Risotto is one of those perfect dishes for a cold night. Thick, warm, oooozy and rich. It just doesn’t get better than this and a glass of wine when it is cold and rainy outside. There is so many combinations of ingredients that you can bung into a risotto, it honestly never gets boring. In the Wrightfood cookbook I do a simple risotto cake which is paired with some clams, halibut and a great vegetable smoked paprika broth. The book talks a lot about the method of cooking risotto, and is worth checking out for just that alone! (course, I would say that wouldn’t I… you can download it for free at the Wrightfood website.

Black cod isn’t a fish I would automatically pair with risotto. I usually cook this over a high heat, since it is so oily. A crispy skin is just fantastic on this fish. In fact, I have never done anything else with black cod! Well, I wish I had done this one earlier. I gently steamed the black cod until just cooked. No harsh heat, no crispy skin. The result? A fantastically delicate, flavorful fish, that worked perfectly in this great risotto.

I wanted some veg in this, so I just sliced up some green beans that I had lying around. They added a little crunch to the dish, that was just a perfect contrast to the amazingly soft risotto, and the gentle fish.

Black cod and Green Bean Risotto

3/4lb Black Cod – skin removed

1 Cup of Arborio Rice

Handful of Green Beans – sliced crossways into thin slices.

1 pint of chicken stock

1 celery stalk

1/2 medium onion

1 clove of garlic

1 glass of dry white wine

Bamboo or wiremesh Steamer

1 tablespoon of butter

Finely dice the celery, onion and garlic. In a small pan heat the chicken stock over a medium heat. We are going to slowly add this to the risotto, and you want to add hot stock, otherwise the risotto will cool down when added, and not cook properly. In a good sized frying pan, saute the celery onion and garlic in a little olive oil. Do this carefully, we want to soften it, not brown it. When this is softened, add the rice, and stir. Once combined turn up the heat, and add the white wine. Let this cook down until the wine has almost gone. Add a soup ladle of the chicken stock, and turn the heat down to medium. Very gently and slowly, nead this stock into the rice. You don’t want to just stir. Keep it moving, carefully. Use a spoon to gently turn the rice over. We are going to be doing this over and over for about 20 minutes. When one ladle of stock has been absorbed by the rice, add another. Keep doing this for about 17 minutes. Taste the rice. Is it just soft? If not, keep going until it is.. It will most likely take about 20 minutes.

Put the black cod in the steamer. I like to use a bamboo steamer. It seems to steam fast, and evenly. Put this over a wok with a little water in, and crank up some heat under it. Make sure the lid is on tightly. Steam this until cooked through, most likely about 15 minutes.

Just keep going with the risotto. When it is done, flake in the black cod. Throw in the sliced green beans. Gently mix, being careful to destroy the fish. Mix in the butter, and cover for a couple of minutes. Dish up onto plates, and serve.

You have to be careful with risotto. If you leave it to its own, it is going to turn out, well, neglected. It might be tough, it will most likely have stuck to the pan. Risotto needs supervision, and constant attention. If you ask me, that makes it fun to cook. Especially this one – perfect for an Autumn night.