Back to Italian
Chilli Ravioli with Crab
Serves 4 Prep 15 min Cook 10 min Total 25 min Type Meal Origin Italian

Chilli Ravioli with Crab

Chilli pasta that looks and tastes sensational. The vibrant red dough encases a creamy mascarpone and crab filling, creating a dish that excels at dinner parties and impresses all who taste it.

Serves 4 Prep 15 minutes Cook 10 minutes Units Rate

Overview

These striking ravioli unite fresh crab meat with silken mascarpone, sharpened by fresh lemon and parsley, all enveloped in a bold chilli-infused pasta. The combination of delicate seafood with the subtle heat of dried chillies creates sophisticated complexity, while lemon butter provides the perfect light sauce. This is restaurant-quality food made at home.

Ingredients

Chilli Pasta Dough

  • 300 grams strong white flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons crushed dried red chillies
  • 3 eggs

Crab Filling

  • 175 grams mascarpone cheese
  • 175 grams freshly picked crab meat
  • 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley (finely chopped)
  • Rind of 1 lemon (finely grated)
  • Pinch of crushed dried chillies
  • salt
  • pepper

Finishing

  • 75 grams butter
  • 1 lemon (juice)
  • Fresh basil leaves (chopped)

Method

Stage 1 - Make Pasta Dough

  1. Make a well in the center of the flour and crack eggs into it.
  2. Add dried chillies and salt to the eggs.
  3. Gradually bring in the sides of flour, mixing into the egg until a dough forms.
  4. Roll the dough into a ball and knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
  5. Place in a bowl, cover with cling film, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  6. After chilling, knead again for 10 minutes and set aside.

Stage 2 - Prepare Filling

  1. Mash mascarpone in a bowl with a fork until smooth.
  2. Add crab meat, parsley, lemon rind, and dried chillies.
  3. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
  4. Stir gently until combined but not overworked. Set aside.

Stage 3 - Roll & Cut Ravioli

  1. Using a pasta machine, roll out one-quarter of the dough to a 90 cm strip.
  2. Cut into two lengths.
  3. Using a 6 cm fluted cutter, cut out 8 squares from each strip.
  4. Using a teaspoon, place a mound of filling in the center of half the squares.
  5. Brush a little water around the edge of filled squares.
  6. Top with plain squares and press edges to seal.
  7. For decorative finish, press edges with fork tines.
  8. Place ravioli on floured tea towels, sprinkle lightly with flour, and allow to dry.
  9. Repeat with remaining dough and filling to create 32 ravioli total.

Stage 4 - Cook & Serve

  1. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil.
  2. Cook ravioli in batches for 4-5 minutes until they rise to the surface.
  3. Meanwhile, melt butter and lemon juice in a small pan until sizzling.
  4. Drain ravioli and divide among 4 warmed bowls.
  5. Drizzle lemon butter over ravioli.
  6. Sprinkle with crushed chillies and chopped basil.
  7. Serve at once.

Notes

  • Fresh Crab: Use hand-picked white and brown meat for best flavor; avoid frozen crab if possible.
  • Pasta Rest: The 30-minute chill is essential for the dough to relax and become workable.
  • Filling Proportion: Don't overfill; too much filling causes bursting during cooking.
  • Drying Time: Allowing ravioli to dry slightly before cooking helps them hold together.

Variations

With Lemon Zest: Add extra lemon zest to the lemon butter for brighter flavor. Seafood Mix: Combine crab with finely chopped scallops or prawns for variety.

Serving

Serve with: A crisp white wine and simple green salad Garnish with: Fresh basil, red chilli flakes, and lemon wedges

Storage

  • Best eaten immediately after cooking
  • Uncooked ravioli freeze well up to 1 month on a parchment-lined tray
  • Cooked ravioli does not reheat well; prepare fresh for best results

More like this

1 / 4
Eggs Benedict

Eggs Benedict

The Sunday brunch icon, and the dish people learn hollandaise for. You build the sauce first, whisking egg yolks with water and lemon over a bain-marie until they ribbon, then drizzling in warm clarified butter while you whisk steady and even until the bowl holds something glossy and thick. The hollandaise will wait for you in a warm spot while you poach the eggs - vinegar in barely-simmering water, a gentle whirlpool, three minutes for a runny yolk - and toast the muffins, and warm the ham. Then everything stacks at speed: muffin, ham, egg, hollandaise spooned generously over, a scatter of chives. You eat immediately, because every component is at its best within a minute of plating and falls off a cliff after five. Looks fancy on a tablecloth; rewards twenty focused minutes of work.

American 30 minutes Serves4