Samphire Risotto With Seared Scallops
Buttery samphire risotto topped with seared scallops makes a delicious seafood main course.
Equipment
- Casserole pot or dutch oven Dutch oven or casserole dish for stove top
- medium saucepan For the hot broth
- cast iron skillet For searing the scallops
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon (2 tablespoon) Butter
- 1 Shallot Diced
- 2 cloves Garlic Diced
- 300 grams (1.5 cups) Risotto rice e.g. Arborio
- 250 ml (1 cups) Italian white wine e.g. Pinot Grigio
- 750 ml (3.5 cups) Vegetable broth or fish/shellfish stock
- 200 grams (1 cups) Samphire
- 1 (½) Lemon
- 12 Scallops At room temperature
Instructions
Samphire Risotto
- Melt butter in a large saucepan or Dutch oven on the stovetop until it stops crackling. Saute the diced shallot and garlic until translucent. Stir through the risotto rice and allow it to toast for a minute.
- Pour in the white wine and simmer until it is 80% absorbed into the rice, stirring occasionally to prevent it from sticking.
- Add one ladle of hot broth at a time. Continue to stir occasionally over medium heat as the rice absorbs 80% of the new liquid, before adding another ladle. Repeat until the rice is opaque white, and no longer translucent.
- Stir through the samphire and half a ladle of broth to cook it for another couple of minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the scallops.
Seared scallops
- Pat the scallops dry with kitchen paper and season them with salt.
- Heat a pan and once it is hot, add the butter.
- Sear the scallops on one side for 1-2 minutes, then add more butter to the pan and flip them over once the first side has a nice brown sear. Sear the other side, spooning over the hot sizzling butter as you do so.
- Turn off the heat, squeeze lemon juice over the seared scallops, and remove them from the pan to stop the residual heat from overcooking them.
- Serve the samphire risotto topped with seared scallops and a wedge of lemon on the side.
Notes
You may need slightly less or slightly more broth. If you think you will need slightly more liquid, add more hot water to your pan of broth to water it down slightly. Do not add cold water to a risotto.
Don't over stir a risotto. You want to keep it moving to prevent a crust forming on the bottom o the pan, but if you manipulate it too much it will overproduce starch and become stodgy.
Risotto rice is cooked when it is opaque white. It should be tender to taste, whilst still retaining a small amount of bite.
Nutrition
Calories: 385kcalCarbohydrates: 70gProtein: 12gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.2gTrans Fat: 0.003gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 1985mgPotassium: 269mgFiber: 4gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 417IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 31mgIron: 4mg
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