30 mins to 1 hour
1 to 2 hours
Serves 4
I have written recipes for seafood risotto before but never made it with the distinctive mix of spices so particular to Venice, which I call a Byzantine spice mix. As with all my mixed seafood dishes, the ingredients are only what I would like. Feel free to use whatever you do.
By Rick Stein
Ingredients
For the Byzantine spice mix
- 1 slice of
nutmeg - pinch
coriander seeds - 4
cloves - 1cm/½in
cinnamon stick - pinch
ground ginger - 1 green
cardamom pod, seeds only - ⅛ tsp
turmeric - ⅛ tsp
chilli powder
For the fish stock
- 1
onion, chopped - 1
fennel bulb, sliced - 100g/3½oz
celery, sliced - 100g/3½oz
carrots, sliced - 25g/1oz button
mushrooms, washed and sliced -
thyme sprig - 1kg/2lb 4oz
flatfish bones (such as brill, sole, plaice) or fillets
For the prawn stock
- 2 tbsp
olive oil - 1 small
garlic clove - 250g/9oz
prawn heads and shells - 1 tbsp
tomato purée - ½ tsp
salt
For the risotto
- 4 tbsp
olive oil - 2
shallots, finely chopped - 1
garlic clove, grated - 350g/12oz carnaroli
rice - ¼ tsp Byzantine spice mix
- 125ml/4fl oz dry
white wine - 1½ litre/2½ pints fish
stock, hot - 8
mussels, scrubbed and debearded - 150ml/5fl oz prawn
stock - 2
red mullet fillets, cut diagonally into strips - 1
squid, body cut into rings, plus tentacles - 100g/3½oz small shrimps
- knob of
butter - 100g/3½oz white
crab meat - small handful chopped flatleaf
parsley - salt and freshly ground
black pepper
Recipe tips
Method
-
For the spice mix, grind all of the ingredients using a pestle and mortar or an electric grinder. Store in an airtight tin or box.
-
For the fish stock, put all the ingredients except the fish bones into a large pan, add 2¼ litres/3¾ pints water and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Add the fish bones (or fish fillet) and bring back up to a simmer, skimming off any scum as it rises to the surface. Simmer for a further 20 minutes. Strain through a sieve into a clean pan and simmer a little longer, if necessary, until reduced to about 1¼ litres/2 pints. Keep warm.
-
For the prawn stock, heat the olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and the prawn heads and shells. Stir-fry for a couple of minutes before adding the tomato purée, salt and 300ml/10fl oz water. Cook for 10 minutes, then pass through a sieve, pushing down on the shells to extract as much of the prawn flavour as you can. Discard the shells, set the stock aside and keep warm.
-
For the risotto, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the shallots and garlic gently until softened. Add the rice and fry it in the oil for 2 minutes, then add the Byzantine spice mix and stir it through the rice.
-
Add the white wine, bring to a simmer and allow to evaporate, then add a ladle of the hot fish stock.
-
When this has been absorbed, add the next ladle, and continue to do so, stirring after each addition, until you have only a couple of ladlefuls left, this should take about 16-18 minutes. Add the mussels and prawn stock.
-
Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan until simmering and fry the red mullet strips, squid rings and tentacles and shrimps briskly for 2–3 minutes.
-
Season with salt and pepper. Stir the seafood into the risotto with the remaining fish stock and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until absorbed.
-
Stir in the butter, crab meat and parsley, and serve immediately.
Recipe Tips
If you want to make the fish stock and prawn stock in advance, leave them to cool and refrigerate or freeze. The recipe for the prawn stock will make more than required but the stock will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.