Seafood Risotto

Method

1. Soak the ñora in just-boiled water for 20 minutes, then split it, discard the seeds and scrape the flesh off the skin.
2. Heat the stock with the saffron in the saucepan and keep it at a bare simmer.
3. Discard any mussels with broken shells, and any open ones that don't close when tapped.
4. Put the mussels, thyme and 50 ml of wine in the large pan, cover and cook over high heat for 3–4 minutes, shaking the pan, until the shells open.
5. Tip the mussels into a bowl, discarding any that stay tightly shut, and strain their liquid through the lined sieve into the stock.
6. Take most of the mussels out of their shells, keeping a few in the shell to decorate.
7. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in the risotto pan over medium heat and cook the onion for 5 minutes, until translucent.
8. Add the rice and stir for 2 minutes, until the edges of the grains turn translucent.
9. Pour in the 200 ml of wine and stir until it has almost evaporated.
10. Stir in the ñora flesh.
11. Add a ladle of hot stock and stir often until it is mostly absorbed.
12. Keep adding stock a ladle at a time for 16–18 minutes, until the rice is creamy and tender with a slight bite; you may not need all of it.
13. While the rice cooks, toss the squid and shrimp with 1 tbsp of oil and a pinch of salt.
14. Heat the frying pan over high heat until smoking and sear the squid and shrimp in batches for 1–2 minutes, turning once, until charred at the edges and just opaque.
15. Stir the cream into the risotto and simmer for 1 minute.
16. Take the pan off the heat and beat in the Parmesan.
17. Fold in the squid, shrimp and shelled mussels and season with salt and pepper.
18. Add a splash of stock if needed so the risotto flows slowly, then cover and leave for 2 minutes.
19. Spoon the risotto onto warm plates, flake the smoked salmon over the top and add the mussels in their shells.
20. Finish with a handful of arugula and more Parmesan.

1. Preparation of the salmon marinade For the marinade: 2 parts salt, 1 part sugar. Rinse the marinade off and place the salmon on a pre-soaked alderwood plank.
2. Cooking the risotto Preheat the grill to 200°C. Sauté the onion in olive oil, then add the rice and stir for a couple of minutes. Pour in the white wine until the rice is almost submerged in the wine. Stir continuously to evaporate the wine. Add the ñora pepper. Once the wine evaporates, add the broth mixed with saffron. Repeat this process a few times until the rice reaches al dente. When the rice is nearly ready, briefly place the squid and shrimp on the grill. Grill until they're halfway cooked, then add them to the risotto. Next, stir in the cream and mix well. Once the cream slightly evaporates, remove the saucepan from the grill and add Parmesan. I love a lot of Parmesan — the more, the better! Slightly simmer the mussels in a pot with thyme, then place the salmon on the alderwood plank. Lower the temperature to 130°C. Smoke the salmon for about 15 minutes. Once the protein starts to firm up, remove the salmon and add it to the risotto.

The dish in the photograph was cooked by the restaurant for this story. Photo: Oleksandr Slyadnyev.