Seafood risotto

• 15 minutes to prepare • 25 minutes to cook • Serves 4

 

 

Alla pescatora

Easy to make, healthy and naturally gluten free, this seafood risotto is what an authentic Italian risotto is all about.

I like to stick to the classic varieties of Carnaroli and Arborio rice here to achieve all that comforting classic creaminess.
Risotto is an Italian first course of rice cooked in some type of broth with butter or olive oil and onion. The technique requires a little bit of stirring to help release the starches from the rice grains to obtain a smooth and creamy dish.
(Remember to taste as you go, the rice needs to be cooked al dente, meaning with a little bite to it, not mushy.)


Here's what you will need for the 4-serving recipe:

 

320 g Carnaroli rice

1 kg mussels

500 g clams

350 g calamari - already cleaned

300 g shrimps

1 sprig parsley

2 cloves garlic

100 ml white wine

70 g butter

50 g fresh scallion

25 g celery

25 g carrots

tuna bottarga   

Vegetable broth

EVO oil

salt and pepper

1. Clean all the mollusks and crustaceans. Start with the mussels: remove the barnacles with a paring knife, followed by the byssus. Lastly, scrape away impurities with a steel scrub and rinse thoroughly (Remember to discard any open or broken mussels and clams)
2. Leave the clams to soak in water with the salt for a couple of hours, the time it takes to purge sand from them; drain and rinse. Remember to tap each clam against the cutting board or sink to check they are whole and not filled with sand
3. Empty the inside of the calamari and remove the skin. Cut into strips, then into large pieces
4. Lastly, clean the shrimp tails: remove the legs and the shell, along with the black string on the back: simply make a small incision on the surface and remove with a knife blade or toothpick
5. Now that everything is ready, move over to the stove. Start by cooking the mussels: heat them in a large pan on a high flame. Put the lid on and leave them to open; shake the pan occasionally. It takes around 2-3 minutes for them to open. Filter the liquid through a colander into a container
6. Wait a few moments before shelling them, to avoid burning yourself. Now cook the clams. Put the pan back on the stove and add the clams. Cover with the lid and leave them to open, shaking the pan occasionally. The bivalves will open in 1-2 minutes; as soon as this happens, filter and add the liquid to the same container used for the mussel liquid
7. Leave to flavor for ten minutes or so on a low flame, stirring occasionally. Once the vegetables have softened, remove the garlic, turn up the flame to the maximum setting and add the calamari. Sautee for 1 minute before adding the shrimp tails
8. Cook for another minute and as soon as the liquid evaporates, add 50 ml of white wine, simmer and reduce. Remove from the heat when the alcohol has fully evaporated and place the calamari and shrimps in a bowl; cover with the lid to keep them hot. Add the rice and toast for around 1 minute on the highest setting, stirring all the while to prevent any grains from burning
9. Once toasted, add the remaining part of the white wine and wait for the alcohol to evaporate before cooking the rice with the vegetable squash. You can add the squash gradually by the ladle, until fully cooked. Add the mussel and clam liquid and stir occasionally, but not too much
10. 1-2 minutes before the end of the cooking time, add the shrimps and calamari, the mussels and clams and leave to flavor. Remove from the heat, add the very cold and diced butter and stir to obtain a creamy consistency
11. Add some grated   and freshly ground pepper. Stir and leave to rest for a few minutes before placing on dishes. Your seafood risotto is ready!

In the following, Nutrition Facts of this dish are indicated. Data is provided per serving.