A perfectly rewarding quarantine task, fresh raviolis. I've wanted to do this forever, just clean, fresh, local crab meat with a bit of lemon zest in a vey thin rolled pasta ravioli with fennel & lemon brown butter, voila!
This is really just an inspiration, a suggestion, my best advice is to have fun together and create with love, don't worry too much about the details.
The yield of meat from a crab will vary with the size of the crab and the experience of the crab picker, regardless, it's a labor of true love bestowed upon the diners. Ravioli also feels like a great way to show respect and really honor the crab's gift without losing the delicate, sweet flavor and beauty of the meat. Being really thorough we were able to get 1.75 cups of meat from one cooked Dungeness crab, but this would be fantastic with rock, spider or any legal size crab you can trap, catch or score from the fishermen.
Fresh Crab Raviolis
Yield; 30 two and a half inch raviolis. I use a simple roman pasta recipe that is always perfect, for more on that click here.
1.75 cups crab meat
2 lemons, zested (then juiced & save that juice for the sauce)
Pasta:
5.64 oz. farina 00 flour
1.4 oz. semolina
1 fat pinch of sea salt
2 really good large eggs
a drizzle of white wine or olive oil, just if needed
Egg wash: one beaten egg with a tbl. of water
Sauce:
2 oz. butter
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 sliced & roasted fennel bulb roasted in 2 oz olive oil and a few kale leaves (totally optional)
juice of the two lemons above
Aleppo red pepper or fresh ground black, salt
For the Ravioli; Pulse in a food processor a dozen times then let it run until it pulls together, adding a drizzle of oil or wine if needed. Or, by hand; whisk the eggs into the center of the flour, mix with a fork slowing pulling the flour into the center until all incorporated. Wet with a bit of white wine & kneed 10-15 minutes.
Rest covered in a slightly damp dish towel 10-15 minutes. Then roll it out to paper thin sheets, either with a pasta roller or a rolling pin. Dust lightly with a little semolina and cut the long sheets in half. Season the crab meat with salt pepper and the zest. Brush one half of the strip of pasta with egg wash then space out teaspoons of crab, top with the other half of the strip and press. Cut with a 2.5" cutter.
For the Sauce: Brown the butter with garlic, toss in some chopped greens and oil roasted veg, if you have some on hand, then finish with the juice of the lemons, salt & pepper.
Add the raviolis to a salted pot of boiling water for maybe three minutes then drain and toss with the sauce.
Sous Chef & Photo credit Lucas Oliver Oswald
Please stay sated, sane and safe,
With love,
Lynette La Mere, Executive Chef, Pure Joy Catering