Dungeness Crab and Saffron Ravioli

Photo courtesy of Foray Restaurant

Dungeness Crab season is likely coming to a close soon, so make sure to get it while it is still available! If you’re looking for an elevated, exciting way to prepare it, Chef Michael Chang has a recipe that will make any meal feel like a special occasion. Chef Chang is the owner and executive chef of Foray Restaurant in Carmel-by-the-Sea, and the host of this week’s Get Hooked event (tickets are still available!) Check out his recipe for dungeness crab and saffron ravioli, and try it yourself! Feel free to modify the recipe with some pre-made components (such as ravioli doughs or premade ricotta if you don’t have the time or equipment to make it yourself). 

For the ricotta

1 gallon whole milk

2 teaspoons salt

0.5 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

0.5 cup cream

Lemon zest

  1. Add the milk and salt to a medium stock pot and bring it up to 185*F over medium-low heat.

  2. While the milk is warming, zest the lemons with a microplane and reserve for later. Roll the lemons to help loosen the juice, then squeeze and strain the juice.

  3. Once the milk reaches 185*F, remove it from the heat, add the strained juice and gently stir. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

  4. Using a strainer, carefully skim the cheese curds from the milk and let the curds drain over the sink. Place the cheese curds in a mixing bowl, add the cream, lemon zest and season salt and pepper to taste.

For the Dungeness crab

2 whole live Dungeness crab

Salt to taste

  1. Fill a large stock pot with water and bring it to a boil. Season with salt until the water tastes like the ocean. 

  2. Add the crab and cook for 12 minutes. Immediately cool in an ice bath.

  3. Once the crab is fully cooled, carefully crack the legs and reserve for plating. Pick the bodies and add to the ricotta to finish the filling.

For the saffron pasta

5 grams saffron

2 cups egg yolk

2 cups All Purpose flour

2 cups OO flour (a finely ground Italian flour that's often used for pizza dough and pasta)

2 tablespoons water

  1. Whisk the saffron into the egg yolks and let infuse for 1 hour at room temperature.

  2. Add the flours to a mixing bowl and combine.

  3. Create a well in the middle of the bowl and add the egg yolks and water.

  4. Slowly incorporate the wet and dry ingredients until a ball is formed.

  5. Knead the dough for 10 minutes, then cool in the walk-in for 1 hour.

For the assembly

  1. Roll the pasta dough through a pasta machine to the next to lowest setting – usually setting 1 out of 10 (or flour a work table and roll the pasta dough with a rolling pin until very thin).

  2. Place the ricotta/crab filling in a piping bag and pipe the desired size and number of ravioli onto ½ of the pasta sheet.

  3. Lightly spray a bit of water onto the ½ of the past sheet that has the ricotta/crab filling. Fold the other ½ of the pasta sheet on top of the sheet with the filling and gently press around the filling to seal. Then cut the desired shape for the ravioli and press to seal at the edges.

For pickup

  1. Fill a medium stock pot with water and bring it to a boil. Season with salt until the water tastes like the ocean.

  2. Add your ravioli and cook until they float ~ 1 minute. 

  3. Remove from water and lightly coat with olive oil, season with salt, garnish with warmed crab leg pieces, and serve.

At Foray, we make a 42-month parmigiano foam from the rinds and garnish with pink peppercorn/pistachio dust, but you can choose whatever sauce you prefer with Dungeness crab and saffron!

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