Martin Simpson is one of those rare men that lives, breaths, work’s and loves the sea. He leaves the pier in Dunmore East early each morning in his half Decker while most of us are tucked up in our warm beds. His time is spent on his own catching beautiful lobsters, crab and shrimp which I have the privilege to cook at the Castle.
1 – 1.3 ltr of shrimp stock
50g butter
2tblsp of olive oil
1 large onion finely chopped
400g of risotto rice
150ml of white wine
100g of fresh shrimp, cooked and peeled
50g of freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 tblsp of chopped tarragon
Serves 6
First bring the stock to the boil and keep it simmering. Melt half the butter in a heavy saucepan with the olive oil and add the finely chopped onion. Sweat gently for a few minutes or until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the rice and coat in the butter and oil, cook for 1 – 2 minutes and then add the white wine. As the rice absorbs the wine add the hot stock 150ml at a time, stir continuously and as soon as the liquid is absorbed add another 150ml of stock.
Continue to cook, stirring continuously. The heat should be brisk but not too high. The risotto should take about 15 minutes to cook.
After about ten minutes, reduce the additions of stock to about 4 tblsp at a time. The risotto is done when the rice is “al dente”. It should be soft and creamy and quite loose, rather than thick and dry. At this point stir in the peeled shrimp, tarragon, parmesan cheese and the remaining butter. Serve at once....
