Risotto of Celtic Crab and Cardigan Bay Prawns Recipe

To continue this day's listing of St David's day meals, I have an alternate, modern, starter here. A risotto of local Welsh sea-food. So if you want an alternative to the traditional Cawl, why not make this dish.

For those seeking an alternative dish, then you can make this risotto vegetarian by steaming baby leeks, cutting into 5 cm (2 in) length and substituting these for the seafood in the recipe given below.

Risotto of Celtic Crab and Cardigan Bay Prawns

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 shallot, finely chopped
75g (3 oz) butter, chilled
1 tbsp olive oil
400g (1 lb, scant) risotto rice
200ml (4/5 cup) dry white wine
1l (4 cups) vegetable stock, hot
1 prepared crab (about 100g [3 1/2 oz] white meat and 25g [1 oz] brown meat)
100g (3 1/2 oz) Cardigan bay prawns, cooked and peeled (reserve about 8 or 12 of the prawns, keeping them unpeeled, to garnish)

To Garnish:
a little lemon juice
flat-leaf parsley and/or chives, finely chopped
Cheddar cheese shavings

Method:

Heat 25g (1 oz) of the butter with the olive oil and use to fry the shallot until soft but not browned (about 4 minutes). Add the rice, stirring it until the oil coats every grain.

Add the white wine and cook until completely absorbed by the rice. Now add the stock a ladleful at a time. Each time, cook the rice, stirring, until the stock has all been absorbed by the rains.

Continue cooking in this manner until the rice is creamy but not too soft. At this point add the crab meat and the peeled prawns. Stir these into the rice then take the risotto off the heat and beat in the remaining butter.

Add a little lemon juice (to taste). Serve immediately, garnished with the cheese shavings, the herbs and the reserved, unpeeled, prawns.

For many more Welsh recipes, why not visit the Celtnet Welsh recipes and cookery pages. If you would like other ideas for St David's day dishes, why not visit the Celtnet St David's day history and cookery page.

Below you will find links to all the recipes on this blog that go together to make a St David's day meal:


Starters:
Cawl (Lamb and Vegetable Broth)
Risotto of Celtic Crab and Cardigan Bay Prawns

Main Courses:
Rustic Lamb Shoulder Roast
Salmon Baked with Potatoes and Thyme

Accompaniments:
Creamed Leeks

Desserts:
Pwdin Eryri (Snowdonia Pudding)

Other Dishes:
Welsh Cakes (Pice ar y Maen)