Seafood Ravioli with Orange-Saffron Sauce
Submitted by sewwhat
Handmade ravioli stuffed with shrimp, halibut, and clams on a slow-simmered Spanish tomato sauce infused with saffron, orange zest, and shrimp shell stock. A true showstopper.
YIELD
1 batchPREP
30 minCOOK
2 hrsREADY
3 hrsThis is not a Tuesday night dinner. This is the dish you make when you want to leave people speechless.
Handmade ravioli get filled with a trio of poached shrimp, halibut, and fresh clams dressed in olive oil and herbs.
But the real magic is the sauce: shrimp shells toasted until pink, simmered for nearly two hours with tomatoes, white wine, clam broth, ten cloves of garlic, thyme, bay leaves, and saffron threads steeped in wine.
A finish of fresh orange juice and zest transforms the whole thing into something that tastes like the Spanish coast on a plate.
Chef’s Tips
- Toast the shrimp shells in hot oil until they turn bright pink to extract maximum flavor for the sauce
- Steep the saffron threads in white wine for a full 30 minutes before adding so they bloom completely
- Press the air out of each ravioli carefully before sealing to prevent them from bursting while cooking
- Cook only 3 or 4 ravioli at a time in a wide pan so they have plenty of room and don’t stick together
- The sauce can be made a day ahead and reheated, which actually deepens the flavors
Ingredients
Directions
Clean shrimp and reserve shells. Poach shrimp in well salted water with pickling spice. Discard liquid. Poach halibut in wine until set. Do not overcook. Steam clams in white wine and garlic. Remove from shells and reserve liquid. Leave smaller clams whole and coarsely chop larger ones. Gently toss seafood together and dress with olive oil. Set aside.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENT: cheesecloth, parchment paper, rice flour.
Steep threads in white wine for 30 minutes. Cook shrimp shells in hot oil just until they turn pink. Then combine them with thyme, bay leaves and peppercorns in cheesecloth. Sauté onion until soft and golden, not brown, in oil used for shrimp shells. Add garlic and sauté for an additional 5 minutes. Deglaze pan with white wine, poaching liquid and clam broth. Add tomatoes and cheesecloth sachet. Simmer for 1 ¾ hours. Add orange juice and zest and simmer for an additional 15 minutes.
TO ASSEMBLE:
Place about 1 tablespoon seafood mix on each large size ravioli pasta sheet, cover with second layer. Moisten borders with water, press out any air, and cut with fluted ravioli cutter. Lay on sheet pans lined with parchment paper and sprinkle with rice flour to keep dry. Cover with plastic.
TO COOK:
Use a wide pan with plenty of water. Cook 3 or-4 raviolis at a time for 3 to 4 minutes, removing them with a slotted spoon. Serve on a bed of the Spanish sauce.
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