Boston’s North End offers the largest concentration of authentic Italian restaurants outside of Italy. Every single Italian restaurant in the North End lists lobster ravioli on their menu. Trattoria Il Panino’s signature lobster ravioli dish (Ravioli con Aragosta) is the number one requested dish at Trattoria Il Panino. Even people who travel to Italy visit local restaurants say this dish is the best they’ve had anywhere in the world except for Italy. To give you a better understanding of what makes lobster ravioli so iconic and special in Boston’s North End below is a comprehensive guide.
What Makes Up My Lobster Ravioli?
A quality lobster ravioli is made using large chunks of sweet, tender lobster meat – not pre-made lobster paste. Each piece of dough is hand rolled, hand filled and hand sealed allowing for a truly unique experience. Homemade pasta has a different mouth feel compared to machine made pasta.
Inside of each ravioli is a mix of fresh Maine lobster and enough ricotta cheese to keep everything stuck together. Quality restaurants typically do not add anything extra to their filling – only lobster, cheese and maybe some seasonings. The shell of the ravioli is made thick enough to keep the filling inside after cooking, but thin enough to not overpower the filling.
Why Do Lobster Ravioli Compare to Stuffed Pasta Better?
There are two primary reasons lobster ravioli compare to stuffed pasta better. First, preparing and cooking lobster filling is a much higher skill level due to the fact that lobster meat changes texture when it is cooked twice. Once lobster meat is cooked it is very chewy and when it is cooked too long, it loses its palatability.
Secondly, the cheese in cheese ravioli is much less sensitive to heat as cheese does not turn chewy or dry with heat. A skilled pasta maker can cook the same ravioli at different times based on the quality of the lobster used.
Which Type of Sauce Should Be Used with Lobster Ravioli?
Lobster ravioli has a light, sweet flavor so a heavy sauce would ruin the taste of the lobster. That’s why most Italian restaurants choose to serve lobster ravioli with a light sauce that is creamy enough to offer a richness, yet light enough to allow the lobster flavor to shine through. That’s why so many Italian restaurants serve lobster ravioli with a pink sauce, which is a combination of tomatoes, cream and crab meat. Crab meat is added to the sauce to make the flavor of the lobster work with the flavor of the crab rather than against the crab.
Is Lobster Ravioli Worth The Price?
Lobster ravioli can run anywhere from $28-$35 at a variety of restaurants located in Boston’s North End. High-quality lobster is expensive and can run anywhere from $15-$20 per pound depending on the quality of the lobster. Considering the quality of lobster in each piece of pasta, the cost of lobster ravioli is reasonable. Also, handmade pasta, fresh cream, crab sauce and the cost of labor involved in making the ravioli are costs associated with creating the dish.
How Will I Know If My Lobster Ravioli Was Prepared Fresh?
You will know that your lobster ravioli was prepared fresh if the ravioli were served to you steaming hot, in a pan. You will get some resistance when you bite into the ravioli – indicating that the pasta was cooked al dente. The lobster meat will be bright white with a hint of pink and red colors – if the lobster is gray or dull, it is likely to be older. The pink sauce will be vibrant and coral colored – if the sauce is separate or extremely greasy, it could indicate that the restaurant uses a pre-made sauce. Typically freshly prepared lobster ravioli are extremely hot when they arrive, and stay warm for the remainder of the meal.
In summary, the best lobster ravioli is going to come from a restaurant that creates their own pasta in house, purchases fresh Maine lobster and avoids using frozen or subpar ingredients. When it is done right, lobster ravioli is a dining experience that you won’t soon forget.
Want to try the best lobster ravioli in Boston for yourself? Book your table now at Trattoria Il Panino and find out why our Ravioli con Aragosta is the #1 ordered dish on our menu. We’re located in the heart of Boston’s North End and we serve lunch and dinner every day.