Use whichever type of seafood is your favourite – mussels, squid, crayfish, prawns, crab etc

Ingredients

One small onion, peeled and finely diced

Stick of celery, finely diced

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 ½ tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

Glass dry white wine

10 cherry tomatoes, sliced

200g Arborio rice

1 litre fish or chicken stock infused with lemon and saffron

Pinch chilli flakes or paprika (optional)

Flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

Over a moderate heat, sweat onion, celery and garlic in the olive oil and butter until they are just translucent without colour. Add Arborio rice and toast in pan for 1-2 minutes, stirring continuously. Add glass of wine and let bubble and evaporate, stirring continuously. Add a small pinch of chilli flakes or paprika and the chopped cherry tomatoes. Add saffron and lemon infused stock little by little, stirring continuously until rice is al dente. Add the seafood mix 2-3 minutes before the end of cooking time. There is nothing worse than over cooked and rubbery seafood.

To finish – squeeze some fresh lemon and garnish with finely chopped flat leaf parsley.

Wine suggestion: Sauvignon Blanc, Lawson’s Dry Hills, Marlborough, New Zealand

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Taken from Robert’s latest book: “An Epicurean Odyssey: More Sommelier Stories”
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