Ingredients
Makes about 10
It’s best to cook the rice the day before you want to use it. Once it has cooled, keep it in the fridge.
1.6 litres fish stock or water
500g arborio rice
5g salt
A pinch of good quality saffron threads (about 15)
60g pecorino cheese, grated
About 1kg fine breadcrumbs
Vegetable oil for deep-frying
For the filling
5 plum tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
½ medium onion, finely chopped
225g mixture of small pieces of white fish (swordfish, if you can find it, otherwise cod or haddock), pieces of cleaned squid or cuttlefish, and small prawns (or chopped larger ones)
120ml dry white wine
Advertisement
For the pastella
350g plain flour
1 egg
Method
1 Bring the stock or water to the boil, add the rice, salt and saffron, bring back to the boil and cook very slowly for at least 15 minutes, until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from the heat, leave to rest for a minute, then quickly beat in the pecorino. Set aside to cool completely.
2 Prepare the filling. Put the tomatoes into a pan of boiling water for 10 seconds, then drain them under cold water — you should now be able to peel them easily. Cut them in half, scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon, and chop the flesh.
3 Heat the olive oil in a large pan and cook the garlic and onion gently, until softened but not coloured. Add the seafood — the pieces of fish first, then the squid and lastly the prawns. Stir until the prawns change colour.
Advertisement
4 Pour in the white wine and bubble up to let the alcohol evaporate, then add the tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes. The mixture should be soft but not soupy. If it is a bit too liquid, cook for a little longer, to reduce and thicken it.
5 Remove from the heat, then crush the fish lightly with a fork. Leave to cool.
6 To make the pastella, beat the flour and egg, adding water gradually until it reaches a creamy consistency. Have ready the breadcrumbs in a separate shallow bowl. Wet your hands to stop the rice from sticking, then take a tangerine-sized ball of rice mixture and press your thumb in the centre to make a hollow.
7 Spoon in a little of the seafood filling, then close the rice around it and form it into a ball. Dip each one into the pastella and then into the breadcrumbs, making sure that they are completely covered in crumbs and pressing them lightly, to make sure the crumbs cling.
8 Heat about 8cm of vegetable oil in a large pan, making sure the oil doesn’t come any higher than a third of the way up the pan. The oil must be hot, but not smoking, before you add the arancini (if you have a thermometer it should be about 170C, otherwise test it by putting in a few breadcrumbs — if they sizzle gently, the oil is ready).
Advertisement
9 Working in batches (being careful not to crowd the pan or you will lower the temperature of the oil), fry the arancini for about 4-5 minutes, moving them around until they are golden all over.
10 Drain well on kitchen paper and serve hot.