Guido Pedrelli, the mastermind behind Nonna Box, has honed his culinary expertise for decades, inspired by family feasts in Emilia-Romagna. Mentored by his restaurateur nonna, he mastered Italian classics and furthered his skills with professional culinary studies in desserts and gelato making from Mec3. Today, he shares this rich legacy and authentic recipes through Nonna Box.
Expertise: Italian cuisine, Pasta, Pizza, Pastry, Dessert
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Lobster ravioli is my all-time favorite recipe. That is probably because my nonna, who owned a restaurant, would make it for our family on special occasions. She even taught the local fisherman who sold her lobster to make this homemade lobster ravioli recipe. The fisherman ended up opening a restaurant and I went to dine there last time I was in Italy.
Not only does he make a seafood stew that’s to die for, I was so pleased to see that he has also carried on the tradition of making my nonna’s delicious lobster ravioli recipe in his restaurant aptly named Aragosta (Lobster in English) located on the beautiful coastline in Puglia, Italy.
While any homemade ravioli dish is special because of the care it takes to create it, these little pasta pillows with delicious fresh lobster filling are by far the most elegant and luscious dish I have ever tasted. If you want to learn how to make these lobster ravioli at home, keep reading for my nonna’s delicious handmade lobster ravioli recipe.
All-purpose flour (14 ounces) – you will need all-purpose flour to make your pasta dough.
Eggs (4 large) – we highly recommend buying good quality farm-fresh eggs so that your pasta has the best possible flavor.
Kosher salt (2 teaspoons, for pasta water and also to taste) – to cook like a real Italian you will need to have both coarse salt and fine salt on hand. We love Kosher salt or sea salt for cooking.
Extra virgin olive oil (2 tablespoons) – use a good quality oil that has a pleasant, mild flavor that doesn’t compete with the lobster flavor.
Shallot (1 medium) – we love shallot because it brings the delicious flavor of onion but is much more mild. You will need to mince it well so you don’t have any large pieces.
Garlic (2 cloves) – you will want to use fresh garlic and mince very well.
White wine (1 cup) – a dry white wine or any white wine you keep around for cooking will work great for this purpose.
Butter (4 tablespoons + 1 stick)- Italians usually cook with unsalted butter, so that is what we recommend, but if you only have salted butter just add a little less salt later when flavoring your dish.
Fresh tarragon (1/2 teaspoon) – this is a great plant to grow in your garden, but you can also purchase a bunch at the store and then clean and chop the leaves. If you can’t find fresh tarragon, you can substitute with a smaller amount of dried tarragon.
Fresh basil (2 teaspoons) – we love basil, this recipe calls for fresh basil and you can either grab it from your windowsill or garden or buy a bunch at the store. It should be torn or chopped.
Fresh parsley (2 teaspoons) – the fresh “green” taste of parsley goes so well with seafood, you will want to chop it well and perhaps set aside a small amount to sprinkle on top of the finished dish.
Lobster tails (3 small) – we absolutely adore fresh lobster, so if you can get it for this recipe we encourage you to do so! However, if you are using frozen lobster meat, let it thaw first in the refrigerator before cooking it. You will need to shell the lobster and cut it into 1/2-inch pieces.
Lemon juice (2 teaspoons) – you can either use lemon juice from a bottle or squeeze your own.
Fresh sage (4 leaves) – sage is one of the heartiest plants to grow in your herb garden, but of course you can buy some at the store if you don’t grow it. There are so many different varieties, and most will work for this recipe. You can leave the leaves whole and even remove them after the sauce has cooked if you prefer not to eat them.
Step by step flavorful homemade ravioli recipe
For the lobster meat filling
Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat then add the shallots and saute 2 minutes or until translucent photo 1-2.
Add the garlic and stir for about 30 seconds.
Add the white wine and deglaze by scraping any brown bits back into the sauce.
Gently simmer and then add the 4 tablespoons of butter and stir until melted photo 3.
Add the basil, parsley, tarragon photo 4 and the lobster pieces and poach in the liquid until just cooked through, about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not overcook photo 5-6.
Stir in the lemon juice and then remove from the heat. Transfer the lobster pieces to a dish and set aside to cool. Reserve the liquid (do not toss it!) photo 7.
Put the cooked lobster meat into a food processor and pulse on low until you get a stiff mixture and then add salt and pepper to taste and set aside photo 8.
For the fresh pasta dough
Add flour, eggs, and salt in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer and attach the dough hook. Turn to medium speed and mix with the dough hooks for 5 minutes. Remove the dough and knead by hand on a hard surface lightly covered with flour for 2 minutes photo 9-10.
Shape the dough into an oval disc, cover it in plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes photo 11-12.
After resting the dough sheet, cut it into 1-inch strips and flatten the first into a rectangular shape with the palm of your hand and add a small amount of flour to both sides photo 13-14–15.
Attach the pasta roller to your stand mixer or you can use a pasta machine. Set the thickness to the thickest setting, which is usually #1 and run the dough through. While still on #1, fold the dough in half and run it through again photo 16.
Now change the setting to #2, add a little bit of flour on each side and pass the pasta dough through the sheet roller twice. Now change the setting to #3 and pass the pasta dough through twice. Then pass the pasta through once on #4, then #5 and finally on #6. The pasta should be a very long, thin rectangle shape.
Once again, add a light dusting of flour to each side of your long pasta sheet and set it on your working table. Repeat until you have done all the fresh pasta dough and have all long pasta dough sheets.
Let the pasta strips rest for 3 minutes.
Take one large strip of pasta and lay it out flat in front of you. Starting from one side, put a heaping teaspoon of lobster ravioli filling every 3 inches photo 17-18. Brush water around the edges of the pasta and between the filling and fold the pasta closed on itself length wise photo 19
Brush water around the edges of the pasta and between the filling and fold the pasta closed on itself length wise photo 19
Cut into individual ravioli with a ravioli cutter or sharp knife to separate them and pinch the sides to seal them completely photo 20. Place each plump ravioli filled with filling on a parchment lined baking sheet and cover with a clean tea towel until you cook them.
Place each plump ravioli filled with filling on a parchment lined baking sheet and cover with a clean tea towel until you cook them.
Bring a large pot of water to boil and add coarse salt. When it boils, add the ravioli to cook for just a few minutes until the ravioli float and then remove ravioli gently with a hand-held pasta strainer or slotted spoon and add directly to the saucepan as described below photo 21-22.
For the butter sage sauce
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter with the sage leaves over medium heat for 4 minutes, stirring often photo 23-24.
Add 2 tablespoons of the reserved liquid (left over from cooking the lobster) and stir in completely and add salt and pepper to taste.
Add the cooked ravioli immediately after cooking it and gently stir the ravioli into the sauce to coat them photo 25.
Serve immediately while still hot photo 26.
Expert tips
Be sure not to overcook the lobster meat or it will become tough and chewy. You only need to cook it for a few minutes, until it turns white.
Seal the edges of each ravioli with a tiny amount of water and then by gently pinching together the edges of each ravioli. By doing this, you ensure that they won’t come apart when cooking.
Some recipes call for using wonton wrappers instead of fresh pasta dough, but we haven’t found that to be a good substitute for homemade pasta dough sheets.
Rich cream sauce with brown butter, heavy cream and some garlic that goes great with the lobster filling of the ravioli:
Take 6 tbsp unsalted butter and slowly simmer it over medium heat in a skilled. Turn down the heat if the butter gets too hot, because you want it to brown without burning.
Once it begins to brown and you smell a toasty aroma, add 2 gloves of garlic that have been sliced thinly and cook for several minutes.
Now add 2 cups of heavy cream to the browned butter and continue to simmer and stir until the liquid reduces by about a third.
Light olive oil based tomato sauce with a small amount of chopped fresh tomatoes in it so it doesn’t overpower the lobster ravioli flavor:
In a large skillet, add 4 tablespoons olive oil and 1 cup of fresh tomatoes that have been minced or chopped. We especially like using cherry tomatoes that give a bright, tart flavor. You can also add a clove of garlic for a bit of extra flavor.
Cook the sauce over medium heat for 20 minutes or until the tomatoes soften.
Remove the garlic clove and then add the cooked ravioli directly to the pan, gently stir to cover completely with the sauce and then serve hot.
A third sauce to make is simply a drizzling of olive oil and some red pepper flakes for a simple yet gourmet meal.
How to store and reheat lobster ravioli leftovers?
You can place leftover lobster ravioli that has already been cooked in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 1-3 days. Reheat by heating oil or butter in a saucepan and slowly warming the ravioli over a low flame. If needed, a small amount of water can be added so that they don’t burn or stick to the bottom when reheating. How long with lobster ravioli keep in the fridge or freezer?
How long will lobster ravioli keep in the fridge or freezer?
You can put uncooked ravioli on a flat baking sheet, not touching each other, and freeze ravioli in the freezer. As soon as they are frozen, transfer them to an airtight container or freezer bag and store for up to 4 months. When you are ready to eat them, take the frozen ravioli directly from the freezer and put them into boiling water to cook. To store in the fridge, you can place uncooked ravioli in an airtight container not touching each other in the fridge for up to 4 days and then cook in boiling water and serve with sauce.
Lobster Ravioli With Butter Sage Sauce
An exquisite and delicate homemade lobster ravioli recipe quite easy to prepare, directly from my nonna's cookbook.
3small lobster tails shelled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2teaspoonslemon juice
FOR THE BUTTER AND SAGE SAUCE
1stick unsalted butter
4leavesfresh sage
2tablespoonsreserved liquid from the lobster filling
Equipment
stand mixer with bowl and dough hooks
pasta machine or stand mixer pasta attachment or rolling pin
mixer
pasta strainer or slotted spoon
Large pot
medium saucepan or medium skillet
Sharp Knife
Cutting Board
several baking sheets
Instructions
FOR THE LOBSTER FILLING
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, then add the shallots and saute until translucent, about 2 minutes.
Add the garlic and stir for about 30 seconds.
Add the white wine (like a Pinot Grigio) and deglaze.
Bring to a gentle simmer and add the 4 tablespoons of butter. Stir until melted.
Add the basil, parsley and tarragon. Add the lobster pieces and poach in the liquid until almost cooked through, about 2 minutes.
Stir in the lemon juice. Remove from the heat, transfer the lobster to a dish and set aside to cool. Reserve the liquid (do not toss it!).
Put the cooked lobster meat into a food processor and pulse until you get a stiff mixture and then add salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
FOR THE RAVIOLI PASTA DOUGH
Add flour, eggs, and salt in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer and attach the dough hook. Turn to medium speed and knead with the dough hooks for 5 minutes. Remove the dough and knead by hand for 2 minutes. Shape into an oval disc, cover it in plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.
Once the dough has rested, cut it into 1-inch pieces and flatten the first into a rectangular shape with the palm of your hand and add a small amount of flour to both sides.
Attach the pasta sheet roller to your stand mixer (OR use a pasta machine or rolling pin) and set it to #1 (or the thickest setting) and run the dough through. While still on #1, fold the dough in half and run it through again.
Adding a little bit of flour on each side of the dough, change the setting to #2 and pass the pasta dough through the sheet roller, then repeat. Now change the setting to #3 and pass the pasta dough through twice. Then pass the pasta through once on #4, then #5 and finally on #6 (going from the thinnest to the thickest setting). The pasta should be very thin and a long rectangle shape.
Once again, add flour to each side of your long pasta sheet and set it on your working table. Repeat until you have done all the pasta dough and have all long pasta dough sheets ready. Let them rest for 3 minutes.
Take one large strip of pasta and lay it out flat in front of you. Starting from one side, put a heaping teaspoon of lobster mixture ravioli filling every 3 inches. Brush water around the edges of the pasta and between the filling and fold the pasta closed on itself length wise.
Cut the ravioli with a ravioli cutter or sharp knife to separate them from each other and gently pinch the sides of each to seal them completely. Place each ravioli on parchment lined baking sheet and cover with a tea towel until ready to cook.
Bring a large pot of water to boil and add coarse salt. When boiling, add the homemade ravioli to cook for just a few minutes, until the ravioli float, and then remove gently with a hand-held pasta strainer or slotted spoon and add directly to the saucepan as described below.
FOR THE BUTTER SAGE SAUCE
In a medium saucepan or medium skillet, melt the butter and sage leaves over medium heat for 4 minutes, stirring often.
Add 2 tablespoons of the reserved liquid (left over from cooking the lobster) and stir in completely, add salt and pepper to taste.
Add the cooked ravioli immediately after cooking and gently stir to coat them with the sauce.
Guido Pedrelli, the mastermind behind Nonna Box, has honed his culinary expertise for decades, inspired by family feasts in Emilia-Romagna. Mentored by his restaurateur nonna, he mastered Italian classics and furthered his skills with professional culinary studies in desserts and gelato making from Mec3. Today, he shares this rich legacy and authentic recipes through Nonna Box.
