Recipe of the Day: Prawn Risotto

Greek risotto (yiouvetsi) is a nourishing pasta bake best described as a filling winter warmer. I have traditionally made it with chuck beef or chicken depending on how I feel, but I wanted to take it a step further. I love prawns and the flavour the shells have.

It’s a little bit ridiculous how easy the prawn shell stock is, considering it’s bursting with umami.

This recipe is a waste-free number. It might seem like a lot to do, but if you follow the steps, you’ll be rewarded with a glistening bowl of goodness.

Prawn Risotto from Eat More Greek

Time 1 hour 30 minutes
SERVES 4

Ingredients

20 raw king prawns (shrimp)

1 carrot

2 brown onions

1 fennel bulb, reserving the fronds for garnish

7 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

3 fresh or dried bay leaves

2 heaped tablespoons tomato paste

(concentrated purée)

50 ml (1½ fl oz) ouzo

30 g (1 oz) fresh dill

2 celery stalks

1 lemon

1 tablespoon dried oregano

250 g (9 oz) dried risoni or orzo pasta

½ cup (125 ml) white wine

Olive oil

Salt, to taste

Hack the recipe

Use pre-made seafood stock (or just vegetable stock). Pour 4 cups (1 litre) stock into the yiouvetsi pan after deglazing the pan with wine. Use peeled raw prawns too and you’ll halve the prep and cooking time pretty solidly.

Note:  Searing the pasta when first added to the pan helps stop it sticking to itself later on.

Method

Peel the prawns, placing the heads, shells and tails in a bowl, and reserving the prawns for later. Heat a large saucepan over high heat, then add a solid glug of oil. Add the heads, shells and tails, and sizzle, stirring now and again, for 5 minutes, or until coloured.

While the shells sizzle, roughly chop the carrot, 1 onion and half the fennel

bulb. Halve 5 garlic cloves.

Add the chopped vegetables, peppercorns, coriander seeds, bay leaves and a pinch of salt to the pan. Sauté, stirring now and again, for 6 minutes, or until softened. Add half the tomato paste. Cook for 1 minute, then deglaze the pan with the ouzo, scraping the base of the pan. Pour in 6 cups (1.5 litres) water and bring to a simmer. Cook for 40 minutes, seasoning with salt if needed. While the prawn stock cooks, use a skewer to poke through the top of each reserved prawn and gently wiggle out the digestive tract and discard. Roughly dice the dill and finely dice the celery and remaining onion and fennel.

Heat a separate large saucepan over medium heat. Add a glug of oil, then the diced celery, onion and fennel, along with a big pinch of salt. Sweat down for 7 minutes. Mince the remaining garlic, finely grate the zest of the lemon, then add both to the pan, along with the oregano. Stir through for a minute. Add the pasta and remaining tomato paste. Stir through for 1–2 minutes, or until pasta is coated and seared (see Note). Increase heat to high. Pour in the wine to deglaze, scraping the base of the pan. Cook until the wine is nearly all gone.

Once the prawn shell stock has finished simmering, set a sieve over the yiouvetsi pan and strain the prawn shell stock into the pan, discarding the solids. Add the dill and stir everything through. Bring to a simmer, then cook for 6 minutes. Add the reserved prawns and cook for a further 4 minutes, or until the prawns are pinkish orange and the pasta is al dente.

Halve the lemon and squeeze the juice of both halves into the pan. Season with salt and garnish with reserved fennel fronds to serve.

Images and text from Eat More Greek by Conor Curran, photography by Armelle Habib. Murdoch Books RRP $45.00.