Yabbie Tails with Leek in Ravioli with Bisque
Ingredients
1 tablespoon finely sliced chives, to garnish
Saffron oil, to drizzle
Ravioli filling
50g butter
8 yabbie tails, shelled and de-veined (reserve heads, claws and tail shells for bisque)
½ cup white wine
250ml fish stock
1 leek, cut into 8cm long pieces
sea salt and freshly ground white pepper, to taste
Pasta
3 cups plain flour
3 eggs
¼ teaspoon sea salt
dash olive oil
Bisque
250ml cream
2 teaspoons olive oil
8 yabbie shells, 2 head plus all claws and tails (reserved from yabbie filling)
2 tomatoes, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme
80ml sherry
Dash Worcestershire sauce, to taste
If you don’t have time to make your own pasta, try cutting strips or rounds out of fresh lasagne sheets and sealing edges with a little beaten egg.
Saffron is the stigma of the crocus and the most expensive spice in the world. To make your own saffron oil, combine a pinch of saffron threads with 1/4 cup warm olive oil. Stand, covered, overnight to infuse.
Bisque is the French word for a rich soup made from crustaceans.
For a quick and easy way to slice/chop fresh chives, try using a pair of scissors.
Recipe
- To prepare the ravioli filling, heat a deep heavy based frying pan to quite hot. Add butter and yabbie meat. Allow to sauté 1 minute before adding the wine. Cook a further 2 minutes. Remove yabbie mixture from pan and place to one side.
- Bring stock to boil in same hot pan. Add leeks. Simmer until leeks are soft. Drain. Chop finely. Combine leeks and yabbie meat in a small bowl. Season lightly. Set aside.
- To prepare the pasta, place flour, eggs, salt and a dash of olive oil in a processor. Pulse until a soft dough forms. Remove the dough from the processor and knead for 5 minutes.
- Divide the pasta dough into quarters and roll through a pasta machine until you have four 10cmx40cm ribbons. Divide yabbie into eight portions. Place a pasta ribbon on a lightly floured surface. Spoon four portions of yabbie mixture, 10cm apart, down centre of ribbon. Brush edges with water. Top with another pasta ribbon and press the edges together to seal. Use a ravioli wheel or knife to cut between the yabbie mixture to make squares. Repeat with the remaining pasta ribbons and filling.
- To make the bisque, place cream in a small saucepan. Boil gently until reduced by half.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add yabbie shells. Cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes or until the shells are lightly browned. Stir in tomatoes and herbs. Add sherry. Simmer gently until reduced by half. Strain into cream. Discard solids. Add a dash of Worcestershire sauce, to taste.
- Cook the ravioli, in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until al dente. Remove with a slotted spoon and place one ravioli onto four plates. Spoon over bisque, sprinkle over sliced chives to garnish and drizzle with saffron oil. Serve immediately.
