1 crab weighing about 800g-1kg, cooked, the meat removed and shells reserved
60g butter
200g carnaroli rice
1-1.5ltrs approx of hot crab stock*
2-3 red chillies, finely chopped
2-3tbsp chives, finely chopped
100g unsalted butter to finish
60ml double cream
*For the crab stock:
1 medium onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 medium leek, washed and roughly chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
20g butter
The shells from the crab, broken with a rolling pin or back of a knife
A few sprigs of thyme
1tsp fennel seeds
10 peppercorns
1 bay leaf
150ml white wine
2ltrs fish stock (we used Knorr fish stock cubes)
To make the stock, gently cook the onion, leek and garlic in the 20g of butter for a few minutes, until soft. Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to the boil and simmer for 1 hour, giving the occasional skim.
Strain the stock through a fine-meshed sieve. The stock should be strong in flavour: if it's not, reduce it until the flavour is concentrated. You should be left with about 1-1 litres.
To make the risotto, melt the 60g of butter in a heavy-based saucepan, add the rice, stirring it well with a wooden spoon over a low heat for a minute. Gradually add the hot stock a little at a time, stirring constantly. When the rice is almost cooked, add the chilli and continue cooking for a few minutes, then add half the crab, the unsalted butter, double cream and chives; season if necessary. Warm the rest of the crab through under a grill, spoon the risotto on to warmed serving plates and scatter the crab on top.
(We served our risotto topped with pan fried haddock, we also added the trimmings from the fish to the crab stock)
