A Delicate Citrus, Fennel and Crab Risotto

and other last minute ideas for a New Year's menu

Venerdì, 30 December 2022. Contigliano

At the beginning of midnight Mass in what was known as one of the Irish churches, a girl, who would later become one of my very best friends, kneeled, did the sign of the cross, and then slid right into our shiny brown pew. For some reason she had strayed from her flock and kicked of fish in a room where people generally smelled of booze, holy water, tea and potatoes. I couldn’t figure out why until I did. At that exact moment in the Italian church down the road, the air would hang thick and heavy with incense, lemon, garlic, parsley and baccalà with no outsiders present to cut through this common perfume.

Growing up in New England, I have zero recollection of consuming anything whatsoever on Christmas Eve, but the tradition of consuming fish by way of marriage has now become my own. When we relocated to Ireland and spent our first Christmas in Cork a handful of years ago, we became spoiled for choice when it came to the banquet selection of fresh wild fish and shellfish caught off Irish shores. Local crab was always an obvious addition to the menu and it has been integrated into our primo ever since with those same dishes translating onto the table to ring in the New Year. These festive fish menus are the ones that I enjoy the most.

The inability to travel to Italy over the past few years due to Covid has led us to fall in love with a West Kerry Christmas, where strangely enough (or maybe not), like so many Italians, they also consume a simple meal of salted fish on Christmas Eve. Like Riccardo’s childhood experience, this meal cooked by his Nonna in the terra Sabina, Christmas Eve dinner as a giorno di magro as part of a cucina povera, was a very humble and pared back thing which included traditional dishes prepared with the tuna and eel to feed a family farmhouse crowd.

Local Christmas Eve commute to the fishmonger in West Kerry

This year, the children had the desire to find their gifts from Santa in Kerry, so we did not part for Rieti until noon on Christmas day. This meant that we were able to partake in our new and much loved Kerry Christmas Eve routine that involves an early morning drive over our local and incredibly scenic mountain pass to find our local fishmonger that rests in Dingle town below - with the menu loosely written in hand.

Due to our departure, this year’s dinner was simple, yet satisfying and pleasant. Served up informally on our kitchen island, it included this delicate Citrus, Fennel and Kerry Crab risotto together with fresh prawns quickly tossed in a pan with olive oil, garlic, brandy and parsley and much to Giacomo’s delight (the kid loves calamari) a frittura of beautiful wild Irish calamari with tentacles to beat the band, gifted to us by our sea faring friends. Local oysters were left off of the menu with regret. Despite many years of experience, fancy knives and tutorials, oysters and I have a love hate relationship, and I did not have the will or time to wrestle with them.

This risotto will also translate really well into a New Year’s Eve menu where fish is often featured and where more often than not, there tends to be a glass of bubbly in hand. It’s a dish to leave you feeling light as you ring in the New Year. You might also be up for those oysters.

Citrus, Fennel and Crab Risotto

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

400g of Carnaroli rice

1 large shallot finely chopped

½ small fennel bulb finely chopped together with some fronds

1 small unwaxed lemon

1 small unwaxed orange

175ml of Prosecco, Champagne or dry white wine

2 liters of vegetable stock

100g cooked crabmeat

40g of quality butter

Extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt

1 clove of garlic finely chopped, optional

Method:

Bring your vegetable stock to a boil and then turn the flame down low. Lightly coat the bottom of a wide heavy bottomed pan with the thinnest film of olive oil. Melt in half of the butter over low heat and add your garlic (if using), shallot and fennel together with a good pinch of salt and cook and stir until translucent. Add your rice coating with the vegetables and lightly toast over a medium low heat for about 30 seconds until shiny and golden. Take care that the vegetables do not over colour or burn. Turn up the flame and add your bubbly or wine stirring again for about another 30 seconds. Start to ladle in your stock and then add the zest of half of your lemon and half of your orange together with a gentle squeeze of juice from both so that the citrus is present, but not overpowering. Add another pinch of salt. Continue to ladle in your stock until the rice is al dente and then check for seasoning. Turn off the flame and stir in the rest of the butter with a wooden spoon and then add your crabmeat with a gentle stir. Add another splash of vegetable stock to loosen if necessary and serve immediately with a garnish of fennel fronds.