Clams, Dairy free, Fish, Mussels, Pasta, Prawns, Ravioli, Special occasions

Fish ravioli with seafood sauce – Ravioli di pesce ai frutti di mare

Another special dish from my lovely region Liguria! These ravioli are filled with fish and paired with fresh seafood. There are many different ways to make the filling of the ravioli. My version is prepared with wildly caught sea bream ("orata" in Italian), but you can also use other types of fish such as snapper and sea brass. It takes some effort to make them, but they are definitely worth it! Perfect for a special occasion!

Prep time: 45 min (+ 30 min resting)
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 1 hour and 30 min

$25-30 total*

2 people (about 40-45 ravioli)

Ingredients

For the filling:

150 g (5.3 oz) fresh sea bream (I used the fillet)
200 g (7.0 oz) chard (or other greens)
1 garlic clove
1 whole egg
1 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
25 g (4 tbsp) freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon marjoram
5 g (0.17 oz, about 2 tbsps) dried mushroom
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt, to taste
freshly grounded black pepper

For the pasta dough:

200 g (7 oz) all-purpose flour
1 whole egg
2 egg yolks
20 g (5 tbsp) lukewarm water
a pinch of salt

For the seafood sauce:

15 cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 fresh calamari
10 fresh clams
10 fresh mussels
6 fresh shrimps
1 handful fresh parsley
1 garlic clove
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 2

Preparation

Soak the dried mushroom in water for 20-30 min.

Put the flour on a wooden board and create a well in the middle. Add eggs, salt, and water. Start to beat the eggs with a fork and gradually incorporate the flour into the eggs.

Knead the dough until smooth. Shape into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap and leave it to rest for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the ravioli filling.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add salt, and cook the chard for 5-6 minutes. Drain and squeeze as much water as possible.

Cut the sea bream into pieces, removing the bones. In a skillet, add 1 tbsp of oil and the garlic (whole, peeled). Cook for 2 minutes and medium heat, and then add the sea bream. Cook stirring for 3 minutes, then add the minced parsley and marjoram. Cook for 5 additional minutes.

Place the fish in a food processor, add the soaked and squeezed mushroom, vegetables, egg, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Mix well.

After the dough is ready, roll it into thin sheets with the help of a pasta machine. Roll each sheet one or two times in each setting of the pasta machine, rotating the sheet of 90 degrees every time. Keep rolling until you reach the smallest setting of your machine.

Work with one sheet at a time, rolling it and shaping the ravioli while the remaining pasta dough is wrapped in plastic wrap.

Shape the ravioli by placing scant tablespoons of filling evenly spaced on one side of the pasta sheet and then folding the other half over them. Press down with your fingers around each filling, and then cut the ravioli using a pasta wheel (see images below).

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the ravioli.

For the seafood sauce, wash the seafood well (remove the “beard” from the mussels), cut the calamari into rings, and the cherry tomatoes into halves.

Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat with the garlic, peeled and whole.

Add the mussels and the clams and cook over low-medium heat until they open up. Discard any that haven’t opened.

Add the cherry tomatoes and the tomato sauce. Cook for 5 minutes

Add calamari and cook for additional 1-2 minutes. Add the shrimps and a pinch of salt and cook until the shrimps are just cooked (when they turn pink).

When the water boils, add salt and cook the ravioli for about 5-6 minutes.

With a slotted spoon, drain the ravioli and transfer them to the seafood sauce.

Serve immediately, adding some fresh and chopped parsley if desired.

Tips & notes

You can use frozen seafood to prepare the sauce, but after all the effort to prepare the ravioli, it is worth using fresh seafood!
This recipe is perfect to be prepared with leftover baked fish.