Here it is another risotto, with one of the best fish available on the market in my opinion: the Red Scorpionfish.

It is a fish that traditionally is used for example in fish soups, but its fillet it’s really delicious, with a nice and nervous texture, and particularly tasty, more intense than many other fish.

It’s a fish with a big head and with quite a lot of waste, so it’s not a cheap choice, but with the “waste” you can make a very good fish stock, so at least nothing is going to be really wasted.

Let’s see how to make this delicious risotto!

INGREDIENTS (2 people):

• 250 g red scorpionfish fillets
• 160 g rice
• half glass of dry white wine
• the juice of half lemon
• tomatoes (I used about 100 g pelati)
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic
• fresh parsley
• salt

For the fish stock

• the bones of the red scorpionfish
• 1 glass of dry white wine
• 1 onion
• 1 carrot
• 1 celery rib
• pepper grains
• extra virgin olive oil
• water
• salt

1. First of all we have to prepare the fish stock: after you have removed the fillets, cut the head in half and remove the eyes. Then take a pot, heat a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and then add immediately the bones of the fish. When they are “toasted”, then add also the white wine and keep the heat high until reduced. Then add the vegetables and the pepper grains and cover with about 1 liter water (we will need probably 600-700 ml), then bring it almost to the boil and then set the heat very low: it must not do bubbles but just “smoking” (that’s why we call it “fumetto”, from “fumo” that means smoke, so fumetto is “little smoke”), ideally around 90 °C. Season with a little bit of salt. Let it go for at least 40-45 minutes, then filter it (since it was a big scorpionfish, almost 1,5 kg, I used almost 1,5 liters of water, the extra stock I put in the freezer for other recipes). Remove carefully also the fish meat that should have remained on the head and the pectoral fins, and keep aside for later.
2. Now take a cocotte/pot and heat a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, with the clove of garlic, then remove it. Add the rice and toast it at high heat, until quite transparent.
3. Now add the white wine, keep the heat higher until the wine has reduced. Start counting the time from now, in 15-16 minutes a Carnaroli rice will be ready, read the package too. Add also the lemon juice.
4. When the alcohol has gone add a couple of ladles of hot fish stock.
5. After the first 5 minutes, add the fish meat that you have removed from the head and pectoral fins, and add also the tomatoes. At the same time, in another pan start cooking the whole fillets (I coated them with a little bit of durum flour, “semola rimacinata di grano duro”), simply with a little drizzle of olive oil and with a small cover exactly on the fillets, season also with some salt. If they are small in 8-10 minutes they should be ready (in my case it was bigger, so it took about 12-13 minutes), then keep it aside.
6. Keep cooking at medium heat and keep adding fish stock when it’s needed, the rice must always have enough liquid.
7. When the rice is ready, switch off and add extra virgin olive oil, to “mantecare” the risotto.
8. Add freshly chopped parsley, and serve it, placing the fillets in the middle 🙂