 minutes, then drain well.
• Make the saffron butter: Melt the butter in a small pan and stir in the saffron powder or pounded strands. The butter turns a deep golden color.
• Plate: Serve 2 ravioloni on each plate. Drizzle a little saffron butter over the top and garnish with the dill sprigs.