Amalfi lemon risotto with crab salad
A fresh and zingy dish that’s perfect for a summer’s day. If you can’t get Amalfi lemons, use good quality unwaxed lemons.
Ingredients
For the confit lemon
For the risotto
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 700ml/1¼ pint vegetable stock
- 250g/9oz carnaroli or arborio rice
- 100ml/3½fl oz white wine
- 80g/3oz unsalted butter, diced
- 80g/3oz Parmesan, finely grated
- 40²µ/1½´Ç³ú mascarpone
- 1 Amalfi lemon, zest only
- salt
For the crab salad
- 200g/7oz picked white crab meat
- 3 tbsp confit lemon, from above
- 3 baby courgettes, thinly sliced
- 2 tsp finely chopped chives
- 1 Amalfi lemon, zest only
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
To serve
Method
To make the confit lemon, place the lemon slices in a lidded container and sprinkle over the sugar and a pinch of salt. Cover with olive oil and mix well, place the lid on and put in the fridge overnight.
To make the risotto, heat the oil in a medium sauté pan and fry the shallots over a low-medium heat, until softened.
Place the vegetable stock in a saucepan and keep warm over a medium heat.
Add the rice to the shallots and stir well, pour in the wine and let it evaporate. Add the hot stock a ladle at a time, stirring and allowing the stock to be absorbed before adding more. It should take around 20 minutes to add all of the stock.
Remove the risotto from the heat and add the butter and Parmesan. Mix well with a plastic or wooden spoon until smooth and creamy. Add the mascarpone and mix again. Check the seasoning and add more salt if needed, then sprinkle over the lemon zest and stir through.
To make the crab salad, place the crab meat in a bowl with the confit lemon, courgettes and chives. Season with salt, then add the lemon zest and olive oil and mix well.
To serve, divide the risotto between four serving bowls and spoon the crab salad over the top. Finish with the baby basil cress, lemon zest and a drizzle of olive oil.
