Risotto ai Gamberi (Shrimp Risotto) Recipe

Risotto cuisine was a hot topic of debate over these parts. “Stirring is for suckers. It’s very boring!” “Rinse the starch!” “Use a pressure cooker!” “Italian grandmother is full of it!” This is Marriage story Meme gold.I’m not interested in causing controversy the best It’s a lot of fun to make risotto and stir the rice.

One of the best risotto qualities is that it is a blank canvas for flavor. How to paint is a matter of taste. This recipe uses a more classic cooking approach than the innovative methods used in other Serious Eats risotto recipes, producing a deep shellfish-flavored shrimp risotto.

The easiest way to add flavor to rice is to cook it in a stock with a strong aroma. In many cases, this can be achieved simply by injecting a stock of neutral chicken or vegetables with aggressive ingredients such as dried porcini for mushroom risotto and saffron for risotto alla milanese. Folded into risotto like freshly baked mushrooms, the Mosel provides a pop of flavor and texture in the final dish, but Stock is really hard work. For shellfish and seafood-based risotto, it’s a good idea to make stock from scratch.

Quick and Head: The Key to Great Shrimp Stock

The most important part of making a good shrimp stock is to use shrimp that are suitable for work: shrimp from the front. The shells and heads are rich in glutamic acid and nucleotides, which contribute to the savory aroma, in addition to the sugars and proteins that contribute to Maillard browning when exposed to heat. Simply put, the shell and head have the same flavor. Some of these flavor compounds are non-volatile and do not dissipate during cooking, but the major compounds responsible for shrimp flavors are highly volatile, meaning they evaporate during cooking. What does that mean to make a stock of shrimp? It’s a very quick process. After cooking the shells and heads in olive oil (some of the aromas we are looking for are fat-soluble, the oil tricks them and then traps them), along with aroma and umami-rich tomato paste. Add water and boil. Stock for only 10 minutes before straining the solids. The richest flavored shrimp stock is cooked quickly.

In the recipe development, we tested the shrimp stock using only shrimp shells and the risotto using shells and head stock side by side. The shrimp stock risotto from the front was clearly the winner. Despite using the same weight of shellfish and frontal shrimp, it boasts a much richer and deeper shrimp flavor. In other words, the shell contained a lot of shrimp meat. In version.

It is always advisable to buy quick-frozen shrimp individually, not already thawed shrimp (most available shrimp are frozen immediately after harvest to maintain texture and flavor). .. This is especially important for frontal shrimp, as the head contains enzymes that make the shrimp meat muddy. It is much better to buy frozen shrimp that can control the thawing process, as freezing will stop this process. If you plan to make risotto, thaw the shrimp as close as possible.

Stir the pot: Classic cooked risotto is not the slogan

Once the inventory is squared, you can look at the rice cooker. First, sweat the finely chopped onions in a wide-bottomed saucer (the sloping walls of Saucier’s and Daniel’s favorite pasta breads are perfect for risotto, with a 5 quart capacity ideal, but 3 quarts also work. increase). If you don’t have that style of saucepan, a Dutch oven or frying pan will work just fine. Then add rice (I’m partial to carnaroli) and toast until the grain smells like nuts and looks like ice cubes. The edges are translucent and the center is opaque.

Add a little red pepper flakes, glaze with white wine, then add a glass of tomato puree and shrimp stock. Tomatoes are not essential for shrimp risotto, they are an option. If you wish to cook in Bianco, you can omit the stock tomato paste and risotto passata. The savory, sweet and acidic notes of tomatoes go very well with the deep scent of shellfish in the stock.

Depending on who you ask, it can be fun or boring. I love the rhythmic process of constantly stirring and throwing the pot, as the rice is absorbed with each additional stock. I think it calms down, and it’s also a great excuse for a little time in the kitchen. “Don’t talk now, I’m making risotto!” It’s generally considered a socially acceptable behavior. Please use it.

If you continue to add stock, stir and throw, the rice grains will swell in less than 15 minutes, the edges will soften, and the center will bite firmly raw. I said earlier that I don’t want to discuss the benefits of the different methods of risotto, but in my experience, the texture of rice is much better than no in the classic cooking method. I understand. Stir or pressure cooker risotto. The grain remains more clearly separated while suspended in the liquid, but otherwise it produces rice that is slightly blown off and melts into the stock.

I stir the shrimp and more stock and keep the pan on the fire for enough time to cook the shrimp. At that point, the rice is perfect and draws a line between firmness and crispness in the center of each grain. Finally, prepare chopped parsley, squeezed lemon juice, and a splash of stock.

Timing is everything: how to serve risotto

This is the point where timing is everything. You need to quickly plate the risotto on a warm plate (not a bowl for purists). It’s important to remember that no matter how fast you move, the risotto will tighten from the saucepan to the plate and the time it takes to get into the mouth of the supper. So you need to hedge and have a risotto with looser consistency than you are comfortable. All the terms that are always used to describe the proper flowing texture of risotto are “onda”, or “to the waves”. When you put the rice in the pan and stir it, it should be loose enough to make waves and quickly fill the negative space each time you drag the spatula to the bottom of the pan. Just before plating, loosen it a little more. You won’t swim in soup, but saucepans should definitely be high tide.

Many risottos are finished with butter and cheese, adding creaminess to the rice. The problem with dairy products is that you can mute other flavors of the dish as well. In this recipe, I like to accentuate the deep shrimp flavor of the stock. This risotto is rich as it is.