Risotto ai Frutti di Mare

Ingredients

• 1½ cups Carnaroli rice
• 1 lb mussels and clams, scrubbed
• 12 oz shrimp, peeled (shells reserved)
• 6 cups light fish or shellfish stock, kept hot
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• Chopped parsley and lemon

Instructions

1. 01

   Steam the shellfish. Steam mussels and clams with ½ cup of the wine until they open, 4–5 minutes. Pull the meat, strain the liquor and add it to the stock.

2. 02

   Toast the rice. Soften the shallot and garlic in olive oil, add the rice and stir 2 minutes until the grains look glassy at the edges.

3. 03

   Deglaze. Add the remaining wine and stir until absorbed.

4. 04

   Add stock in stages. Ladle in hot stock a little at a time, stirring, for 16–18 minutes until the rice is al dente and the risotto flows like lava.

5. 05

   Add the seafood. Stir in the shrimp for the final 3 minutes, then fold in the mussels and clams to warm through.

6. 06

   Finish. Off the heat, beat in a good slug of olive oil, parsley and lemon. No parmesan on seafood risotto.

Larry’s rule: Cold stock stops the cook every time you add it. Keep the pot next to you, simmering.