Crab ravioli stuffed with delicious & delicate white meat & ricotta cheese served with a simple butter, white wine, saffron & dill sauce.
Whilst making homemade pasta is not a “daily” event, for dishes like this it is well worth that little bit of effort.
Homemade Ravioli with a Dill & Saffron Sauce
There is nothing quite like homemade ravioli!
Sure the store-bought stuff is convenient and it has improved greatly in recent years but it does not compare to homemade pasta and your own perfect stuffing.
This delicious crab and ricotta ravioli recipe joins other glorious dishes like mushroom ravioli and spinach and ricotta cheese ravioli.
Whilst it does take a little patience it is simple, especially with a little practice!
The sauce for this dish is a little bit indulgent, but also supremely simple. It is a butter and white wine based sauce that gets its flavour from dill and saffron.
The saffron not only delivers a wonderful flavour but also a magical golden colour too.
Yes, it is expensive, but we are all worth a treat every now and then, right?
If making ravioli is a little beyond the effort you want to spend you should definitely check out my easy crab linguini recipe. And if you are after something a little different to pasta, you must try my crab cakes recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I roll out pasta with a rolling pin?
Yes, although it is a skill that I have yet to master. Pasta, particularly pasta for ravioli need to be both thin and evenly rolled.
Is a ravioli form or mould essential?
No not really, but it is my preferred method, it is possibly a little slower than creating by hand and cutting them out with a roller.
However, I always struggle with getting a consistent size and shape which matters when cooking them.
Can I use whole eggs?
Yes, I like to use a mix of whole egg and egg yolk when making hens egg pasta, I like the additional richness.
A general rule of thumb is to use 100g of pasta flour for each egg, although I prefer weighing the egg (without the shell) and multiplying by 1.75.
This dates back to the time when we kept chickens and ducks and their wildly varying egg sizes.
What is “00” flour?
“00” flour is very finely milled which makes it perfect for making pasta.
Can I make this in advance?
I would not cook the ravioli in advance but they can be formed a few hours in advance. In fact, I think they are better if left to rest for a couple of hours in the fridge before cooking.
Can substitute the saffron with anything?
No saffron is unique in its flavour, do not substitute it with anything, just omit it. The dish still tastes amazing!
Can I use fresh crab?
Yes definitely, I use tinned crab because the portion works a little better for a ravioli recipe for two. If you are scaling this up then by all means use some dressed crab, the mix of brown and white meat is divine!
Serving Suggestions
This crab ravioli recipe is a pretty much a standalone light meal for me, but I usually serve it with bread and a side salad.
My go-to bread would usually be some focaccia, if I were to make some I would pair it with this tomato focaccia!
A simple green salad is great with this dish, but the crab is superb with my sweet and salty samphire salad!
Equipment Used
I only recommend brands of equipment if I think they make a material difference to a recipe. If you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section.
- Stovetop.
- 20cm or 8″ saucepan.
- 24cm or 10″ frying pan.
- Weighing scales and or measuring cups and spoons.
- Chopping board.
- Kitchen knife.
- Pasta rolling machine, I use an Imperia 9″ hand-cranked pasta machine.
- Ravioli mould, I use a 12-hole (dome-shaped) Imperia ravioli tray.
- Mixing bowls.
- Kitchen paper.
Crab Ravioli with Saffron Sauce Recipe
Homemade crab ravioli with a dill and saffron sauce may sound terribly complicated, fancy and difficult, but with a little patience you can knock this out like a pro in a right around an hour and you will get quicker if you practice!
Ingredients
For the Pasta:
- 1 Egg + 1 Egg yolk
- 135g (1 Cup + 1 Tbsp) "00" Flour
For the Filling:
- 145g (100g Drained Weight) Tin Crab Meat
- 75g (¼ Cup) Ricotta Cheese
- Dash White Pepper
- ¼ Tsp Coarse Sea Salt
- 3 Tbsp Fresh Dill
For the Sauce:
- 35g (2 Tbsp) Butter
- 1 Small (15g) Shallot
- 100ml (⅓ Cup + 1 Tbsp) White Wine
- Pinch Saffron
- 3 Tbsp Fresh Dill
Instructions
- Pile the flour on a work surface and form a well in the centre.
- Crack the eggs into a bowl and lightly whisk them.
- Add the eggs to the well in the flour and using a fork start combining it with the flour, once the eggs is not going to run everywhere and thickens get stuck in with your hands. Form a dough and knead until it is smooth and silky, this will take 10-15 minutes.
- Wrap the pasta in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Drain the tinned crab well and add it to a small mixing bowl with the ricotta cheese, white pepper and coarse sea salt.
- Finely chop the dill for the filling and mix it well.
- Line a second small mixing bowl with kitchen paper and add the filling. No matter how much you drain the crab and ricotta it will be too wet to fill the pasta, doing this reduces the moisture! You can do this up to 20 minutes before filling the pasta.
- Peel the shallot for the sauce, cut it in half and then dice it as finely as you can.
- Chop the dill for the sauce as finely as you can.
- Roll out the pasta as thinly as you can, I prefer to use a pasta machine. Cut the pasta in half (wrapping up the half you are not using) then start with the thickness as wide as possible and pass it through 3-4 times folding it back up on itself to get it to fit through. Then reduce the thickness passing the pasta through 2-3 times on each pass without folding. Repeat with the other half of the pasta dough.
- Dust a ravioli mould with a little flour and then add a sheet of pasta (see the equipment used section to see what I use).
- Add the filling making sure that you do not overfill, the amount required will depend on your mould. You need to make sure a second layer of pasta can be added and not trap any air, but also not from a "lump"!
- Using your fingers moisten the exposed pasta around the filling and lay on the second pasta sheet making sure you are not trapping any air. My pasta mould comes with a small rolling pin which helps seal and cut the ravioli. Repeat if required, this recipe makes 18 ravioli for the mould that I use, which is 1.5 trays. Set the ravioli aside.
- Bring a medium (20cm or 8") saucepan of well-salted water (½ tablespoon for every 2 litres of water) to a boil.
- Heat a medium (24cm or 10") frying pan over a medium-low heat and when it is hot add the butter.
- When the butter begins to gently foam throw in the diced shallot and soften for 3-4 minutes without colouring the shallot.
- Turn the heat up to medium and pour in the wine and reduce it by half.
- When the wine has reduced add the ravioli to the saucepan of boiling water and cook for 90 seconds.
- Whilst the ravioli cooks add the saffron and dill to the sauce and stir.
- Finally, drain the ravioli and add it to the pan with the sauce and toss to coat for 15-30 seconds.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 339Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 283mgSodium: 684mgCarbohydrates: 8gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 18g
Calorific details are provided by a third-party application and are to be used as indicative figures only.