International dishesRice DishesItalyAbout 40 minutes
Seafood risotto is an exercise in patience with a ladle. The grains keep a firm core, the liquid around them turns creamy, and the seared seafood carries the scent of thyme. Adding the stock is the hardest part, because pouring it all in at once leaves the rice soft and loose.
The rice needs to be stirred through butter and onion until it is hot right through before the wine goes in. The seafood is seared separately and added at the end, since cooking it from the start makes it tough and takes away its sweetness.
This batch weighs about 840g, at roughly 125 calories per 100g.
Method
Cut 50g squid into rings. Peel 60g black tiger prawns, devein them and split the backs.
Boil 10 mussels with thyme and dill, then lift them out into a bowl of iced water.
Heat a pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sear the prawns, squid, 50g scallops and the mussels in turn until golden on both sides, adding thyme for aroma.
In a pot, melt 15g butter and fry 50g finely chopped onion until fragrant.
Add 150g risotto rice and stir until the grains are hot and translucent at the edges, then pour in 50ml wine and stir until it evaporates.
Add 300ml fish stock and 100ml tomato sauce a little at a time, stirring and waiting for each addition to be absorbed before the next.
When the rice is about 60 percent cooked, return the seafood, cook for another 15 minutes, season with salt and pepper and take it off the heat.
Spoon the rice onto a plate, arrange the seafood on top and serve hot.
Tips
Adding the stock a little at a time with steady stirring is what gives risotto its creaminess.
Arborio or Carnaroli rice is sold at import supermarkets, and Japanese short grain rice is the closest substitute.
Mussels can be swapped for clams, and a dip in iced water after boiling firms up the meat.
Do not rinse risotto rice too thoroughly, as the starch on the outside is exactly what thickens the dish.
Serve the moment the heat goes off, since risotto stiffens and loses its gloss as it cools.
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