. This risotto was a favorite that she would request her chef-daughter (me!) to make for her. data-pin-do=)
Crab Risotto by Foodie’s Chef Laura Brennan
May 18, 2024
This dish makes me think of my mother who was one of eight, first-generation American children born to Italian immigrant parents. My mother was an excellent cook, well versed in the Southern Italian cuisine of her family as well as embracing the New England cuisine of her Irish-German husband’s family. But, what she really, really liked were what she considered ‘fancy’ Italian dishes: those recipes that were from the more northern regions of Italy (think the Veneto, Lombardy and Piedmont). This risotto was a favorite that she would request her chef-daughter (me!) to make for her.
Ingredients
Fish Broth **
4-5 cups fish and/or seafood broth
½ teaspoon chopped fennel seeds
a couple pinches saffron
2 strips of lemon peel
*** fish/seafood broth: Please taste and ‘approve’ the seafood broth that you will be using. This could ‘make or break’ the finished dish. I used a boxed Spanish brand called: ANETO. It’s very good. (And no, we don’t carry it at Foodies, unfortunately.) You could use very diluted clam juice, or diluted chicken broth. (Diluted with water.) Or you could make shrimp broth with shrimp shells. Regardless, the broth should taste good…or your finished risotto will NOT ! And, if all else fails, you could just make your risotto with lemon peel, fennel seed and saffron infused water.
Base
1 ½ tablespoons butter, plus more as needed
1 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
½ cup shallots, very finely minced
½ teaspoon chopped fennel seeds
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
2 pinches saffron
1 ¼ cups Italian Arborio rice
½ cup dry white wine (I used an Italian Pinot Grigio)
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
To Finish: the ‘Mix-Ins’
10-ounces lump crabmeat, picked-over to remove any cartilage
½ cup green peas, if frozen, run under cold water to defrost
2 tablespoons fresh or freeze-dried chives, sliced finely
½ teaspoon grated lemon rind
‘squirt’ of fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Directions
Bring whatever broth you have chosen to use to a simmer in a pot with the fennel seeds, saffron and lemon peel. Feel free to add a bay leaf and/or parsley stems if you have them. Turn off and let steep while you prepare the risotto base.
Use a large sauté pan or shallow casserole pot and melt the butter and olive together over low heat.
Add the chopped shallots along with a pinch of kosher salt. Stir to combine and cook, covered over low heat until the shallots are translucent. Remove the cover and stir in the fennel seeds, the garlic and the saffron. Cook for another couple of minutes. Do not let the garlic burn. Stir in the Arborio rice and cook over low heat until the kernels of rice look translucent and are hot to the touch. You may need to add a bit more butter and/or olive oil to get the grains properly coated. Add a pinch of kosher salt and stir to combine.
Add the ½ cup of wine to the pot and reduce until the wine has been fully absorbed into the rice. Now you can begin adding the broth. Bring the pot of broth back to a simmer and using a 6-8 ounce ladle. Add 1 ladle of broth to the rice and stir and cook over low heat, until the liquid has been absorbed. Add another ladle of broth and continue stirring, over low heat, until the liquid is again absorbed. Repeat the process until the rice is loose, creamy and tender. You will have to taste the rice as it is being cooked to properly judge the texture.
The whole process should take 20-25 minutes. Stop adding broth when you are satisfied with the texture/creaminess of your risotto. Turn off the heat and add the prepared crabmeat, the peas, lemon rind, lemon juice and salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.
Serve immediately in shallow bowls and sprinkle with fresh chives.
Number of servings:about 4
Prep Time:25-35 minutes
Cooking Time:30 minutes
