SEAFOOD RISOTTO – Recipe by Piero Benigni – This tasty and delicate risotto is prepared with clams, mussels and shrimps. It is not difficult to make and requires no particular skill, just follow the step by step directions and you’ll enjoy a creamy and fragrant outstanding dish!
The use of an Italian risotto rice is mandatory: possibly Carnaroli otherwise Arborio, Roma or Vialone Nano. I recommend a seafood stock for a better smell but a vegetable one gives a perfect outcome as well.
Ingredients for 2 persons
- 170 gcarnaroli rice (6 oz)
- 25mussels
- 25clams
- 1 spoonolive oil (or 3/4 oz butter)
- 12shrimps (about 6 oz)
- 1shallot (about 1 oz)
- 1 sprigparsley (little quantity)
- 20 gbutter (3/4 oz unsalted)
- 1200 mlfish broth (or vegetable, 42 fl oz)
- 230 mldry white wine (1 cup or 8 fl oz)
Tools for the seafood risotto
- Cooker
- Pan
- Pot
- Casserole (or large and deep pan)
- Chopping Board
- Knife
- Bowl
- Sieve (very fine)
- Wooden Spoon
- Scale
- Ladle
Getting ready
Prepare and measure the seafood or vegetable stock. The shrimps come usually frozen, so thaw them and have them ready in a bowl. If fresh, clean them by removing shell and legs. Separately chop parsley and shallot or onion, weight butter and rice, measure wine. Have everything ready on hand.
Put clams and mussels in a large pan and pour 4 spoons of dry white wine. Cover with lid and put over a high flame. Stir 2-3 times and wait some minutes. As soon as they are opened, they are done, don’t overcook! Transfer everything in a bowl and let cool for some minutes. Remove the shells but leave some of the best-looking clams with half shell. Discard unopened shells. Save the juice released by clams and mussels, filter with a very fine tea-type sieve and add to the stock.
Preparing the seafood risotto
Put the stock in a pot near the casserole over a medium flame and have it simmering when starting with risotto. Pour 1 spoon of olive oil or 3/4 oz of butter in the casserole and put over a very low flame, then add the chopped shallot or onion and brown for 10 minutes. Stir frequently and pay attention not to burn it. Add rice, turn to a medium-to-high flame and continuously stir for 3 minutes, until the rice grains become translucent and start sticking to the bottom. Pour the wine, reduce the flame to low-to medium for a quiet simmering, stir and let the wine be absorbed.
When there is no more wine left, add a ladle of simmering stock, stir frequently and let this broth be absorbed. The broth both in the pot and in the casserole must always be simmering during cooking. When this broth is near fully absorbed, pour one more ladle. Carry on so, stirring and adding broth, one ladle at a time, until the rice is very al dente, about 13-14 minutes after the first stock added. This means that it still has a quite hard core that can be felt by chewing some grains with the incisors. Add clams, mussels, shrimps and stir.
When rice is al dente with a gentle core, turn off flame, add butter, stir for melting and cover with lid. Wait 3 minutes, then check that the risotto is soft and creamy. If necessary add some spoons of stock, stir and serve quickly, better in pre-hated dishes, with a pinch of parsley and some black pepper if you like. Remember: no parmesan or other cheese in Italian seafood dishes!
This risotto should be eaten as soon as prepared. I suggest not keeping it in the fridge or freezing.