Recipes

Chosen from Fish by Mitch Tonks, he writes "This recipe is inspired by one of my most favourite fish restaurants in the world, Al Gatto Nero on the island of Burano in the lagoon of Venice. Max, the owner's son, has become my friend. The food here is simple and beautifully cooked every time I visit, which I do twice a year if I can; it's a trip worth making. Ruggero and his wife Anna, who run the kitchen, totally respect the quality of the fresh seafood the fishermen bring them and instinctively know how to prepare each fish according to the season. They make a white risotto with a broth made from small goby fish they catch in the mud at low tide around the lagoon. I have made a version here with small gurnard and peas. It's delicious - I'm sure Ruggero, Anna and Max would approve."

Serves 4

    2 tbsp olive oil
    1 leek, finely chopped
    2 celery sticks, finely chopped
    2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
    200ml dry white wine
    1 kg whole gurnards
    150g small frozen Greendland prawns, unshelled
    1 bay leaf
    1 fresh thyme sprig
    25g butter
    1 onion, finely chopped
    400g risotto rice, such as Arborio or Carnaroli
    Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
    100g fresh or frozen peas

    To finish
    4-5 cubes of cold butter, about 1cm in size
    Small handful fresh fennel herb or parsley, chopped

Method

First make the stock. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-based pan big enough to hold the fish, add the leek, celery and a garlic clove and fry gently for 3-4 minutes or until just softened but not browned. Add three-quarters of the wine, then the fish, prawns, bay leaf and thyme and pour in enough water to cover. Leave to simmer gently for 40 minutes until the fish is cooked and breaks up.

Place a conical strainer over another pan and ladle the contents of the stock pan into it, pressing down as hard as you can to squeeze any juice from the fish. Discard what's left in the strainer. Place the stock over a low heat.

To make the risotto, melt the butter in a wide pan, add the onion and other garlic clove and fry gently until softened. Add the rice and fry for 1-2 minutes or until the rice looks transparent around the edges. Add the remaining wine and when it has nearly evaporated add the hot stock, a ladle at a time, stirring the rice as you add it. Keep doing this, seasoning as you go, until the rice is cooked. The rice should have just a little bite to it.

Add the peas a few minutes before the risotto is cooked, then remove the pan from the heat and leave to rest for a few minutes.

To finish whisk in the cubes of cold water, add the fresh herbs, season and serve. I prefer a risotto slightly wet, so when you put a heap on a plate and shake it backwards and forwards gently it falls into a comforting layer across the plate.