Risotto Marseille-Style

David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews

from The New York Times 

submitted by Anne Halsted 

preparation time: 45 minutes 

serves 4 

 

1 cup dry white wine 

24 mussels 

3 cups fish stock 

1 tablespoon saffron threads 

2 tablespoons lemon juice 

salt 

3 large garlic cloves, minced (about 2 ½ teaspoons) 

1 teaspoon Espelette pepper or hot paprika, or more to taste 

½ cup mayonnaise, homemade or store-bought 

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 

1 cup finely minced fennel bulb 

1 cup Arborio rice 

1 tablespoon tomato paste 

12 sea scallops, trimmed and quartered, or smaller 

16 medium shrimp, preferably wild, peeled, and deveined 

 

Place ½ cup wine in a 2-quart saucepan, add the mussels, bring to a simmer and cover, leaving the lid slightly ajar. Steam the mussels until they open, about 4 minutes. Remove the mussels with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Add the saffron to the mussel liquid in the saucepan and bring to a simmer. Stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice, season with salt, remove from heat and set aside. Shuck the mussels and place meat in a dish, covered. Discard the shells. 

 

Mix ¾ teaspoon garlic, the remaining tablespoon lemon juice and ½ teaspoon of the Espelette pepper in the mayonnaise. Set aside. 

 

Heat the oil on medium in a 4-quart sauté pan. Add the remaining 1 ½ teaspoons garlic and fennel to the pan and cook on medium-low until the fennel is soft but not brown, 5 minutes or so. Add the rice and cook, stirring, a few minutes, until rice becomes opaque. Add remaining ½ cup wine, tomato paste, and remaining ½ teaspoon Espelette. Stir and cook on medium until the liquid is absorbed, a few minutes. 

 

Strain fish stock mixture into a 2-quart saucepan and bring barely to a simmer. To the rice, add ½ cup of the stock, stirring; when it has been absorbed, add another ½ cup. Continue adding the stock until there is only about ½ cup left and the rice is nearly tender, 15 minutes or so. If you need more liquid, you can add a little water. Season to taste with salt and more Espelette, if desired. Fold in the mussels. 

 

Add the remaining stock and tuck the scallops in to the rice. Stir gently and cook for about 3 minutes until the scallops are nearly cooked through. Tuck in the shrimp. Cook another minute or so, until the shrimp are just done. Remove from heat. Check seasoning. Divide the risotto among 4 soup plates or dinner plates. Top each with a dollop of garlic mayonnaise and serve. 

 

Recommended to be served with rose wine. Seafood/shellfish can be varied to suit your market and tastes (i.e., you could use chunks of monkfish or red snapper instead of some of the shellfish).