Nigella Crab Risotto Recipes

CRAB RISOTTO

Steps:

• Heat the butter and oil together in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until soft. Do not brown, they should be translucent. Add the rice and saute for a further 3 to 5 minutes making sure the rice is well coated, Using a ladle, add about 1/2 cup of stock to the rice and stir over a medium heat until the rice is almost dry and all the stock has been incorporated. Repeat this process until the rice is cooked but still has a slight bite. The rice should be creamy and moist, not runny, and the cooking time should be around 30 minutes.
• Just before serving, fold in the crabmeat, chopped chives, and Parmesan. Drizzle sparingly with white truffle oil.

LEMON RISOTTO

Steps:

• Put the shallots and celery into a mini food processor and blitz until they are finely chopped. Heat half the butter, the oil and the shallot and celery mixture in a wide saucepan, and cook to soften the mixture for about 5 minutes, making sure it doesn't stick. Mix in the rice, stirring to give it a good coating of oil and butter. Meanwhile, heat the stock in another saucepan and keep it at the simmering point.
• Put a ladleful of the stock into the rice and keep stirring until the stock is absorbed. Then add another ladleful and stir again. Continue doing this until the rice is al dente. You may not need all of the stock, equally, you may need to add hot water from the kettle.
• Mix the lemon zest and the rosemary into the risotto, and in a small bowl beat the egg yolk, lemon juice, Parmesan, cream and pepper.
• When the risotto is ready - when the rice is no longer chalky, but still has some bite - take it off the heat and add the bowl of eggy, lemony mixture, and the remaining butter and salt, to taste. Serve with more Parmesan if you wish, check the seasoning and dive in.

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 RISOTTO

Steps:

• Make the broth:.
• Remove the meat from the crab legs. Usually, I'll break the legs at the joints, and use a pair of kitchen shears to cut them open.
• Put the shells in the water with the carrots, chopped onions, and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 5-10 minutes. (If you have some extra crab, shrimp, or lobster shells in the freezer, you can throw some in.) If you don't have the carrots, you can leave them out - sometimes I add a wee bit of celery or a few whole peppercorns.
• Strain the broth and put it back in the pan, on low heat.
• Make the risotto:.
• Heat up a small skillet on medium heat, add the oil, and onions. Soften then onions. Add the rice and stir till it's a little toasted/opaque. Add the tomato paste and allow it to cook a little. Before it burns, add the wine, deglaze, let it simmer a little. Add enough broth to cover rice. Simmer, stirring or shaking the pan as necessary (probably every 30-60 seconds, try to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom), topping off broth as necessary. After 15 minutes or so, it should be close to done, taste the rice to check the texture. (I cook it al dente - a little bit of texture left, if you prefer mushier, go for it.) Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Add the crab meat. Cook for another minute to warm the meat. Remove from heat, add the butter and parsley, and stir to melt. Go easy on the parsley, but don't leave it out. If the rice is a little drier than you like, add a little more broth, but check the seasoning afterwards.
• If you run low on broth, you can top it off with water. If you have a lot left over, use less water next time.

LIGURIAN RISOTTO

Steps:

• Place broth in a medium saucepan and bring to a low simmer. While broth heats, place a wide saucepan over low heat and add butter and oil. When butter has melted, add onion and garlic and sauté until softened. Add rice and stir until well coated.
• Raise heat to medium and add wine to rice. Stir until wine is absorbed, then reduce heat slightly. Begin adding ladlefuls of hot broth, stirring constantly and allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding the next. Cook rice until al dente (tender but slightly chewy), about 20 minutes. All broth may not be needed; if additional liquid is needed, boiling water may be used.
• Remove pan from heat and add pecorino, mixing it in well. Season with white pepper to taste, and mound on a large platter. Scatter with toasted pine nuts and basil leaves, and serve immediately.