In May, the spot prawn season opens and we can purchase a true delicacy straight off the dock. These beauties want little more than a good dose of garlic, lemon and butter. But if you are looking to take spot prawns a little further, this risotto takes a classic spring combination of peas and prawns to a new level. The secret is in the rich, aromatic stock that uses all the goodness that the spot prawn has to offer by making the most of the shells in a rich broth scented with fennel and star anise.
Cooking
Prawn Stock
3½ litres water
1 pound frozen spot prawn tails or 1½ pounds live whole spot prawns (20-24)
1 cup dry white wine or dry vermouth
1 fennel bulb, including fronds, sliced
1 onion, outer layers peeled, halved lengthwise
2 large carrots (8-inch), scrubbed and cut in large chunks
10 fresh whole snap peas
1 star anise
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
Risotto
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 teaspoons salt, divided
2 cups Carnaroli or Arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine or dry vermouth
1 cup shelled peas
¾ cup snap peas
1 tablespoon butter
Zest of lemon, for finishing
Fill a large bowl with ice water and set aside. In a large stock pot, bring water to the boil and add the prawns. Boil prawns for two minutes or three minutes if frozen. With a slotted spoon or large sieve, remove the prawns to ice water to stop them from cooking further. Reserve the water in the stockpot and set aside while you work on the prawns. Remove the shells and heads, if present, and return the shells to the stockpot while you place the prawn tail meat in a sealable container. Refrigerate the prawn meat while you prepare the stock.
Add wine, onion, vegetables and aromatics to the stockpot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer on medium high for 1 to 1½ hours. Taste the stock and adjust seasoning as required. Once you have a rich golden liquid, strain the stock through a colander and reserve. Discard the vegetables and aro- matics. Set aside the stock until you are ready to cook the risotto.
For the risotto, bring the stock to a boil, then reduce the heat so the liquid is barely simmering. In a large skillet, sauté onions and garlic in olive oil on medium-low heat until soft and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt. Raise the heat slightly and add the rice. Stir for one minute, until the rice begins to sizzle. Gently pour in the wine to deglaze the pan. Stir until the wine is almost absorbed. Add a ladleful of stock, allowing it to almost fully absorb while you gently fold the liquid into the rice, once or twice. Repeat this process, one ladleful at a time. With each addition of stock, add a bit of the salt, tasting the liquid from time to time, and making adjustments as necessary.
Meanwhile, dice half the prawns and leave the rest whole. When the rice is creamy and the grains are soft but slightly al dente, fold in the diced prawns along with the snap peas and shelled peas, and a little more stock.
Add the whole prawns and stir through until just warmed. Remove the rice from the heat and add the butter. Cover and let rest for five minutes. To serve, ladle the rice onto plates, ensuring each plate has a few whole prawns and zest with lemon.
Good to Know If you are using live prawns, make the stock as soon as you can after you buy them. Live prawns should not linger. If you are not going to use them immediately, remove the heads and rinse the tails and refrigerate until you are ready to use them. Prawns that are left to die with their heads on secrete an enzyme that affects the quality of the meat, making it mushy.
