Salmon Mezzaluna Pasta (Smoked Salmon Ravioli)

Elevate your dinner table with a restaurant-quality meal using this simple Mezzaluna Pasta recipe! Similar to Smoked Salmon Ravioli, but shaped in semi-circles instead, these delicate Mezzalune filled with smoked salmon and drizzled with Dill Lemon Butter sauce offer a delightful twist to your pasta night. It's a show-stopper, to say the least!

Jump to:

• My First Experience with Mezzaluna Pasta
• What is Mezzaluna Pasta?
• Ingredient Notes
• Step-By-Step Method
• Reader Review
• Want To Make Smoked Salmon Ravioli Instead?
• What To Serve With Smoked Salmon Pasta?
• Other Homemade Pasta Recipes
• Salmon Mezzaluna Pasta with Lemon Dill Butter (Smoked Salmon Ravioli)

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My First Experience with Mezzaluna Pasta

My most vivid memory of Mezzaluna pasta is from a restaurant in Malta. We've only spent two days there, but I can honestly say that Valetta is the No. 1 on the list of the most beautiful European capitals. Apart from the memories of beautiful nature, architecture and warm people, I have one very specific Mezzalune related memory. 

I ordered prosciutto mezzalune with cream and fig sauce (sounds intriguing, right?). It was divine! The only issue was that I got served a portion that could have easily served six (and that's not at all an exaggeration!).

Here I was, with a plate the size of a mixing bowl, full of mezzaluna pasta swimming in cream and fig sauce.

I felt sooo bad when the waiter asked me if I didn't like it when he saw about half of it still on my plate...

What is Mezzaluna Pasta?

Half moon-shaped filled pasta is native to Tyrol. Similarly to ravioli, mezzalune are filled with both vegetarian or meaty fillings and served with a variety of sauces including pesto, tomato or butter sauce.

To make a Mezzaluna shape, cut rounds of thinly rolled-out pasta dough. Pipe/ spoon the filling in the centre. Fold the dough over to create a half-circle and seal the edge with your fingers. Finally, press the edge down with the fork to create indents. 

If you are wondering why I use Mezzalune and Mezzaluna Pasta interchangeably, the former is plural and the latter is singular in Italian (just like ravioli and raviolo).

Read more about Filled Pasta and various different shapes and types of dough that you can make at home on our dedicated Homemade Filled Pasta article. 

Tonight I'm sharing my recipe for Smoked Salmon Mezzaluna Pasta recipe with Lemony Dill Butter Sauce. The portions won't be as big as in Malta, but good things often come in smaller quantities. These Mezzalune (similar to smoked salmon ravioli) are really rather rich and filling, so you don't need too much anyway. 

Ingredient Notes

Seven ingredients - that's all you need to make a restaurant-quality smoked salmon-filled pasta!

• 00 flour (also known as pasta flour/ durum wheat flour): 00 flour is perfect for pasta, but if you have to, substitute it with strong white bread flour. Alternatively, you can make Pasta Bianca (made with durum wheat semolina and water only) as an eggless option. 
• eggs: we used two medium eggs (UK), or two large eggs (US) for 200g of flour. 
• smoked salmon: this recipe uses cold smoked salmon, but hot-smoked salmon should work well too. 
• cream cheese: also known as soft cheese, like Philadelphia. You may use whole milk ricotta cheese or mascarpone cheese in this mezza luna pasta recipe too. 
• dill (fresh or frozen): will be used in the smoked salmon pasta filling as well as in the sauce. Other fresh herbs, like parsley or coriander, will work too. 
• lemon: choose a fresh juicy lemon. 
• butter: unsalted, as the salmon in this recipe adds enough salt already. 

Find the quantities, cooking instructions and nutritional information in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. 

Step-By-Step Method

Step 1: Pasta Dough

Place the 00 flour onto a kitchen surface and make a well in the centre. Crack the eggs into it and gradually mix with your hands. Knead the dough until the dough is soft, elastic and pliable. This will take about 10 minutes.

If your dough is too dry, add a tablespoon of water. If it's too wet and sticky, add a bit of flour. Wrap a ball of dough in plastic wrap and leave the pasta to rest for 30-60 minutes at room temperature.

Step 2: Smoked Salmon Filling for Pasta

In the meantime, make the creamy flavorful filling. Place the smoked salmon and cream cheese in the bowl of a food processor (we love Kenwood) and whizz until combined. Stir in 2 tablespoon of the dill and half the lemon juice.

Season with black pepper (no salt needed, as smoked salmon and cream cheese filling is quite salty itself).

Step 3: Filling The Pasta

Divide the pasta dough into 4. Using a pasta machine (we use Mercato Atlas pasta roller) One piece at a time (keeping other pieces wrapped to avoid drying out) roll out long sheets of pasta, about 1mm in thickness.

Cut the strip in half to make it more manageable. Lay them out on a well-floured surface. Using an atomiser, spray the dough with water very lightly to prevent the dough from drying out. Alternatively, brush the dough lightly with water using a pastry brush.  

***If you are rolling the pasta using a rolling pin, we highly recommend using a stainless steel or a marble rolling pin - this will aid in getting an extra thin sheet of pasta dough, without sticking to the surfaces as much.***

Using a round cookie cutter, a pastry ring or a round ravioli stamp, cut rounds of pasta dough out. We used 7.6cm pastry rings and got 36 rounds which was just enough to use up all the delicious filling. 

Spoon/ pipe teaspoons (or tablespoons if you're making very large Mezzaluna) of the salmon filling onto each round. Fold the dough over the top of the filling to create a half-moon shape and seal the outer edges with your fingers. Try and squeeze out any air bubbles and press down to seal. 

Step 4: Cook Mezzalune

Bring a large pan of water with a teaspoon salt to a gentle boil. Drop the Mezzaluna into the boiling water and cook for approx two minutes after they float to the top (it may take less or more time depending on how thinly you rolled out your pasta). Drain.

Step 5: Lemon Dill Butter Sauce

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, and add the remaining half of the lemon juice and frozen or fresh dill. Season (don't add too much salt though) and spoon over the Smoked Salmon Mezzaluna and serve with extra lemon wedges on the side. 

Whilst Lemon Dill Butter is our favorite sauce to serve with Salmon Mezzalune, if you like things extra creamy, try this Mezzaluna with our Creamy Ravioli Sauce. You may also serve it with parmesan cheese (or grana padano cheese), lemon zest and toasted wheat crumbs (or simply bread crumbs) on top!

Want To Make Smoked Salmon Ravioli Instead?

For handmade ravioli, all you need to do is shape the pasta differently. 

Roll the pasta dough into two thin sheets. Pipe the ravioli filling, leaving 3-4 cm in between. Carefully place the other pasta sheet on top draping it down in between piles of filling to avoid air being trapped.

Press around each mound to seal well pressing outward toward the edges, pushing out any air pockets. Using a sharp knife, a ravioli stamp or a ravioli cutter, cut out even squares of ravioli. And here you go, instead of mezzalune, you have smoked salmon ravioli!

What To Serve With Smoked Salmon Pasta?

For a true homemade pasta feast, enhance this mezzaluna pasta recipe with some delicious side dishes. Don't go crazy with the flavours through, as they may overshadow the star of the dish - smoked salmon filling.

We recommend trying some of the following to pair with this smoked salmon ravioli-style pasta:

• Lemon and Garlic Tenderstem Broccoli (Broccolini)
• Slices of Crusty Sourdough Bread (perfect for mopping up the lemon dill butter at the end)
• Pan-Fried Asparagus
• A glass of dry white wine.

Other Homemade Pasta Recipes

Did you enjoy our Smoked Salmon Mezzaluna Pasta? If you'd like to read more about filled pasta dishes and the various shapes you can make, here's our article: Filled Pasta Basics: How to Make Ravioli, Tortelloni, Agnielotti etc?

For other filled pasta ideas, have a look at some of our favourites below:

• Spinach & Cream Cheese Ravioli with Lemon Butter
• Butternut Squash Cappelletti with Sage Butter
• Mushroom Agnolotti