Seafood risotto

If you are asked to name the most famous Italian dishes, the risotto will almost certainly fall on the list - a rice-based dish that is prepared using a completely unique technology. Residents of Italy enjoy eating risotto, even if it is cooked without adding any meat or fish products. However, seafood, which is present in abundance, most often included in the composition of this popular rice dishes. Risotto with seafood is prepared according to different recipes, but the general principles of cooking remain about the same.

Cooking Features

Rice for cooking use different nations, but the Italian risotto is radically different from them thanks to a special set of products and, most importantly, extraordinary technology. Therefore, before proceeding to the preparation of this famous dish, you need to learn a few rules.

Rice for risotto is not suitable for everyone. Required varieties that contain a lot of starch. Italians prefer arborio, carnaroli, vialone nano. For Russians of these varieties is the most affordable arborio, as some companies import it into our country. However, if you wish, you can use cheaper options, such as round grain rice grown in the Krasnodar Territory.
An important rule is not to wash the rice before cooking. If this is done, all the starch will be washed off from the rice and it will not be possible to get a tasty risotto.
Seafood for risotto, you can take any, and in an arbitrary ratio. Italians themselves most often use shrimps, mussels, as well as lobsters, squids and sea cockerels. If you are unable to purchase any of these ingredients, it is sufficient to slightly increase the number of others.
Seafood is cooked quickly, so most of them do not boil in advance. The exception is the lobster, which for risotto is taken in boiled form.
Before mixing rice with water or broth (and for risotto with seafood, water is most often used), it is necessary to fry it. Otherwise, he will lose form upon further preparation.
After roasting rice, Italians often add white dry wine to it. Although there are recipes in which wine is not used.
Water is added to the skillet in which the risotto is cooked, in small portions. Each new batch is administered after the previous one is fully absorbed.
As a result, the rice should remain inside slightly undercooked. Otherwise, the dish will be seriously different in taste from the original Italian risotto.
At the last stage, cheese, cream, and butter are added to the risotto. They give the dish a soft, creamy taste, making it a bit more viscous. However, these ingredients are not mandatory, so they are not always included in the composition of the dish.

Every Italian family has its favorite seafood risotto recipe. So, you can find one that will please you.

Classic seafood risotto recipe

Composition:

rice - 100 g;
squid - 60 g;
boiled octopus - 50 g;
mussels - 120 g;
sea cockerels - 100 g;
shrimp - 60 g;
mini-cuttlefish - 30 g;
fresh parsley - 50 g;
dry white wine - 50 ml;
olive oil - 50 ml;
tomato sauce - 50 ml;
fish broth - 0, 5 l;
salt, pepper - to taste.

Method of preparation:

Cut seafood into small cubes.
Heat the butter in a deep, thick-bottomed frying pan. Put seafood in it and fry them for 5 minutes.
Sprinkle rice in a frying pan and fry it with seafood for 5 minutes.
Pour in wine, mix.
After a couple of minutes, start pouring fish broth in small portions, about half a cup. Stir constantly and be sure to wait until the broth is completely absorbed into the rice.
When the broth is over, remove the pan from the heat, add the tomato sauce to the risotto. Stir. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

If desired, the seafood indicated in the recipe can be replaced with a sea cocktail. It will need about 0, 4 kg.

Risotto with seafood in a multicooker

Composition:

rice - 0, 3 kg;
sea cocktail - 0, 3 kg;
dry white wine - 150 ml;
onions - 0, 2 kg;
carrots - 150 g;
canned corn - 150 g;
canned green peas - 150 g;
water - 0, 75 l;
butter - 100 g;
salt, pepper - to taste.

Method of preparation:

Peel the onion, chop it into very small pieces.
Peel the carrots and grate them on a fine grater.
Put the butter in the multicooker bowl, cut it into small pieces. Leave half of the oil unused.
Put the sea cocktail in the multicooker bowl. Turn on the unit by selecting the “Frying” program. In the absence of such a program, you can safely choose the program “Baking” - the result will be identical.
Fry seafood for 10 minutes, stirring them occasionally.
Remove seafood temporarily from the multicooker.
Put the remaining oil in the multicooker bowl. When it is melted, add onions with carrots. Fry them for 5 minutes.
Add rice and continue frying for another 5 minutes. All this time, the multicooker should work in frying or baking mode.
Pour white wine into a bowl of rice. Switch the unit to the “Quenching” program. Cook rice in it for 10 minutes.
Add seafood, canned green peas and corn to rice, salt and pepper to taste. Fill with water. Install the program “Rice” or similar (“Pilaf”, “Porridge”) for 15 minutes.
After completing the program, leave the risotto in heating mode for another 15 minutes.

Seafood risotto served hot. This dish is eaten freshly prepared, since it cannot be heated: due to repeated heat treatment, rice in it will acquire a different taste, becoming softer and more viscous.

Seafood risotto with cream sauce

Composition:

rice - 0, 2 kg;
sea cocktail - 0, 4 kg;
vegetable broth - 0, 5 l;
cream - 0, 2 l;
dry white wine - 100 ml;
shallots - 50 g;
olive oil - 50 ml;
greens, salt, pepper - to taste.

Method of preparation:

Boil the sea cocktail in boiling water for 5 minutes, rinse and dry.
Chop the onion with a knife.
Heat olive oil in a frying pan and put onions in it. Fry over low heat for 3-4 minutes.
Add rice to onions, fry them for 5 minutes together.
Pour the wine into the pan. Cook the rice in it until it has evaporated.
In portions of 100 ml pour broth into the pan with rice. Each time wait until the broth is completely absorbed in rice, stirring it constantly.
When the broth is over, add sea cocktail and cream to the rice, as well as salt and pepper to taste. Stir.
Cook risotto in cream for 2-3 minutes.

After this, the dish can be laid out on plates. Serve risotto with seafood, generously sprinkle it with finely chopped greens. Parsley and dill harmonize well with it. You can also add a few leaves of basil.

Seafood risotto is one of the most famous Italian dishes. Any hostess can cook it at home. The dish turns out so delicious that it can be made not only for a family dinner, but also for the holiday table.