# Snapper risotto



## sbd (Aug 18, 2006)

Problem: 1 x 43cm snapper, 3 hungry people.
Solution...

60g unsalted butter, cut into 40g + 2 x 10g
Splash olive oil (~1 tbs)
1 medium brown onion, peeled & finely diced
300g risotto rice, or about 100g per person (I use carnaroli, but arborio or via nalone are just as good)
glass of white wine (~200ml) - if you're not drinking it, it's not good enough ;-)
salt (to taste, see below) & pepper
50g approx decent parmigiano or grana padano (not that powdered muck) grated
1 x 43cm snapper
snapper stock ~ 1litre, simmering

Fillet & skin snapper (don't worry about scaling except it makes it easier to fillet). Put head, skin & skeleton into a pot, cover with about 1.25l of water & simmer uncovered for 30 mins. You could add aromatics to the stock (eg a few peppercorns, parsley stalks, a small carrot roughly chopped) or don't bother, it's all about the fish. After 30 mins, crush the head, bones etc with a wooden spoon to get all the good bits, strain to produce around 1l stock & keep on a low heat (simmering). Add a scant teaspoon of salt to the stock before starting the rice (you may need more later to taste).

Cut skinned fillets into bites (don't forget the pinbones), place onto an oiled sheet of foil (stops sticking), dot with 10g butter diced into little pieces, season well with salt & pepper, fold up the foil into a reasonably sealed parcel, place on an oven tray & reserve. Preheat oven to 180.

Melt 40g butter with 1tbs oil over medium heat in a heavy based saucepan (I use a cast iron 25cm pot). Add onion & soften, stirring regularly, for about 8 mins, until well transparent & soft, but not browned. Add 300g rice (don't wash risotto rice, but check it for stones & crawlies), & stir for a couple of mins, 'til well coated & warm. Add a glass of white wine & stir until it disappears, then add a ladle of hot stock. Stir continuously until it's absorbed (coupla mins), then repeat for the rest of the stock, a ladle at a time, stirring continuously - this is a good opportunity to do some damage to the rest of the bottle of wine. If you get the heat right, it should take about 30 mins & 1l of stock for the rice to be cooked (no hard centre, creamy consistency, not mushy ie still discrete grains). Taste from around 20 mins just in case. If you find you don't have enough stock, mix 500ml boiling water with half a teaspoon of salt or powdered vege stock, & use that to continue - you don't have to use it all, don't use plain water. I aim for a just pourable consistency (Venetian style apparently) when cooked, but if you prefer it drier, cook a (little) bit more until you're happy.

20 mins into cooking the rice, pop the foil parcel into the preheated oven for around 8 mins.

When you judge the rice is cooked, add the parmigiano & 10g butter & stir through. Taste for salt & add a little if necessary, & a few grinds of black pepper. Add the contents of the foil parcel, & fold through gently, so as not to break up the fish too much.

Serve in dished plates, with lemon wedges and some very finely grated parmesan on the side, with a glass of the same wine.

Did this last night, the most delicious thing I've cooked this year. You can cut down on the butter if you wish, but you only live once. Use flathead, whiting or a large red rock cod for an excellent result as well.


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## Wrassemagnet (Oct 17, 2007)

Very clever using the foil parcel to cook the fish so it remains discreet and not mushed through the risotto Dave. Thanks also for the tip re crushing up the frame in the stockpot before straining. We love making risotto as a whole family sunday dinner type activity. It's just so much fun and not just because my wife and I polish off the wine while the kids fight over whose turn it is to pour and stir ;-)

If you like try freshly finely grated pecorino one day instead of parmegiano it's pretty similar really but has a bit more of an acute bitiness to it i think. I prefer pecorino on spag bol too so it might just be one of my eccentricities.


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## Junglefisher (Jun 2, 2008)

sbd said:


> glass of white wine (~200ml) - if you're not drinking it, it's not good enough ;-)


Ewwwww, people drink white wine? I thought it was just so drinking (red) wine didn't have to be used for cooking.


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## Duane (Oct 20, 2007)

Sounds like a great Risotto Recipe.

My Risotto's always need a full bottle of white wine, A glass for the pan and the rest for....quality control.

I fully agree is butter is best, but sometimes when I'm feeling guilty I'll cut it back and replace with some EV olive oil.


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## paulb (Nov 12, 2006)

Tasted good with kingfish. Probably a little stronger flavour than snapper - but a big thumbs up from the family.


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## sbd (Aug 18, 2006)

Caught last night without white wine, and fresh out of verjus. No parmesan either. Used about 125ml cider vinegar and substituted aged cheddar. Slightly different result, but as good if not better.


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## premium (Nov 23, 2011)

SBD, absolutely magnificent recipe. Worked incredibly well on the Girlfriend, and very well on her parents (although the rewards weren't quite the same).
Dog was quite interested too:


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## RedPhoenix (Jun 13, 2006)

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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QlpoOTFBWSZTWd55QkcAAAnfgAAQQCUAEAAgkAA+79wgIABIiaJ6j1HppMCPQGoAAAAHjxiR4OE4FZKMKgkaHUgqIr9e7TyGi81FGzbtDlMKKB74u5IpwoSG88oSOA==


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## sbd (Aug 18, 2006)

Just did it with smoked hairtail - we have a winner. Best. Ever. Risotto.

I used fish stock (snapper) from the freezer, boned a few sections of fresh hot smoked hairy, used the bones and scraps to smoke up the stock, and proceeded as above, adding flaked boned hairtail right at the end. Include the fatty bits around the belly and some skin for full effect. Amazing.


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## Squidley (May 8, 2010)

I have all these fillets, looks like I need to go hunt a snapper head


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## sbd (Aug 18, 2006)

I used what I had Matt, which was Mountain Ash. Took the silver off the fish with a razor blade, cut into sections, mix 1 tbs salt & 1 tbs brown sugar and put over & inside the pieces, left for half an hour then hot smoked for about 20 mins.


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## Marty75 (Oct 23, 2007)

Smoked hairtail = yum. I've only ever caught 1 but had it smoked and it was delish.

Hoping to get some more this year if I ever get out for a fish.

Marty


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## Wrassemagnet (Oct 17, 2007)

That's genius. I spent half the day tying hairtail rigs today.


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## sbd (Aug 18, 2006)

Bertros said:


> There's also something poetic in shaving a hairtail with a razor.


I've tried a number of methods to desilver them, including scrubbing with a brush (messy) and using a scouring pad (blocks up too fast). The razor blade works well, used as a scraper, but watch your fingers. I leave the tricky bits silver, still tastes fine.

Had a bit of left over smoked hairy, made kedgeree tonight (sort of Anglo/Indian spiced rice smoky fish thing). Very delicious too.


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## Wrassemagnet (Oct 17, 2007)

Made mine with one whole 55cm longy snapper, one 55 cm longy snapper frame, one 52cm longy snapper frame and one 38cm longy snapper frame tonight. I think I used too much wine (NZ Gibbston Valley Pinot Gris 2012) in the drinking part of preparation and I feel very sleepy right now. I have 2 ltrs stock left over and am freezing it, ready for the next hairy mission. Damn Dave, this is the best risotto recipe ever, the whole Wrassemagnet tribe prostrates itself before you (unworthily). And you're right about Grana Padano, it shits all over pecorino.


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## KYK (May 24, 2012)

Sounds like a great recipe for my long list of risotto's.

Well done


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