Black Risotto 🦑 Dalmatian Style 🇭🇷 (Crni Rižot)

Description

Inky, savory risotto with tender squid, glossy black sheen, and a bright lemon-parsley finish—pure Adriatic soul. 🌊🍋

Hook: Restaurant-level risotto in 30 minutes at the stove—silky grains, deep seafood flavor. ⚡

Ingredients

• 🦑 Squid (or cuttlefish), cleaned, bodies in 1 cm pieces + tentacles chopped: 600 g (1 lb 5 oz)
• 🧅 Onion, very fine dice: 150 g (1 cup / 5.3 oz)
• 🧄 Garlic, minced: 8 g (2 cloves / 0.3 oz)
• 🫒 Extra-virgin olive oil: 60 ml (¼ cup / 2 fl oz)
• 🌾 Arborio/Carnaroli rice: 300 g (1½ cups / 10.6 oz)
• 🍷 Dry white wine: 150 ml (⅔ cup / 5 fl oz)
• 🐟 Hot fish stock (kept simmering): 1.1–1.3 l (4½–5½ cups)
• 🖤 Squid ink (sachets): 6–8 g (2–3 tsp)
• 🍅 Tomato paste: 10 g (2 tsp / 0.35 oz)
• 🌿 Bay leaf: 1
• 🍋 Lemon zest: 1 tsp (2 g / 0.07 oz); lemon wedges to serve
• 🌿 Parsley, finely chopped: 2 tbsp (8 g / 0.28 oz)
• 🧂 Salt: to taste (≈7 g / 1¼ tsp)
• ⚫ Black pepper: ½ tsp (1 g / 0.04 oz)

Preparation

1. 1️⃣ Sauté base: Warm olive oil in a wide pot. Cook onion with a pinch of salt 5–6 min until translucent; add garlic 30 sec.
2. 2️⃣ Squid: Add chopped squid; cook 3–4 min until just opaque. Stir in tomato paste 30 sec.
3. 3️⃣ Rice in: Add rice; stir 1 min to coat. Splash in wine; simmer 1–2 min until mostly absorbed.
4. 4️⃣ Build risotto: Add hot stock a ladle at a time, stirring often. Keep a gentle simmer. After 8–10 min, dissolve squid ink in a little warm stock and stir in with the bay leaf.
5. 5️⃣ Finish: Continue adding stock until rice is al dente and creamy (16–18 min total). Remove bay leaf. Season with salt/pepper, fold in parsley and lemon zest, and swirl in 1 tbsp extra olive oil. Rest 1 min.
6. 6️⃣ Serve: Spoon immediately; offer lemon wedges.

Total Time

🕒 Prep: 15 min
🔥 Cook: 30 min
⏳ Total: 45 min

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