Gordon Ramsay’s Lobster Ravioli Recipe with Chopped Herbs
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Apr 8, 2023 • 6 min read
Chopped fresh herbs form the backbone of a solid dish. Unlike dried herbs, they impart complexity and additional layers of flavor, automatically elevating any dish. But because they’re alive, you must handle them delicately. Chef Ramsay warns not to over-chop herbs. It’s important not to bruise them or lose their flavor and scent to the cutting board. One common method is a culinary term for slicing thin slivers, a.k.a. chiffonade, a French technique requiring a sharp knife or chef’s knife, and a cutting board, that results in little ribbons of perfectly sliced delicate herbs. The below recipe incorporates a basil chiffonade, but as Gordon explains, swapping in other chiffonade herbs only shows your creativity as a chef.
This lobster ravioli dish is the dish that put Chef Ramsay on the map. In it, chiffonade basil gently perfumes the lobster, and a fresh tomato chutney provides the perfect bed for these little pillows of perfection. This exact same dish is still on Gordon’s flagship London 3-Michelin-star restaurant menu, almost two decades after opening. While most lobster recipes focus on the tail, this dish utilizes meat from the less glamorous parts of the lobster—knuckles, claws and legs—transforming these “scraps” into a flavor-packed filling that is both luxurious and economical.
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Make the Filling
In a food processor, coarsely grind the salmon. Slowly add in the egg white while pulsing until paste forms. Stop the processor and transfer the mousse to a large mixing bowl, then season with salt and pepper. Add 1 heaping cup diced lobster and use a rubber spatula to gently fold together. Add basil, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Combine. Place the mixture in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F°. Put lobster shells on a baking sheet and roast until dry, but not brown, about 20 minutes.
Make the Poaching Stock
In a large stockpot heat olive oil, then sweat carrot, onion, celery, garlic and lemongrass until soft, about 4 minutes. Add lobster shells and tomato paste and stir, cooking for 2 minutes. Deglaze with brandy and cook alcohol out for about 30 seconds. Add veal and chicken stock, stir, and increase the heat to high to bring to a boil. Once at a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes. Strain the stock, discarding solids. Reserve half the liquid for poaching ravioli.
Transfer remaining half into a small saucepot and over high heat, reduce until thickened, about 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the cream. Keep warm.
Make the Tomato Chutney
Bring a medium-size pot of water to a boil. Remove the cores from the tomatoes and score both the bottom and top of each. Drop the tomatoes in boiling water for 30 seconds, until the tomato skins start to peel away. Transfer tomatoes to a bowl of ice water and let sit for 30 seconds.
Take tomatoes and discard the skins, then dice. In a medium skillet over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and diced tomatoes. Stew the tomatoes for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Finish with basil and check for seasoning.
Make the Lemon Vinaigrette
In a small mixing bowl, whisk lemon, oil and salt until emulsified.
Make the Ravioli
Roll out the pasta dough into thin sheets using a pasta machine. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and cut out 10 cm rounds with a pastry cutter. Place a heaping tablespoon of the lobster mixture into half of the pasta rounds, then brush the edges with egg yolk wash. Place another pasta round on top of each one and press the edges together to seal, stretching the dough slightly and molding it around the filling with your fingers to make sure there are no air gaps. Dust pasta with flour and keep covered with plastic wrap until ready to cook.
Bring lobster stock up to a gentle boil. Drop ravioli, cooking in batches if necessary, and gently rotate pot back and forth, so pasta does not stick together. Cook for 90 seconds. Add half of lemon vinaigrette to a large mixing bowl. Transfer ravioli to vinaigrette, season lightly with salt and lemon zest.
On each plate, put down 3 spoons of tomato chutney and top each with 1 ravioli. Drizzle with lobster stock and a little more vinaigrette. Garnish with microgreens.
Gordon Ramsay’s Lobster Ravioli Recipe
makes
4prep time
1 hr 30 mintotal time
2 hr 30 mincook time
1 hrIngredients
For the filling:
For the stock and sauce:
For the lemon vinaigrette:
Assembly of ravioli:
- 1
Make the filling. In a food processor, coarsely grind the salmon. Slowly add in the egg white while pulsing until paste forms. Stop the processor and transfer the mousse to a large mixing bowl, then season with salt and pepper. Add 1 heaping cup diced lobster meat and use a rubber spatula to gently fold together. Add fresh basil, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Combine. Place the mixture in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes.
- 2
Roast lobster shells. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F°. Put lobster shells on a baking sheet and roast until dry, but not brown, about 20 minutes.
- 3
Make the poaching stock. In a large pot heat olive oil, then sweat carrot, onion, celery, garlic and lemongrass until soft, about 4 minutes. Add lobster shells and tomato paste and stir, cooking for 2 minutes. Deglaze with brandy and cook alcohol out for about 30 seconds. Add veal and chicken stock, stir, and increase the heat to high to bring to a boil. Once at a boil, reduce to low heat and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes. Strain the stock, discarding solids. Reserve half the liquid to poach ravioli.
- 4
Transfer remaining half into a small saucepot over high heat. Reduce until thickened, about 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the cream. Keep warm.
- 5
Make the tomato chutney. Bring a medium-size pot of water to a boil. Remove the cores from the tomatoes and score both the bottom and top of each. Drop the tomatoes in boiling water for 30 seconds, until the tomato skins start to peel away. Transfer tomatoes to a bowl of ice water and let sit for 30 seconds. Take tomatoes and discard the skins, then dice. In a medium skillet over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and diced tomatoes. Stew the tomatoes for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Finish with basil and check for seasoning.
- 6
Make the lemon vinaigrette. In a small mixing bowl, whisk lemon, oil and salt until emulsified.
- 7
Make the ravioli. Roll out the pasta dough into thin sheets using a pasta machine. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and cut out 10 cm rounds with a pastry cutter. Place a heaping tablespoon of the lobster mixture into half of the pasta rounds, then brush the edges with egg yolk wash. Place another pasta round on top of each one and press the edges together to seal, stretching the dough slightly and molding it around the filling with your fingers to make sure there are no air gaps. Dust pasta with flour and keep covered with plastic wrap until ready to cook.
- 8
Poach the ravioli. Bring lobster stock up to a gentle boil. Drop ravioli, cooking in batches if necessary, and gently rotate pot back and forth, so pasta does not stick together. Cook for 90 seconds. Add half of lemon vinaigrette to a large mixing bowl. Transfer ravioli to vinaigrette, season lightly with salt and lemon zest.
- 9
Compose the dish. On each plate, put down 3 spoons of tomato chutney and top each with 1 ravioli. Drizzle with lobster stock and a little more vinaigrette. Garnish lobster ravioli with microgreens.
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