Thursday, January 27, 2011

Crab Risotto

In the running for one of the best things I've ever eaten:

Crab Risotto

So I better get it down before I forget what I did. I made it up!

I researched crab risotto recipes and every single one of them used chicken stock. Well. I really wanted *crab*. I wanted to get hit right between the eyes with seafood flavor. So I used a quality seafood stock:


I used a 6 oz. foil pack of lump crab. I put it in a bowl and I squeezed a half a lemon over it.

Put the stock in a sauce pan and heat it to near boiling. I covered it to keep it from reducing. I sautéd 1/4 cup of chopped onions in some olive oil with a tiny pinch of salt until they were soft. I cranked the heat up and added about 1/2 cup of arborio rice. Think Rice-A-Roni when you do this. Coat all the rice with oil and let the rice toast a little. When I see the skillet start to smoke I let it go another minute or two and...

Then add 3/4 cup of white wine. I used pinot grigio. By coincidence this was *perfect*. I'd never had it before. I just like pinot grigio and crab.


When the wine boils away start adding the stock a ladle at a time. And stir. Often. As the stock boils away and is absorbed by the rice, add more. It's roughly 3 to 1. Three parts stock to 1 part rice. So for 1/2 cup of rice have a cup and a half of stock at a near boil. And put some water on too in case you need it.

And here's the hard part. Do it until it "feels" done. You'll know. It can take 15 or 20 minutes and it's worth the trouble.

Taste it when you think it's near done. For flavor and texture. I like creamy rice that's a little al dente. I didn't need any more salt in this.

When it's done turn off the heat and add the crab. Mix thoroughly. I then sprinkled maybe a tablespoon and a half of fluffy freshly grated parmesan cheese over it and chopped chiffonade of fresh sage, maybe a tablespoon.

Finally when I served it I sprinkled on some Old Bay. I didn't cook the Old Bay into it because I thought it might turn pink.

This was absolutely delicious.

And whoa look here! A fine dessert! I love espresso and it goes with everything.

3 comments:

  1. This recipe sounds divine! My husband and I LOVE risotto. Unfortunately, we are terrible at making it. We seem to put so much effort into it, and it usually comes out crunchy. :-( What's your secret? Maybe we don't keep the stock hot enough....

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  2. The liquid has to be hot. I keep it just under a boil and the skillet your risotto is in has to be really hot. I like to see the liquid come immediately to a rolling boil when it hits the skillet.

    I keep 4 parts liquid ready for the 1 part rice just in case but 3 parts almost always does it, which I add in 3 steps. And I let each one cook down completely and I don't stir constantly - but I stir it often. About 3 or 4 minutes after the 3rd ladle of liquid is in I start tasting it and checking to see if the rice is done. I think risotto is a very personal thing. Keep cooking until it's done to your liking and if the rice has too much bite to it and you think you'll cook too much liquid off? Add more liquid.

    Every once in a long while I do get into that 4th part liquid by just a splash or two.

    Keep at it! I likewise love risotto and it really is worth the trouble. I finally got it after watching Alton Brown make it. It still took a few tries to get it right.

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