Seafood Risotto

An east coast and New England favorite.

This is a creamy seafood risotto without being too weighted down by extras, ideal as an appetizer or a light main course, using fresh seafood and ingredients as its base.

Suggested serving: Warm crispy baguette and a white chilled  Pinot Grigio.

 

4-6 Servings

Ingredients:

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

2-3 cups hot chicken stock, preferably home-made

1 cup clam juice, either fresh or canned

3 ounces smoked salmon, roughly chopped

6 ounces lump crabmeat, picked through

1 1/2 pounds small shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 cups white wine

2 cups arborio rice

2 pinches of saffron

coarse salt and fresh ground pepper

Old Bay Seasoning

2 tablespoons butter

extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Peel and devein the shrimp then toss with olive oil onto a sheet pan. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and Old Bay seasoning. Roast the shrimp in the oven 8-10 minutes until shrimp begin to turn pink. Remove from oven, and set aside. Heat the chicken stock in a large saucepan. Once the stock get’s hot add the saffron. Coat another large pan generously with olive oil. Add the onion. Sauté and sweat with a little salt until onion turns transparent. About 10 minutes over medium heat. Add the rice, another sprinkle of salt for seasoning, and raise the heat to medium high. Stir and cook just until the rice begins to adhere to the bottom of the pan. About 4-5 minutes. Add the wine to the rice, stir, and cook until liquid is reduced. Add the clam juice, and again, cook until the liquid has absorbed. Using a ladle, add 1/2 cup of the hot stock to the rice. Once the stock has absorbed, add another 1/2 cup at a time. Once almost all the stock has been added, taste a few pieces of rice. They should just be al dente. If they are still crunchy, add another ladle of stock and cook for a few minutes longer. Remove from heat. Stir in the butter and parmesan and with a wooden spoon mix well until evenly combined. Add the shrimp, crabmeat, and salmon to the risotto. Stir and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve hot immediately.