Pan-Seared Haddock Spinach Ravioli

Cut the spinach while the water boils. Three minutes later you’ve got filling — the rest is just shaping. Sounds elaborate. Isn’t really.

Why You’ll Love This Spinach Ravioli with Haddock

Homemade pasta hits different. Store-bought tastes like nothing. This one’s tender inside, slightly chewy outside, and holds the seafood filling without breaking. Takes an hour and a half total. Mostly waiting — the actual work is maybe 20 minutes. Haddock’s mild. Doesn’t overpower. Works with the spinach and ricotta instead of fighting it. Smoked ricotta adds something. Can’t quite name it. Lemon zest keeps it bright. Not sharp. Just lifts everything. Sage butter at the end — that’s the part that makes people ask for the recipe.

Fresh Pasta Dough with Spinach and Eggs

Frozen spinach. Thawed, squeezed dry. More important than it sounds — wet dough means tough pasta. Four eggs. The yolk-to-white ratio matters here. All four whole. All-purpose flour. 500 ml. Nothing fancy. Salt. Just salt. Water maybe. Maybe not. Depends on how dry your spinach was.

The spinach goes in a blender with the eggs and salt until it’s totally smooth — no flecks, no fibers. Strain it through a fine mesh. Discard what doesn’t go through. Sounds fussy. Worth it. Pile the flour in a mound. Pour the spinach puree on top. Mix by hand until it barely holds together, then knead on a floured surface for eight to ten minutes. It’ll be sticky at first. Keep going. It’ll come around. Wrap it. Let it sit 35 minutes minimum. Gluten needs to relax or the dough fights you when you roll it.

Handmade Spinach Pasta with Haddock and Ricotta

Blanch the spinach first — 45 seconds in boiling water, then straight into ice water. Squeeze it hard. Like, actually wring it. A clean towel helps. The filling’s simple. Diced haddock. Smoked ricotta. Lemon zest from one small lemon. Salt and cracked pepper. Mix it. Keep it cold.

Roll the dough through a pasta machine. Start thick. Go through a few times, gradually thinner, until you can almost see your hand through it. It should be pale and slightly translucent. Not tissue-thin — that breaks. Flour it lightly as you go or it sticks to itself. Cut the sheet lengthwise down the middle. Brush one long edge with water. Dollop filling — about a teaspoon — every inch and a half or so. Not too much. Too much and it bursts when it cooks. Lay the other strip on top. Press down around each pile of filling. Use a fluted pastry wheel if you have one — looks better — or a sharp knife. Either works fine. Transfer to a floured tray. Cook now or freeze. If you freeze, put them on parchment first, bag them after. Otherwise they stick to each other.

Pan-Seared Haddock Pasta Recipe — The Cooking Part

Water. Salt it like pasta water — more salt than feels right. Get it boiling hard. Drop the ravioli in. They’ll sink. When they float — and they will — give them exactly one more minute. Sometimes a minute-ten if they’re really thick. Total time is maybe three and a half to four minutes. The pasta should be tender. The filling should be hot all the way through. Scoop them out with a slotted spoon. Don’t dump them in a colander or they’ll stick together. Drain them in the spoon over the pot. Save some cooking water — about a tablespoon.

Asparagus stalks get sliced thin lengthwise — the tips especially. The thicker parts cut on a bias into half-inch pieces. Makes them cook faster and more evenly. Melt half the butter in a wide skillet. When it starts to foam and the bubbles get small and shiny, add the asparagus and halved cherry tomatoes. Toss every minute or so. Three to four minutes. The tomatoes should burst. The asparagus should still snap a little. Turn the heat off. Add the ravioli. Add the sage. Add the reserved pasta water. Then add the rest of the butter. Toss gently until everything’s coated and glossy. Taste it. Season if you need to. Serve immediately.

Lemon Ricotta Ravioli Tips and Mistakes

Roll thin enough that you can see light through it. Too thick and the dough is chewy instead of tender. But not so thin it tears when you’re filling it. That balance is real. Squeeze the spinach dry. Like actually dry. Moisture is the enemy here. Don’t overfill the ravioli. You’ll regret it when they burst in the water. Seal them tight. Run your finger around the edges after you press them down. You want them actually sealed. Cook them in plenty of water. Crowding the pot makes them stick. Cherry tomatoes should burst. That’s when you know you’re done.

Pan-Seared Haddock Spinach Ravioli

By Emma

Prep:

1h 25min

Cook:

10 min

Total:

1h 35min

Servings:

5 servings

Ingredients

• 1 packet 210 g frozen spinach
• 900 ml water
• 4 eggs
• 6 ml salt
• 500 ml all-purpose flour
• Water about 10 ml as needed
• 150 g diced fresh haddock fillets
• 100 ml smoked ricotta
• Zest from 1 small lemon
• Salt and cracked black pepper
• 8 asparagus stalks trimmed and blanched
• 45 ml unsalted butter
• 20 cherry tomatoes halved
• 4 fresh sage leaves finely chopped

Method

1. Pasta dough
2. 1 Blanch spinach in boiling water about 45 seconds until bright green. Drain and shock under cold water fast. Wring tightly in a clean towel to remove moisture; this step critical or dough too wet.
3. 2 Pulse spinach, eggs, salt in blender to a smooth puree. Strain puree through fine mesh; discard any fibrous bits. Smoother dough and tender pasta; no stringy tough bits.
4. 3 In mixer bowl, mound flour then pour puree on top. Mix until dough barely forms a ball. Adjust with a teaspoon water or more flour until soft but not sticky. Knead by hand on floured surface 8–10 min till elastic and pliable. Wrap tight; rest 35 min minimum to relax gluten.
5. Filling
6. 4 Combine diced haddock, smoked ricotta, lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper. Keep chilled.
7. Assembling ravioli
8. 5 Cut dough into 1.5 cm slices, one at a time roll through pasta machine — start thickest setting, multiple passes gradually thinner till pale translucency. Flour lightly to prevent sticking.
9. 6 Cut sheet lengthwise down middle. Brush edge with water. Dollop 4 ml filling every 3.8 cm (1½ in) apart on one strip. Cover with other strip, press down gently around filling to seal air out.
10. 7 Use fluted pastry wheel or sharp knife to cut squares, pressing edges around filling for tight seal. Transfer to well-floured tray. If not cooking immediately, freeze on parchment then bag to prevent sticking.
11. Cooking ravioli
12. 8 Boil salted water vigorously; drop ravioli. When they float add 1 min, total 3 ½ to 4 min cooking. Pasta should be tender but filling hot through. Lift gently with slotted spoon, drain well; reserve 15 ml pasta water.
13. Sauce
14. 9 Slice asparagus tips lengthwise thin; cut stalks on bias into 5 mm slices.
15. 10 Melt half the butter in skillet until foam begins to subside, bubbles fine and shiny. Add asparagus and halved cherry tomatoes. Toss occasionally 3 to 4 min until tomatoes burst, asparagus tender but still crisp.
16. 11 Stir in sage and ravioli along with reserved cooking water. Off heat add remaining butter; coat pasta gently with sauce, glossy finish.
17. 12 Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Nutritional information

Calories

310

Protein

18g

Carbs

35g

Fat

12g

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Frequently Asked Questions About Seafood Pasta with Haddock

Can you use a different fish? Halibut works. So does cod. Anything white and flaky. Salmon’s too rich for this filling. Changes the whole thing.

How far ahead can you make the ravioli? Freeze them. That’s it. They’ll last a few weeks. Don’t thaw before cooking. Drop them straight from the freezer into boiling water — add maybe 30 seconds to the cooking time.

What if you don’t have smoked ricotta? Regular ricotta. Works fine. Lose that smoky note but the filling’s still good. Or try mascarpone if you want something richer.

Can you make the dough without a pasta machine? Yes. It’s slower. You’ll roll it out by hand with a rolling pin. Needs to be the same thickness — thin enough to see through. Takes longer than the machine but works.

Does the lemon zest go in the filling or the sauce? Filling. Finish with sage butter. Those two things together — that’s what makes it work.

What about storing leftovers? Don’t. These don’t reheat well. Make exactly what you need.