Recipe: Crab and Fennel Risotto
WORDS BY CAROLINE GLADSTONE
If you are looking for something deliciously indulgent to have in the run up to Christmas, or in those lazy days between Christmas and New Year, this is my go-to recipe.
It is easy to make but be patient and don’t rush it. Serve it with a crunchy green salad with some shaved fennel through it.
I also love a bit of quick pickled fennel on top…
Crab and fennel risotto (serves 8)
200g butter
4 tbsp olive oil
2 brown onions, finely chopped
2 fennel bulbs, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, squashed with a pinch of salt
6 tsp fennel seeds
600g risotto rice
400ml white wine
2.5 litres hot vegetable stock
250g white crab meat
250g brown crab meat
2 unwaxed lemons, zested and juiced
2 good handfuls of fennel fronds, dill, flat leaf parsley and mint, chopped
parmesan to serve
Heat just under half the butter and a glug of olive oil in a large, non-stick pan over a medium heat. Add the onions, season generously with salt and sweat for 10-15 minutes until sweet and softened, stirring often to make sure they don’t brown at all. Add the garlic and cook for another 5-10 minutes, until the garlic is translucent. Add the fennel and the fennel seeds, give everything a good stir and cook for another 5-10 minutes until the fennel has softened.
Tip in the risotto rice and stir for a couple of minutes so that the grains become coated in the buttery oil.
Add the white wine, bring to the boil and stir while the alcohol cooks off, about 5 minutes.
Add the hot stock, one ladle at a time, ensuring each ladleful has been absorbed before adding the next. Keep repeating until the rice is nearly cooked, about 30 minutes.
When the rice is cooked al dente, with a bit of bite to it, stir in the rest of the butter, the crab meat, the lemon zest and juice and the chopped herbs.
Season to taste, adding a little more stock if you need to loosen the risotto.
Divide into 8 bowls and serve with a drizzle of olive oil and some parmesan to grate on the side.
