Crab and fennel risotto
This light crab and fennel risotto is made extra special with the addition of a homemade acid butter.
By Matt Tebbutt
From Saturday Kitchen
Ingredients
For the acid butter
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 100ml/3½fl oz white wine
- 100ml/3½fl oz white wine vinegar
- 200g/7oz butter, at room temperature and cut into pieces
For the risotto
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 fennel bulb, trimmed and chopped
- 1 garlic clove, smashed
- 300g/10½oz carnaroli risotto rice
- 800ml–1 litre/1½–1¾ pint fish stock
- 250g/9oz white crabmeat, picked
- 100g/3½oz brown crabmeat, picked
- 120g/4¼oz acid butter (see above)
- 50ml/2fl oz double cream, whipped
- 1 tbsp grated Parmesan
- 1 lemon, juice only
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
To make the acid butter, add the onion, white wine and white wine vinegar to a saucepan on a medium heat. Reduce until the onion has totally absorbed the liquids.
Whisk in the butter. Pass through a sieve and leave to cool until just firm. Shape into a log, wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge until needed.
To make the risotto, heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the fennel and garlic well for 5–8 minutes.
Add the rice and stir to coat in the oil. Then add a ladleful of hot stock at a time, stirring until fully absorbed before adding the next one.
Once the rice is cooked to your liking, stir in the crabmeat, then the acid butter, cream and Parmesan.
Season with salt and pepper and add the lemon juice.
To serve, stir in the tarragon and divide between warmed bowls.
Recipe tips
If you'd like to make your risotto ahead of time – get to the stage where you've added half of the hot stock to your rice then cook for 12 minutes and tip onto a tray to cool. Chill in the fridge until ready to finish. When ready to serve, continue to add stock to the rice until cooked to your liking.
Any leftover acid butter can be stored in the fridge for 1 month.
