Dungeness Crab Risotto and Some Italian Bubbles #FishFridayFoodies

It's time for the kick-off 2021 Fish Friday Foodies' event. We are a group of seafood-loving bloggers, rallied by Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm, to share fish and seafood recipes on the third Friday of the month. 

And this month, Rebekah of Making Miracles is hosting. She picked "Be Our Guest"! For January's Fish Friday Foodie event  and asked us to share a dish that we deem company worthy; maybe something that was served to us once that we were impressed by, or a dish that has had rave reviews from friends or family when you've shared it with them.

Here's this month's line-up... 

• Creamy Shrimp Newburg by Food Lust People Love
• Crispy Shrimp Triangle Spring Rolls by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Dungeness Crab Risotto and Some Italian Bubbles by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Easy and Elegant Garlicky Shrimp Pasta by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Prawn Patio by Sneha's Recipe
• Tilapia Curry by Zesty South Indian Kitchen
• Mediterranean Baked Fish by Making Miracles

On the Plate

When I thought about 'guest-worthy' I almost laughed. We have been sheltered in place since last March and I haven't had any guests at my table since four days before we were locked down. So, I had to strain my memory about dinner parties. Ha. 

But Italian bubbles are always my idea of a party libation and pairing processo with seafood, at least in my household, is always a win. So, when I saw dungeness crab at the fish market, I scooped up two and opted to make a crab risotto as match for some sparkling Italian wine.

Ingredients makes 8 servings

• 1 organic white onion, peeled and diced (approximately 1 cup)
• 1 leek, trimmed and thinly sliced (approximately 1/2 cup)
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• splash of olive oil
• 3 cups arborio rice
• 8 cups liquid (I used a mixture of fish stock and water)
• 1 Tablespoon fresh basil, finely chopped
• 2 cups dungeness crab meat + cracked, cleaned claws for serving
• 8 ounces mascarpone cream
• freshly ground pepper to taste
• freshly ground salt to taste
• Also needed: parmigiano reggiano and melted butter for serving

Procedure

Bring your stock and water to a boil. Then reduce it to a simmer and keep it on a burner adjacent to your risotto pan.

Melt 2 Tablespoons butter with a splash of olive oil in a large, flat-bottom pan. Add the onions and leeks. Cook until onions are translucent and beginning to caramelize. Add in the rice and stir until completely coated with oil and butter.

Add one ladle of simmering broth at a time, stirring, stirring, and stirring some more till the liquid is absorbed. Repeat until the rice is soft. If you need more liquid, just add more; if you don't use all of the stock, that's okay, too.

Fold in the crab meat, mascarpone cheese, and basil. Let stand for five minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, spoon out individual servings and top with a crab claw. Serve immediately.

Let diners sprinkle with freshly grated cheese and add more crab meat from their claws. They can drizzle with melted butter, too, if desired.

In the Glass

Awhile back, I received some wines from Val d'Oca* to feature with food pairings. You can read about the wine cooperative in my post - Handrolled Pasta alla Gricia + Val d’Oca Prosecco Millesimato.  This bottle - their Prosecco DOC Treviso Extra Dry - is a blend of 85% Glera and 15% Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay. This sparkling wine was crisp with a generous amount of bubbles. To the eye, it was almost clear with flecks of gold at the edges. To the nose, I got aromas of apple and wildflowers. And on the palate, it was almost citrusy and went down a little too easily! Jake mentioned that it was definitely "gulpable." So, we had to force ourselves to sip and savor.

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*Disclosure: I received sample wines for recipe development, pairing, and generating social media traction. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the organizer and sponsors of this event.