Risotto alla pescatora 

Risotto alla pescatora is a classic of traditional Italian cuisine, one of the best first fish dishes in my opinion. I will not lie, preparing a fisherman's risotto in a workmanlike manner is not a walk, more than anything because to give flavor to the rice you need to prepare the fish platter, not a difficult operation, but that requires a little time available. However, I invite you not to be discouraged, the goodness of the fisherman's risotto will repay you for the time and effort spent and will make you look great if, for example, you decide to serve it for Christmas Eve dinner or for New Year's Eve dinner. 

You can prepare the risotto alla pescatora with the products you prefer and in the proportions that best suit you: I used mussels, clams, squid (cuttlefish are also fine), shrimp and prawns. Another operation that will take you some time is the cleaning of the fish, but this will allow your guests to enjoy the risotto alla pescatora in peace, without being shelling and discarding the shells continuously (not to mention that these will serve you to prepare the fish platter). The only thing I left whole are the prawns, cooked separately with a little Brandy, which together with some clam and mussel not shelled are a good way to decorate the risotto alla pescatora once served. 

Some prepare the risotto alla pescatora in white, others add the tomato: I like it slightly pink, so I used only a couple of tablespoons of tomato puree, which depending on taste, however, can be omitted. Serve the risotto alla pescatora garnished with a little chopped fresh parsley and enjoy your meal.

PROCEDURE

To prepare the risotto alla pescatora the first thing to do is clean the various fish: soak the clams in cold water for a few hours. Rinse the mussels in plenty of running water, then scrape off any formations on the shell with a small knife. With a decisive gesture, pull the hair that comes out completely. Rub them well one by one with a scourer to remove all impurities. At the end, rinse them well one by one. Remove the head of the shrimp, remove the legs and tail and shell them, keeping aside all the heads and carapaci. With these, prepare the fish cartoon following the recipe you find here. With a toothpick, cut the back of the shrimp and pull the intestine gently away. At this point, cut the shrimp pulp into small piece. Rinse the prawns thoroughly under water. If you decide to cook them in risotto and not leave them whole, clean them as you did with shrimps, otherwise keep them aside. Remove the skin and bowels of the squid, rinse them thoroughly inside and cut them into strips. Cut the tentacles into small pieces. In a large pan, put the clams and mussels, together with a glass of water. Cover with a lid and turn on the heat at medium intensity; Wait for the clams and mussels to open. Remove the pan from the heat and with a slotted spoon set aside the clams and mussels. Strain the water in which they are opened and add it to the fish stock. Shell the clams and mussels (you can leave some whole to decorate and keep them aside. Now everything is ready to prepare the risotto alla pescatora: in a large pan fry the chopped chilli and peeled garlic in 3 tablespoons of oil. Leave the garlic whole so then you can remove it; Some chop it finely, but in my opinion then its flavor is excessive and covers that of the fish. When the garlic begins to sizzle, add the rice, salt it lightly and toast it for about two minutes. Turn up the heat and blend with white wine. Let it evaporate well, until you no longer smell, then lower the heat, remove the garlic and pour a little fish stock. Add the squid, a pinch of salt and, if you like, the tomato puree. Cook the risotto for 3-4 minutes, stirring it constantly and adding more fish stock if the previous one has been absorbed. After 3-4 minutes, add the chopped shrimp and continue to cook the risotto over low heat, stirring constantly and stretching it with the fish stock when necessary. After 7-8 minutes, take care of cooking the prawns: in a separate pan heat a little oil and add the prawns. Cook them 2 minutes on each side (in the meantime continue to stir the rice!), then turn up the heat and blend with a splash of brandy (if you do not have it you can use white wine). Let it evaporate well for a minute or two and turn off the heat. A couple of minutes before the fisherman's risotto cooks, add the shelled mussels and clams. Mix well and finish cooking. Finally, add the prawns and chopped parsley, turn off the heat and let the fisherman's risotto rest for a minute or two. Serve the fisherman's risotto immediately, garnished with mussels and clams left aside and with a handful of chopped parsley.