Bill Granger | Bills Open Kitchen | William Morrow, 2005 | Serves 4
As a general rule, the smaller the chile, the hotter it is, but I always taste a seed just to double-check. Have a glass of water ready!—Bill Granger
LC Parsley Passion Note: So, um, this recipe originally called for four cups of parsley. We like parsley as much as the next bloke, but really? Four cups? We thought you may be able to discern the other lovely flavors in this dish if you scale back a little—or a lot—on the herb. Do as you see fit.
Citrus Risotto with Garlic-Chile Prawns Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 3/4 ounces (just shy of 4 tablespoons) butter
- 1 1/2 cups arborio rice
- Zest from 1 lemon, finely grated
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 small red chiles
- 2 garlic cloves
- 20 large or extra-large prawns (shrimp), shelled with tails intact, and deveined
- 2 cups roughly chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
- Lemon wedges
Directions
Want it? Click it.
1. Place the stock in a large saucepan and bring to the boil over a high heat. Reduce the heat and keep it at a simmer. Place a large heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, the onion, salt, and half the butter. Stir until the onions are translucent. Add the rice and stir for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the rice is well coated.
2. Gradually add the simmering stock, a cupful at a time, stirring constantly and making sure the stock is absorbed before you add more. This should take 20 minutes and the rice should be al dente and creamy. Remove the saucepan from the heat, and then stir in the remaining butter, lemon zest, lemon juice and pepper to taste. Cover the saucepan and let sit for 3 minutes for the flavors to develop.
3. Meanwhile, pound the chile and garlic in a mortar and pestle. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Season the prawns with salt and pepper. Cook, shaking the pan, until the prawns are just opaque, about 2 minutes. Then add the chile and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
4. Stir the risotto and divide it among four bowls. Toss the prawns with the parsley then place on top of the risotto. Serve with lemon wedges.
- Butternut Squash Risotto with Saffron from My Baking Addiction
- Crab Risotto from Hunter Angler Gardener Cook
- Shrimp Risotto from Leite’s Culinaria
- Wild Mushroom Risotto with Peas from Leite’s Culinaria
Citrus risotto with garlic-chile prawns recipe © 2003 Bill Granger. All rights reserved.
This recipe was surprisingly yummy. I am not a risotto person, but I really enjoyed this dish a lot! I boiled the prawn shells with the chicken stock, so the stock had a sweeter, more fragrant taste. The dish had a very interesting flavor. The light citrus taste combined with the spiciness of the prawns made it very appetitizing.
Jessica, I hope this recipe gives you the impetus to try more exotic risotti.
I just can’t see the relation between the shrimp and the rice: they seem to be something haphazardly thrown together on a dish.
At least the shrimp shells ought to be used to obtain a stock for the rice (instead of the chicken stock).