Among Italian dishes, risotto is second only to pasta and pizza in popularity. However, the fillings are the same, only a different basis - special varieties of rice that create a creamy consistency without boiling. Risotto with seafood is not difficult, moderately sophisticated and very tasty option for a homemade dinner.
General recommendations
Historically, risotto is a simple dish that could be prepared quickly and inexpensively for a large Italian family. The main ingredients are special starchy rice, which absorbs water well, and hard cheese. All other foods, herbs and spices may vary depending on availability, personal preference and financial capabilities. However, a few rules for making real Italian risotto remain unchanged:
- Rice is only suitable for arborio or carnaroli. Take it for granted. Only they give the very creamy texture that is the hallmark of risotto. All other types of rice turn into porridge when cooked slowly. Carnaroli beans have even more starch than arborio beans, so they keep their shape better, but this rice is not a frequent visitor in our supermarkets. But you can easily find arborio.
- Rice is never washed or soaked before cooking, as this will wash out some of the starch and the rice will lose its main properties.
- The addition of dry white wine is also a must. But keep in mind that for most recipes, it must be almost completely evaporated, otherwise the rice will acquire a sour taste. An exception is risotto with fish and seafood, when a slight sourness does not spoil the taste of the dish. However, try not to leave the wine unboiled. Dry wine is also good for seafood dishes because the acidic environment it creates prevents them from becoming "rubbery".
- The ideal broth is chicken. For risotto with seafood - broth on their pieces, peels, shells. But it will not be seditious to use any vegetable broth and (yes, yes!) Even just hot water.
- The cheese is not necessarily Parmesan, but definitely hard.
- Another traditional ingredient of Italian risotto is garlic, which is fried in large cloves, lightly crushed with a knife to release the juice. So the garlic is not overcooked or lost in the onion, but gives the dish all its aroma. This trick can be used without hesitation for other Mediterranean dishes.
- Needless to say, seafood is preferable to fresh (raw). But in our reality, frozen bulk and even frozen in bags are also suitable.
Classic risotto with seafood
The most classic in this risotto is that you can use any seafood for its preparation, the main thing is at least three types. Mussels, various shrimps, octopus meat, squid, langoustines and others will do. If they are fresh, the risotto at home will be no worse than in the best Mediterranean restaurants. But it will also be very tasty with frozen seafood.
Ingredients:
- Arborio rice - 200 g
- Mix of seafood - 300 g
- Fresh mussels - 5 pieces
- Tiger prawns -2 pieces
- Onions - 1 pc. (small)
- Garlic - 1 clove
- Dry white wine - 100 ml
- Olive oil
- Butter - 30 g
- Hard cheese - 60 g
- Fresh chopped parsley - teaspoon
- A mixture of white and pink pepper - to taste (only white is possible)
- Cayenne pepper - to taste
Preparation:
- Boil the broth in advance. It will need about a liter, but if not enough, it is quite possible to add just hot water. Seafood broth (sliced or peeled) is ideal, but fish or vegetable broth can also be used. After the broth is cooked, keep it very low to keep it hot.
- Finely chop the onion and parsley. Crush a clove of garlic with a knife: to do this, hold the edge of the knife and press firmly on the handle.
- Heat a skillet over high heat, pour in olive oil and heat it up. Reduce heat (but not too much), add crushed garlic and finely chopped onion. Fry the onions for 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spatula. The onions should be translucent and free of fried odor.
- Add rice. It also does not need to be fried, but simply warmed up with constant intensive stirring until it acquires a characteristic pearl hue.
- Pour in wine and add parsley. Continue stirring until the wine has completely evaporated.
- Place the whole tiger prawns.
- After 1-2 minutes, pour in a ladle of hot broth and after a few minutes add a mixture of seafood and mussels.
- Pour in broth as needed, that is, when the previous portion is completely absorbed. Remember to stir the rice from time to time and taste it.
- Add pink and white peppers and season with salt. Note that if the broth was salty, then you probably no longer need to salt the rice.
- Add just a little cayenne pepper at the very end.
- Remove garlic. Remove the mussels and tiger prawns from the rice so they don't break.
- Add butter, add grated cheese, thoroughly sweep everything out. Garnish with shelled prawns and mussels.
- Let stand for 1 minute and serve.
Shrimp risotto
Ingredients for 4 servings:
- Arborio or carnaroli rice - 250 g
- Shrimp - 500 g
- White onion - 1 pc.
- Garlic - 3 cloves
- White wine - 100 ml
- Parmesan cheese - 100 g
- Fresh parsley - 1 tbsp. l.
- Fresh basil - 2 sprigs
- Olive oil
- Butter - 30 g
- Salt to taste
- Pepper mix (black, white and pink) - to taste
Preparation:
- Prepare broth. Peel the shrimps, fry the heads and shells in a saucepan, add 1-1.5 liters of water, salt and cook for 20 minutes. Strain, cover and leave on the lowest heat possible. If you have frozen peeled shrimp, prepare vegetable or fish broth. As a last resort, simply pour boiling water over the frozen shrimp and use that water.
- Heat a skillet with olive oil. Fry the chopped cloves of garlic in it, so that the oil acquires a unique garlic aroma. Remove the garlic.
- Chop the onion finely and put in the butter. Fry for 5-6 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Pour in rice, fry for 3-4 minutes, without distracting from stirring for a second. The rice should turn translucent, not fried.
- Pour in wine and evaporate completely.
- We begin to pour the broth into the ladle. It should cover the rice. Add a little broth if the rice is still tough. So we cook the risotto for 15-20 minutes or as long as it turns out. Taste the rice constantly - it should remain a little hard, al dente.
- Add shrimp, chopped green basil, salt and pepper. Mix everything, cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add butter and grated cheese, stir. Remove from heat.
- Let stand for a couple of minutes before serving.
- You can add grated Parmesan to the plates and garnish with a parsley leaf.
What wine to drink with seafood risotto
The simplest rule is that we select wine from the same country for traditional dishes of the national cuisine. This, of course, greatly limits the choice, but it simplifies the task.
The next step is the color of the wine. Give preference to white, but not because fish is accompanied by white wine (this is not at all the case), but because among the Italian representatives there are many light fresh wines with citrus notes - and this is ideal for seafood. Opt for the relatively inexpensive Soave Classico from the Veneto region or the more sophisticated Piedmontese Favorita.
If you want to expand your geography, try Rieslings or the well-known Sauvignon Blanc, but better not French, but Australian or New Zealand.
