Seafood risotto

This risotto is a nice one as it has a fish and tomato stock to it that gives it a real flavour, that and the fennel.  There is some thing about shellfish and fennel that I think is a winning combination that you find hard to beat.

You will need

500g/1lb 2oz white fish filleted skin pined and boned

16 langoustines, raw

2 carrots,

½ Small fennel bulb

300ml/10fl oz dry white wine

3 garlic cloves

700g/1lb 9oz mussels

500g/1lb 2oz clams

500g/1lb 2oz small squid

3 shallots

350g/12oz risotto rice

1 tbsp tomato purée

A little butter

Some olive oil.

Chopped fresh chives or parsley to finish

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

No it goes with out saying that all your self-fish wants to be washed, mussels de-bearded, squid sliced and with fish diced and prawns shelled and deveined.  However, do not throw the shell or fish bones away, keep hold of them to make your stock.

Start by roasting your sells from the prawns with the carrots.  Once the shell turn dark pink and that carrot take on some colure then add them to a stock pan. Then cover them with about a pint of water and bring to the boil.  Then add the tomato puree and the rest of the fish bones and simmer for about 30 minutes and then strain it through a sieve and keep to one side.

Now in a thick-bottomed pan add a little butter and olive oil.  To this add your diced shallots, crushed garlic, and let it all cook so the shallots go nice and soft. Now take your fennel, slice it nice and thin, and put that in the pan along with the rice.  Let it all cook together so the rice stat to get a translucent look to it.  Now add the white wine and let that reduce and then start to add the stock a bit at a time.  Keep string all the tine as you are cooking the rice.

Once your rice is half cooked soft on the out side and still crunchy but not hard in the middle then it is time to add your fish.  Now add the fish to the pan and turn the heat down low and the rest of the stock.  Cover with a lid for a little and just let every thing steam for a moment, then stir and cover again.  You want to be very gentle with it at the last part of the cooking as you do not want to smash the fish up as it cooks . Also you do not want the fish to over cook either.

Then add some chopped herbs and serve in a big bowl , full of fish and full of flavour .