When you're enjoying some lobster ravioli, you may wonder what is the best sauce to pair it with. Lobster goes so well with so many different flavors, so finding the perfect lobster ravioli sauce may seem daunting! After testing many different recipes, the best pair for a homemade or store bought lobster ravioli is a creamy sauce with a bit of tomato paste, lobster stock, fresh herbs, and more. Since lobster and ravioli is so rich, it needs a heavy sauce to stand its ground, but bright herbs and lemon zest to cut through the heaviness!
If you've been around my site, you'll know that I have a deep love for two things: pasta and seafood. So lobster ravioli sauce is right in my wheelhouse. Another thing I love is a good sauce. I've been donned "a sauce girl" from my recipe videos on TikTok, and I plan to live up to that name. This creamy, decadent lobster ravioli sauce is sure to impress and will be a major hit for special occasion dinner or for date night.
🎥 Watch the video of this recipe
A note on lobster ravioli sauce options:
Quite frankly, lobster ravioli is delicious and would do well with many different types of sauces. Of course, this recipe is the lobster ravioli sauce recipe that I recommend, but we'll discuss that later. A simple brown butter sauce with some fried sage, lemon zest, and a light squeeze of lemon would be a great & simple sauce option. I also think a buttery, chive-heavy, creamy parmesan sauce would be amazing. You really can't go wrong here, just let the lobster ravioli shine!
Why you'll love this Lobster Ravioli Sauce
- You can use homemade lobster ravioli OR store-bought lobster ravioli and it will be amazing regardless!
- Overall, this delicious sauce is made of very simple ingredients. It comes out to nearly a pink sauce, though it is a bit different.
- This lobster ravioli cream sauce can ALSO work with other types of homemade and store-bought ravioli! I recommend browsing the fresh pasta section at Trader Joe's – they always have great raviolis!
🥘 What you need for this recipe
Ingredients and Substitutions:
- Lobster Ravioli - Buy this from the store (Trader Joe's & Whole Foods have great options) OR make it yourself with fresh pasta!
- Lobster tails - 2 Lobster tails with the shells on are needed. Don't discard the lobster shells as they will be used to flavor the sauce.
- Shallot - I don't recommend substituting this, but if needed, a small sweet onion can work.
- Garlic Cloves - Please use fresh garlic cloves! Don't use the pre-minced from a jar.
- Tomato Paste - A little tomato paste goes a long way. Alternatively, you could use a small amount of tomato sauce or even a bit of diced tomatoes cooked down and caramelized.
- Dry White Wine - Be sure to use something cheap here. A pinot grigio or a sauvignon blanc, or even champagne work great!
- Brandy - I like to use brandy in conjunction with white wine, I think it gives a lot more depth of flavor to the sauce!
- Heavy Cream - Don't swap this out! Heavy cream is necessary to thicken the sauce.
- Parmesan Cheese - Opt for a high quality cheese like parmigiano reggiano or even a pecorino romano.
- Butter - Salted or unsalted butter works well here.
- Lemons - Fresh lemons for the zest and the fresh lemon juice.
- Tarragon - I think that fresh tarragon MAKES this dish. Don't omit unless absolutely necessary. Basil can work if you cant find tarragon.
- Salt & Pepper - Diamond Crystal kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper.
Tools and Equipment:
- Large pot
- Medium/Large Pan
- Kitchen shears
- Sharp knife
- Cutting board
📋 How to make Lobster Ravioli Sauce
Step 1: Prepare Ingredients
Begin by breaking down the lobster tails. Use kitchen shears to cut down the "spine" of the tail, with the scissor blade between the lobster meat and the shell. Do this on the top and bottom sides of the tail. Then, carefully, pull the lobster meat out of the shell. Set the shells aside.
Use a sharp knife to cut the uncooked lobster tail meat into roughly ½-inch pieces.
Finely dice the shallot and mince the garlic cloves. Zest the lemons, then squeeze the juice from them.
Remove the tarragon leaves from the stem, roll the leaves up, and give it a rough chop.
Step 2: Build the Lobster Sauce
In a large pan with high sides (a saucier or sauteuse is great here), add a small amount of olive oil (about 1 tablespoon or less) along with 1 tablespoon of butter and allow to melt over medium-high heat.
Add in the diced shallot and garlic, allowing to sweat and become translucent, making sure they do not burn.
Add in the lobster shells. Stir and sauté until the shells turn a bright red color from the heat, about 5-7 minutes. Once shells are red, move them to the side and add the tomato paste directly to the pan. Cook the tomato paste while stirring for 2 minutes.
Add the brandy to the hot pan (but remove from a flame first), then add the white wine. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan for any bits of food. Allow the alcohol to reduce by simmering until the pan is nearly dry. Add the heavy cream and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes.
Place a pot in the sink with a fine-mesh strainer or sieve over the top of it. Remove shells, then pour the contents of the lobster sauce into the sieve, and gently press to make sure all of the sauce ends up in the pot.
Place pot back on the stove over low heat. Add lemon juice, salt & pepper, parmesan cheese, and the diced lobster meat. Stir over low heat until the meat is cooked through.
Add 1-2 tablespoons of cold butter, along with the fresh tarragon, and stir until the butter is emulsified in the sauce.
Step 3: Finishing Touches
Cook ravioli according the package directions and reserve a small amount of pasta water if needed.
Add the cooked ravioli to the lobster sauce pot, and stir to combine. If necessary, add a small amount of pasta water to loosen the sauce. Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed.
Serve hot in a bowl and garnish with lemon zest, any remaining chopped tarragon, and fresh chopped chives. Add red pepper flakes if desired. Enjoy.
💭 Expert Tips & Tricks
- For best results, I highly recommend using Diamond Crystal kosher salt, fresh tarragon leaves, good parmesan cheese, and high quality butter. I also highly encourage the use of both brandy and white wine in this sauce. This is an easy recipe, but using the right ingredients is an important step!
- If you don't consume any alcohol, I recommend swapping out the white wine for a light chicken broth. For the brandy, you can omit and instead add just the tiniest pinch (¼ teaspoon or less) of sugar to the tomato paste while it is cooking.
- Adding cold butter in the final steps helps to create a luxurious sauce texture. It is a great way to improve any sauce, don't skip this part!
Storage & Reheating Tips:
- Store in the Fridge: Wait until the pasta comes to room temperature and store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 4-5 days.
- Store in the Freezer: Store in a freezer-safe airtight container for up to about 3 months.
- How to Reheat: Always inspect leftovers for impurities or mold by using your eyes and nose. Reheat by adding to a nonstick pan with a dash of olive oil over medium heat until heated through. Garnish with fresh parmesan.
Recipe FAQs
Because this lobster ravioli sauce dish is SO rich and heavy, a light crisp white wine would work great. I'd recommend a pinot grigio or a nice fruity pet-nat.
Frozen lobster ravioli can be cooked without thawing! Just toss in boiling water and allow to cook until the ravioli floats.
Related Recipes
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The Best Creamy Lobster Ravioli Sauce
Equipment
- Kitchen Shears
- Sharp Knife
- Cutting Board
- Wooden Spoon or Rubber Spatula
- Large pan
- Sauce pot
Ingredients
- 2 Lobster Tails with shells
- 10-12 pieces Lobster Ravioli
- 1 small Shallot diced
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- ½ tablespoon Tomato Paste
- ¼ cup Dry White Wine
- 2 tablespoon Brandy
- ¾ cup Heavy Cream
- ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese more to taste & garnish
- 1 tablespoon Butter cold
- 1 Lemon for zest and a squeeze of juice
- 1-2 sprigs Tarragon
- 1 teaspoon Salt more or less, to taste
- Cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Begin by breaking down the lobster tails. Use kitchen shears to cut down the "spine" of the tail, with the scissor blade between the lobster meat and the shell. Do this on the top and bottom sides of the tail. Then, carefully, pull the lobster meat out of the shell. Set the shells aside.
- Use a sharp knife to cut the uncooked lobster tail meat into roughly ½-inch pieces.
- Finely dice the shallot and mince the garlic cloves. Zest the lemons, then squeeze the juice from them.
- Remove the tarragon leaves from the stem, roll the leaves up, and give it a rough chop.
- In a large pan with high sides (a saucier or sauteuse is great here), add a small amount of olive oil (about 1 tablespoon or less) along with 1 tablespoon of butter and allow to melt over medium-high heat.
- Add in the diced shallot and garlic, allowing to sweat and become translucent, making sure they do not burn.
- Add in the lobster shells. Stir and sauté until the shells turn a bright red color from the heat, about 5-7 minutes. Once shells are red, move them to the side and add the tomato paste directly to the pan. Cook the tomato paste while stirring for 2 minutes.
- Add the brandy to the hot pan (but remove from a flame first), then add the white wine. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan for any bits of food. Allow the alcohol to reduce by simmering until the pan is nearly dry. Add the heavy cream and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Place a pot in the sink with a fine-mesh strainer or sieve over the top of it. Remove shells, then pour the contents of the lobster sauce into the sieve, and gently press to make sure all of the sauce ends up in the pot.
- Place pot back on the stove over low heat. Add lemon juice, salt & pepper, parmesan cheese, and the diced lobster meat. Stir over low heat until the meat is cooked through.
- Add 1-2 tablespoons of cold butter, along with the fresh tarragon, and stir until the butter is emulsified in the sauce.
- Cook ravioli according the package directions and reserve a small amount of pasta water if needed.
- Add the cooked ravioli to the lobster sauce pot, and stir to combine. If necessary, add a small amount of pasta water to loosen the sauce. Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve hot in a bowl and garnish with lemon zest, any remaining chopped tarragon, and fresh chopped chives. Add red pepper flakes if desired. Enjoy.
Notes
- For best results, I highly recommend using Diamond Crystal kosher salt, fresh tarragon leaves, good parmesan cheese, and high quality butter. I also highly encourage the use of both brandy and white wine in this sauce. This is an easy recipe, but using the right ingredients is an important step!
- If you don't consume any alcohol, I recommend swapping out the white wine for a light chicken broth. For the brandy, you can omit and instead add just the tiniest pinch (¼ teaspoon or less) of sugar to the tomato paste while it is cooking.
- Adding cold butter in the final steps helps to create a luxurious sauce texture. It is a great way to improve any sauce, don't skip this part!
Swasti
Loved this recipe 😍
Truly so easy to follow and you get an amazing lobster flavor, the house smelt amazing with the shallots and garlic and the brandy deglaze added a really nice sweetness!
Emily
Amazing! Thank you so much for the review, I am SO glad you loved it!