Sunday Slow Suppers ~ Seafood Risotto

This week's Slow Supper is Risotto. It was turn to choose and luckily he picked a risotto with shrimp and crab. This recipe is from the Williams Sonoma cookbook 'Savoring Italy' by Miclehe Scicolone.

I will admit... before I took The Cooking Class in Cortona , I had only made really HORRIBLE risotto. In fact it could only have been called bad mushy rice and was barely edible.

You will see that this risotto does not call for cheese... I never realized that Italians don't use cheese in a seafood risotto~ the flavors conflict. Once again, I have learned something new!
Risotto al Granchio e Gamberi
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 Tbs chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
6 Tbs olive oil
1/2 lb shrimp, peeled, deveined and each cut into 4 or 5 pieces
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
6 cups chicken or fish broth
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cups medium-grain rice such as arborio, vialone nano or carnaroli
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (about 1 cup)
1/2 lb. fresh-cooked crabmeat, picked over to remove any shell fragments
In a saucepan over medium heat, sauté the garlic and 2 Tbs. of the parsley in 2 Tbs. of the olive oil, stirring once or twice, until the garlic is fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the shrimp, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, just until the shrimp are pink, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to a plate and set aside. Add the broth to the saucepan and bring just barely to a simmer.
In a large saucepan or risotto pan over medium heat, warm 3 Tbs. of the oil. Add the onion and sauté until tender and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring, until the kernels are hot and coated with oil, about 2 minutes. Add the wine and continue to cook, stirring often, until the liquid is absorbed. Add the broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and making sure the liquid has been absorbed before adding more. When the rice is about half cooked, stir in the tomatoes, salt and pepper.
The risotto is done when the rice grains are creamy on the outside and firm yet tender to the bite, 20 to 25 minutes total. Rice varies, so you may not need all of the broth or you may need more. If more liquid is required, use hot water. Stir in the shrimp and crabmeat and cook, stirring, just until heated through, about 2 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
Remove the risotto from the heat. Stir in the remaining 1 Tbs. each oil and parsley. Spoon the risotto into warmed soup bowls and serve immediately.

I loved the way Ale taught us about risotto, she explained that the starch from the rice will be slowly released and that provides the creamyness. She showed us that you really don't have to stir the risotto until it becomes mush.

Her technique is to add the piping hot broth, one scoop at a time, stir once to combine, then cover. Once the liquid is absorbed add more hot broth, stir once and cover (see my pictures). Repeat this until the rice is tender. Then stir in olive oil, butter, or cheese and stir with passion.


I smile when I think of sitting in Ale's kitchen drinking local wine and learning to stir Italian rice with passion.
Ciao y'all,
Sandi