corn & crab risotto with burst sungold tomatoes
This risotto is a reimagining of corn and crab chowder, a childhood favorite of mine. Instead of buying boxed stock (which like, you could totally do if you’d prefer), all the corn and crab scraps are utilized to make a quick seafood stock. While tomatoes aren’t traditional here, the burst sungolds add a little sweet acidity and boost the golden color. The potato might seem weird, but trust that it’s going to boost the creaminess and make the whole thing feel a little more....chowder-y!
yield 4 servings
2 clusters snow or dungeness crab, fresh or thawed frozen (about 1 1/3 pounds)
3 ears corn
1 medium yukon gold potato (1/2 pound), cut into 2-inch pieces
2 scallions
3 T butter, divided
1 celery stalk, finely diced
1 large shallot, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, grated or finely minced
1 pint sungold tomatoes
1 cup arborio or carnaroli rice
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 lemon, cut into wedges
recipe prep
Fill a stock pot with water (enough to cover the crab legs) and bring to a boil. When water is boiling, add crab legs and cook for 4 minutes. Discard water and let legs cool. Use a crab hammer or rolling pin to crack the crab legs open and remove all the meat (don’t forget the meat at the base of the legs!). Set meat aside meat for later. Add crab shells, 2 teaspoons diamond kosher salt (1 teaspoon if morton’s) and 6 cups water to the pot and return to medium heat.
While you’re waiting for the water to boil, cut the corn kernels off the cobs and put them into a medium bowl. Run the back of your knife down each cut side (press down a bit) to scrape some extra juice and add it to the corn bowl. Add corn cobs and potato to the stock. Once stock comes to a boil, reduce heat to simmer for 30 minutes or until potato is very tender. Strain stock and return liquid to the pot; keep warm on low heat. Transfer potato to a small bowl and discard leftover shells/cobs. Once potato is cool enough, remove any skins and mash with a fork until very smooth. Set aside. Separate dark greens of the scallions from the white and light green parts. Thinly slice the dark green part on a bias and thinly slice the white and light green parts into rounds.
In a large saute pan, warm 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Once butter is melted, add celery, shallot, white and light green scallions and garlic along with a healthy pinch of kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until everything is translucent, fragrant and very tender. Add corn and sungold tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are tender and bursting (about 5 minutes).
Add rice and olive oil and cook, stirring constantly, until rice is translucent and well coated in oil, about 5 minutes. Add wine and another pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until wine evaporates, about 2 minutes.
Add warm stock to rice 3/4-cup at at time (a ladle full), stirring constantly and allowing the liquid to absorb before adding more. You’ll know the rice is ready for more stock when you drag your spoon across the bottom of the pan and the rice stays parted for a moment before moving back together, 2-3 minutes (reduce heat to medium-low if it’s moving along faster than this). Add batches of stock until rice is al dente and creamy (but not TOO thick!), 25-30 minutes. Taste the rice after 15 or so minutes to see how far along the cooking is - you want the end product to be tender but not mushy. Turn off heat. Taste and add a pinch of salt if needed.
Add potato, cream, half the crab meat and remaining butter and stir to evenly mix. Add a couple splashes of stock (or water, if you’ve used all of it!) as needed to thin the risotto out. Divide risotto into bowls and top with remaining crab, dark green scallions and fresh cracked pepper. Serve with lemon wedges.
so you have leftovers Risotto is notoriously unforgiving when reheated. However, this particular risotto recipe is still pretty decent the next day. Reheat in the microwave or in a saucepan over medium heat with a few splashes of water to loosen everything. It might not be quite as good as fresh, but it will still be delicious.
Alternatively, you could put the risotto (mixed with a few spoonfuls of water to loosen) in an oven-safe dish and bake at 350F, covered in foil, for 20-30 minutes or until warmed through. Remove the foil, add a layer of panko or regular breadcrumbs, and toast under the broiler until the top is roasty and toasty.
