CookEat Recipe
Risotto in Aromatic Fish Broth
Rice cooked in a gently aromatic fish broth with a tomato soffritto, butter and Parmesan.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Gather the ingredients: 1 whole grey mullet of about 1 kg before cleaning, scaled and gutted by the fishmonger; About 2 litres water for the broth; Quarter of an onion for the broth, plus quarter for the risotto; 2 cloves; 1 celery stalk for the broth, plus half a stalk for the risotto; 1 carrot for the broth, plus half a carrot for the risotto; 2 tablespoons parsley for the broth, plus 1 tablespoon finely chopped for the risotto; 2–3 thin lemon slices; 1 garlic clove; 3 tablespoons olive oil; 2 tablespoons plain tomato passata, or 1 teaspoon tomato paste; 300 g risotto rice; 30 g butter; 40 g grated Parmesan; Salt and black pepper to taste.
Step 2
For the broth, put the water in a close-fitting fish pan with a little salt, the quarter onion studded with both cloves, the whole celery stalk and carrot, the 2 tablespoons parsley and the lemon slices. Boil gently for about 15 minutes.
Step 3
Add the cleaned food-grade fish and simmer gently until its thickest flesh reaches 70°C and flakes easily. Lift out and strain the broth through a fine sieve, removing all bones and scales. Keep about 1.5 litres hot for the risotto, with the remainder available to adjust consistency. Debone the fish and serve it separately, or refrigerate promptly for another dish.
Step 4
Finely chop the remaining quarter onion, garlic, half carrot, half celery stalk and tablespoon of parsley. Cook in the olive oil with salt and pepper until beginning to colour. Add the passata, or the paste dissolved in a small ladle of fish broth, and simmer briefly.
Step 5
Add the rice and cook by gradually adding the hot fish broth, stirring regularly. At about half the cooking time, add the butter. Continue until the rice is just tender and fairly dry but moist, usually 16–20 minutes total, then stir in Parmesan and serve.
Step 6
For the soup variation, omit the rice and add the hot fish broth to the same tomato soffritto. If desired, soak about 5 g dried edible mushrooms in hot drinking water, rinse away grit, chop and simmer in the soup until fully cooked. Pour over about 150 g toasted bread cubes and offer Parmesan separately. The bread amount and serving method make the otherwise brief soup suggestion usable.
Step 7
Refrigerate any unused broth or cooked fish promptly in shallow containers and use within 2–3 days or freeze. Reheat broth to a full boil and cooked fish to 74°C. The alternative broth method starts the fish in cold water with the same aromatics and cooks it gently to the same endpoint.
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