This risotto is a little fancy, but it’s super easy to pull together, which makes it a great meal to impress guests.
Servings
2 Servings
PREP TIME
10 mins
COOK TIME
40 mins
TOTAL TIME
50 mins
Difficulty
Easy
Wine pairing
Riesling, Sangiovese
1. Dice the onion and crush the garlic.
2. Chop the raw prawn meat into smaller bite-sized pieces.
3. Remove the meat from the bug shells.
1. Heat the butter in a large pot over low-medium heat. Add the prawns and cook for about 3 minutes, flipping/stirring halfway through. Remove prawns to a plate or bowl and cover to keep warm.
Tip: The prawns don’t need to be fully cooked at this stage, because they’ll be added back to the risotto in the last few minutes of cooking.
2. Add the oil to the pot and once heated, add the onion and garlic. Saute for 3 minutes, until softened.
3. Add the rice to the pot, stir, and cook 1 minute to toast the rice.
4. Add the wine, and stir. Increase the heat and simmer until the wine is almost evaporated.
5. Add the tomato paste, chilli, paprika, saffron and enough stock to cover the rice. Simmer until the stock has mostly evaporated, then add more stock (enough to cover the rice again). Continue simmering and gradually adding more stock (or water, if you run out of stock) until the rice reaches the right consistency, about 30 minutes.
Tip: The best way to know when the rice is done cooking is to taste it. Once the rice is no longer crunchy and it’s almost the consistency of risotto, it’s time to move to the next step.
6. Add the cream, dill, parmesan, prawns and bug meat, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook 2 minutes until everything has warmed through, then serve.
A medium-bodied red wine will pair nicely with this risotto, since it has a paprika and tomato base. Sangiovese or Nero d’Avola will work well here, however if you prefer a white wine, something like a Riesling or Vermentino will cut through the mild chilli in this dish.
