Crab Lemon Fennel And Chilli Risotto Food

FENNEL & LEMON RISOTTO

Steps:

• Chop any green leafy fennel fronds and set aside. Cut off the stalk-like fennel top, remove the outer layers and finely chop both. Heat 1 tbsp butter in a frying pan and cook the onion, garlic and chopped fennel until soft but not coloured.
• Add the rice and stir for 1 min. Pour over most of the wine and simmer until evaporated. Add 500ml of the hot stock, a ladleful at a time, stirring between each addition until it is absorbed.
• Meanwhile, slice remaining fennel and fry in knob of butter until browned. Add remaining stock and wine and cook until tender.
• When the rice is cooked, stir in the zest, Parmesan and some seasoning. Take off the heat and set aside, covered, for 2 mins. Serve in bowls, topped with the fennel fronds and cooked fennel, stirring the prawns through if using.

CRAB RISOTTO

Steps:

• Heat the stock in a saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer. Melt the butter in a separate medium saucepan, add the onion and garlic, and fry on a low-medium heat for 5 mins until softened but not coloured. Tip in the rice and cook for 1-2 mins until the rice is hot. Add the lemon zest with 1 ladleful of hot stock and stir constantly. Once the stock has been absorbed, continue to add it, a ladleful at a time, until the rice is cooked - this will take around 18 mins.
• When the rice is almost cooked but still has a little bite, tip in the peas, lemon juice and crabmeat, then season and cook for 3 mins more. Once the rice is cooked, turn off the heat, add a knob of butter and a splash more stock, and leave to sit for 2 mins. Sprinkle over the chives and serve with lemon wedges.

CRAB & PRESERVED LEMON RISOTTO

Steps:

• Pick meat from crabs and set aside.
• Heat stock in a saucepan until simmering, then maintain at this heat.
• Heat olive oil in a large pan and fry onion over medium heat until soft but not coloured.
• Add the rice and stir over a high heat until grains are well coated in oil and warmed through. Add white wine and stir until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Reduce heat to medium, add stock, a ladleful at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each ladleful to be absorbed before adding the next.
• Continue until rice is tender, with a slight bite, and has a creamy consistency (about 20 minutes).
• Add a final ladle or 2 of stock, preserved lemon, crabmeat, butter, parmesan (if using), salt (remembering that the butter, crab and preserved lemon are all salty) and pepper and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until all the butter is incorporated and the crab has broken up into thin wisps. The finished risotto should be quite soupy, the Venetians call it all'onde (wave-like).
• Taste, add extra salt if needed, stir through chives and serve immediately.
• Notes: You can use other types of crabs for this recipe, or 300g fresh crabmeat if you don't want to pick your own. Vialone nano is the preferred rice in the Veneto, where this soupy style of risotto is most popular, use arborio or carnaroli rice if it isn't available.