Bourdains Seafood Risotto

Name: Bourdains Seafood Risotto
Prep time: 1 h 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 2 h 5 min
Cuisine: European, Mediterranean, Italian
Ingredients: About 2 to 3 pounds of fish heads, bones and fins, gills removed; 3 tablespoons olive oil; 2 celery stalks, chopped; 1 large onion, chopped; 1 fennel bulb, both bulb and fronds, chopped; 4 garlic cloves, minced; 2 tablespoons green peppercorns; 3 bay leaves; 1/2 cup chopped parsley; Salt to taste; 2 tablespoons olive oil; ▢ 1 large shallot, minced; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1 1/2 cups arborio rice; ▢ 1 cup white wine; Salt to taste; 1 cup white fish, flaked; 2 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese; 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice; 2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, minced

7 steps

Prep:1h 20minCook:45min

A simple seafood risotto inspired by Anthony Bourdain’s famous trip to Venice where he ate the most luxurious gobby fish risotto. Get ready for the creamiest, most luscious rice dish you’ve ever made. Don’t skip on any ingredients or steps- it’s all worth it. TIP: Make extra, and freeze portions. You will most likely have extra stock after cooking the risotto. It stays fresh in the fridge for up to a week and up to 3 months in the freezer.

Updated at: Thu, 26 Sep 2024 15:28:37 GMT

Ingredients

6 servings

For the Stock:

2 poundsfish heads

bones and fins, gills removed

3 tablespoonsolive oil

both bulb and fronds, chopped

4garlic cloves

minced

2 tablespoonsgreen peppercorns

½ cupparsley

For the Risotto:

2 tablespoonsolive oil

1 ½ cupsarborio rice

1 cupwhite wine

salt

to taste

1 cupwhite fish

flaked

2 tablespoonsunsalted butter

¼ cupfinely grated parmesan cheese

1 tablespoonfresh lemon juice

2 tablespoonsflat leaf parsley

minced

Instructions

For the Stock:

Step 1

Bring a pot of water to a boil and drop in all the fish heads and bones. Let this return to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and discard the water. Pick off about 1 cup of fish from the carcasses and heads and set aside in the fridge.

Step 2

Clean the pot or use another, and heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute the celery, onion and fennel bulb for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often. Do not let it brown. Add the minced garlic and cook another minute.

Step 3

Add the blanched fish carcasses, green peppercorns, bay leaves and parsley and cover with enough water to submerge everything by 1 inch. Bring to a bare simmer, then drop the heat a little until the broth is just steaming. Add salt to taste. Let this cook gently like this for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

For the Risotto:

Step 4

Heat the olive oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Saute the shallots for about 90 seconds, until they turn translucent. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Add the risotto rice and stir to combine. Cook, stirring often, for 3 to 4 minutes.

Step 5

While the rice is cooking, get a fine-meshed sieve and a ladle ready. Add the white wine to the risotto and stir to combine. The rice will almost immediately absorb it. When the pot is nearly dry, add two ladles of the fish broth -- poured through the strainer to make sure all that's in the risotto is broth, not debris.

Step 6

Stir the risotto almost constantly until the rice absorbs the broth. Taste for salt and add a little if needed. Repeat this process of adding a ladle or two of strained broth and stirring until it has absorbed until the rice is fully cooked, but still al dente. You want it just past the point where there is a little chalkiness at the center of each grain of rice. This normally takes 35 minutes or so.

Step 7

When the rice is ready, stir in the remaining ingredients. The risotto will tighten up, so add a final ladle of fish broth right before you serve. This dish is often served very loose, be sure not to let it tighten up too much. It should pour flat onto the plate. Like swimming “under the waves” as Italians would say.