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Fennel and Squid Ink Risotto with Pan-Fried Prawns and Squid

Serves: 2
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients: For the pan-fried seafood:

  • 300g cleaned squid (with tentacles)
  • 8 large cleaned king prawns (head and shell on)
  • 4 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 tsp toasted fennel seeds
  • 2 cloves garlic – sliced
  • Juice of one lemon

For the Risotto:

  • 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 2tbsp butter
  • 2 cloves garlic – sliced
  • ½ fennel bulb – chopped
  • 250g onion – chopped
  • 200g Arborio risotto rice
  • 25ml white wine
  • 1 tbsp squid ink
  • 1 litre fish stock
  • Zest of one lemon

Garnish:

  • Sliced fennel bulb
  • Micro herb of choice
  • Parsley oil

Method: For the risotto:

  1. In a saucepan, bring the stock to a gentle simmer, and keep it on a low heat for the duration of the cooking time for the risotto.
  2. In a separate saucepan add the oil and butter, followed by the chopped onion and fennel. Sauté until translucent.
  3. Add the garlic and sauté further 2-3 minutes until golden.
  4. Add the dry rice and fry until it starts to crackle and very slightly brown.
  5. Pour in the wine and allow to reduce until almost completely dry.
  6. Slowly add the stock to the risotto one ladle spoon at a time, each time when the risotto is almost dry, mixing continuously. Add the squid ink after the second ladle spoon of stock and continue the process of adding stock each time the risotto is nearly dry for another 20 minutes, or until the rice is cooked to your liking. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  7. Add butter and lemon zest to finish and mix well to emulsify and create a nice glossy risotto.

For the seafood:

  1. Slice the squid into 1cm rings
  2. In a bowl, place the squid rings, tentacles and prawns with all the ingredients and mix well
  3. Set aside for 20 minutes to marinate
  4. Pan-fry the prawns, squid rings and tentacles for 3 minutes when the risotto is al dente, just in time to bring the two elements of the dish together.

Bring all the components together on a plate, allow yourself to be creative with your plating.

Finish with parsley oil, fennel bulbs and micro herbs.

Fun fact: Dairy and seafood – In Italy dairy products are not traditionally incorporated in seafood dishes, unless in very particular instances. This is not one of them – the idea is not to take away from the other flavours. So hold back on the temptation to add parmigiano (parmesan) cheese to this dish, to fully enjoy the beautiful seafood flavours!

Buon appetito!