Crispy Catfish and Butter Parmesan Risotto - Part 1

I had Arborio rice for the first time in Puerto Rico. I loved the texture so much that I asked the waiter where I could buy it from. He almost thought we were ordering another dish but after some crazy hand gestures and my broken Spanish, I found out that it is called "Arborio Rice" and bought some from the local grocery store back to the US. Ofcourse, I am sure one can buy it at a local grocery store here as well.

The key to making a Risotto is PATIENCE! It should be sticky and creamy at the end and ofcourse soft to bite in. If you fail the first time, dont lose heart. Try again! I made the fish first and then the risotto. Bad IDEA! It took so long for the Risottto that I would actually flip that order!

Since carbs are my enemy I only made 1/2 cup of the rice - but a LOT more fish. So adjust your recipe accordingly. I think 1/2 cup would make about 2 servings.

Butter Parmesan Risotto:

Ingredients:

1 tbsp oil

1/2 cup Arborio rice

2 cups low sodium chicken or veggie broth (Hot)

1/8th cup each of carrots, onions, and celery (finely chopped)

1 green chilli (or more!)

3 tbsp of butter

1 clove garlic

1 cup hot water

1/8th cup chopped cilantro (optional)

2 to 4 tbsp Parmesan cheese

Salt to taste

Italian seasonings

1/4th wedge of lime

Method:

Boil the broth in a pot. Set aside. In a flat wide saucepan, add 1 tbsp olive oil, let it heat a little. Add 1tbsp butter followed by a clove of finely chopped garlic. Sautee dont let the garlic burn. Add the chopped veggies and chilli and sautee for about 3  minutes.  Now add 1/2 cup of Arborio Rice. Stir and mix well. Dont let it brown but do sautee it until you smell a nutty aroma of the rice (about 2 minutes). Add salt now because it will be hard to incorporate salt later! Now, add only about 1/2 cup of broth each time and stir the rice. Keep stirring until the broth is absorbed. Add 1 tbsp of butter (Keep the flame to a medium!) Add 1/2 cup of broth again. Stir and let the broth get absorbed.  Keep doing this until you finish the 2 cups of hot broth. Do not walk away from the pan and keep stirring. Do not add all the broth at once!!!!! My rice was still not cooked so I added another 1 cup of hot water (1/2 cup each time same way as before) and 1 tbsp butter again. Keep stirring. By now you should see that a sticky consistency has formed and the rice should be cooked. Add the Parmesan cheese and Italian seasonings. Add cilantro (optional). Take off the flame and squeeze the lime. Risotto is ready to eat!!

What went wrong:

1. If you used all the broth and the water and rice is still not cooked your flame must be too high that the liquids evaporated. Add more HOT water until cooked.