Risotto with baby octopus and candied lemon is a unique recipe, mainly because it requires very small octopuses, and the cooking liquid for the rice will be the octopus cooking water so the taste will be more robust.

It is a refined and elegant first course that will surprise all your guests.

thought for you:

Risotto with baby octopus and candied lemon

Difficulty: Medium
Cost: Moderate
Preparation time: 10 Minutes
Portions: 4
Cooking methods: Slow cooking
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: All seasons

614.05 Kcal

calories per serving

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Energy 614.05 (Kcal)
Carbohydrates 103.15 (g) of which sugars 42.64 (g)
Proteins 16.59 (g)
Fat 15.05 (g) of which saturated 5.52 (g)of which unsaturated 9.28 (g)
Fibers 2.61 (g)
Sodium 307.46 (mg)

Indicative values for a portion of 275 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA^* and FoodData Central^** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.

^* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ^** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov

Ingredients

let’s go shopping

1 1/2 cups Carnaroli Rice
14 oz baby octopus (small size)
4 cups water (from octopus cooking)
1/3 cup onion
3 lemons (organic)
4 tbsp sugar
to taste olive oil
to taste salt
2 tbsp butter

Risotto with baby octopus and candied lemon

Tools

what we need to prepare the

Baking Pan square, 8 x 8 inches (or 9 x 9 inches)
Pot
Cutting Board
Knife
Oven
Food Processor

Preparation: Risotto with Baby Octopus and Candied Lemon

Take small baby octopuses, a maximum of 7 oz each or smaller, clean them, and in a pot with 8 cups of water, bring to a boil.
Dip the octopuses one by one, up and down three times before leaving them in the water, and cook for 15 minutes. They should be al dente.
While the octopuses cook, wash and dry the lemons, cut the peel, and chop it in the food processor.
Spread the chopped peel on a baking sheet with sugar and pepper, and place in the oven on grill mode at 350°F for five minutes. Once the peel is caramelized, take it out and let it cool.
Once cooled, break into crumbs and flakes to decorate the plate.
Now let’s move on to the octopuses.
Once cooked, separate the tentacles from the head.
Once separated, cut half into small pieces.
Sauté the pieces of octopus in a pan, let the water evaporate once, and when they are dry, add olive oil, cover the lid, and continue cooking for another three or four minutes or so.
Remove the tentacles from the pan and set them aside, in the same pan sauté the onion with a piece of butter.
Sauté the rice for two minutes, mix everything and finish with white wine, letting it evaporate.
Gradually add the octopus cooking water, you will need about three times the amount of rice, and cook.
Add the chopped tentacles, mix and let rest for about a minute, now we’re ready to serve.
Use a pastry ring, pour some rice in the center, place a few tentacles on top, then scatter some candied lemon, and a larger piece place on top, and let the crumbs fall around.
The Risotto with baby octopus and candied lemon is ready, served at Christmas and…
served by the sea.