“Fish, to taste right, must swim three times — in water, in butter and in wine.”
Fall has officially started and I find myself still tasting a little bit of summer. We have the crisp morning air here in Seattle but sunshine protrudes the dawn by eight am. It is our little secret that September still stems beauty in the Pacific Northwest. Tourists are gone but our summer weather lingers. The weather forms the food that is produced in the kitchen. Adjusting to buying pears and apples rather than blueberries and raspberries takes time, but trying to stretch that last bit of summer corn is still forthcoming. A mashup of summer and fall was what became of my inner battle.
Homemade fresh warm pasta, yummy fish, and those last few ears of corn roasted to perfection what could be better on a sunshine crisp fall day...okay maybe Hazelnut Salted Caramel Bread Pudding for dessert but that is for the next time. Happy Eating!
Ingredients
Ravioli Pasta dough:
Chowhound gives a great explanation on how to make the ravioli pasta dough including photos and ingredient amounts.
If you don't already have Chef Thomas McNaughton's book Flour+Water Pasta it is a keeper that needs to be incorporated into your cookbook collection.
Ravioli stuffing:
1/3 pound Halibut filet
1/3 pound roasted corn kernels
1/3 pound sea greens soaked and blanched aka: sea asparagus, sea beans
3 sprigs thyme
1 shallot quartered
half a pan full of water
1 tsp Black Peppercorn
1 tablespoon kosher salt or grey salt
5-6 tablespoons butter
fleur de sel
Step 1
Boil a Large Pot of water with kosher or grey salt for the Ravioli.
Next place 2 sprigs of thyme, shallot, peppercorn in saute pan for blanching with enough water to just slightly cover halibut. Poach halibut until translucent and remove from poaching water. Allow halibut to cool then chop finely.
Step 2
Roast corn and remove from kernels from cob. Dice the kernels.
Step 3
Allow blanched sea greens to dry then dice.
Step 4
Mix in bowl the halibut, corn and sea beans and salt and pepper to taste.
Step 5
Stuff ravioli's with about a melon baller size scoopful and close making sure to not leave air inside of the ravioli pockets.
Step 6
In boiling pasta water place filled ravioli and cook until al dente approximate 2-5 minutes depending on thickness and size.
Step 7
While ravioli is boiling heat butter in a separate light colored bottom pan large enough to fit ten ravioli. Brown butter but be careful not to burn. Add cooked ravioli to butter and with a spoon douse ravioli with brown butter.
Step 8
Serve ravioli immediately with sprig of thyme and very small amount of fleur de sel.
Enjoy!
Tips:
When poaching turn down the heat until the heat is almost off do not boil the fish
Sea Beans have natural sea salt that must be removed so do not skip the soaking step
Taste, Taste, Taste the stuffing prior to filling the ravioli's as you may need to add salt or not depending upon sea beans.
Bag of roasted corn can be found at Trader Joe's in a pinch if you do not have fresh corn.
A small ravioli pastry wheel makes the edges pretty, I found mine at a second hand shop, but if you are searching for one I like this one from crate and barrel with both cutting edges.
Wine Pairing
Oregon Pinot Noir